112 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY. 



one plant of the genus Trifolium will convey intelligence, to a certain extent, 

 concerning every other plant belonging to its 150 species. 



335. Thus the whole vegetable kingdom is gi-ouped into species, and the spe- 

 cies themselves into genera. But natural affinities do not stop here. The genera 

 are still too numerous for the purpose of clear and systematic study. The natu- 

 ralist would therefore generalize still further, and reduce the genera to still fewer 

 and larger tribes or groups. Accoi'dingly he finds, on comparing the genera with 

 each other, that they still possess some characters in common, although, perhaps, 

 of a more general nature than those which distinguish them among each other. 

 These general characters, therefore, sei-ve to associate the genera into a sys- 

 tematic arrangement of Classes and Orders. 



336. There are two independent and widely different methods 

 of classifying the genera, wliich have generally been approved, 

 namely, the Artificial System of Linnaeus,, and the Natural Sys- 

 tem of Jussieu. The former has for its basis those characters 

 which are derived from the organs of fructification, leaving all 

 other natural affinities out of view. The latter, on the contrary, 

 is founded upon all those natural affinities and resemblances of 

 plants, by which Nature herself has distinguished them into 

 groups and families. 



337. In legard to the relative merit of these two arrangements there is now no 

 longer room for comparison. That of Linnaeus is truly ingenious and beautiful, 

 and furnishes, perhaps, the readiest means for detei-mining the names of plants 

 ■which has ever been devised; but this must be regarded as its principal use. 

 Indeed, its author liimself did not design it for any higher end, or claim for it any 

 higher merit. 



338. But, in acquiring a thorough and accurate knowledge of the vegetable 

 kingdom, the Katural System is not only the best, but it is the only method which 

 can be relied upon for this purpose. The obscurity and misconceptions which 

 fonnerly embarrassed the science of the vegetable structure, so as to render this 

 system unavailable, have now been so far removed by the labors of De Candolle 

 and Lindley, in Europe, and of Drs. Ton-ey and Gray, of our own country, that it 

 is brought generally within the scope of the ordinary mind, and shoAvn to be 

 founded in true philosophy. Accordingly, it is now generally adopted. 



339. Still, the difficulties attending analysis * by the Natural System alone, 

 are confessedly too great to be successfully encountered at tlie threshold of the 

 science, by him who has it yet to learn. These arise, partly from the obscurity 

 of the charactei'istic distinctions employed, and partly from the remaining inac- 

 curacies of their definitions. On this account it has been thought best to retain, 

 in this work, the artificial characters of the Linnsean Classes and Orders, in the 



* Analysis, as used iu botany, denotes the dissection and examination of the organic struc- 

 ture of plants, in order to learn their characters, affinities, names, &c. See s 344 — 348. 



