CONCLUSION. 91 



incorrect as those of Tournefort or Lichen of 

 Linneus, not only in use, but insisted upon as 

 correct, by Botanists neither bhnd nor unskilful; 

 but who shut their eyes and ears, so as to dis- 

 card the use of their senses— For instance in 

 Euphorbia, Veronica, Saxifraga, Yaccinium, 

 Andromeda, and 200 snch linnean Genera, 

 which are strange medleys of blunders, ambi- 

 guities, and absurdities. 



If they admit the mistaken and absurd rule 

 that a wrong Genus must give the character, 

 they ought at least to take it from all the 

 strange plants they mix together, and the char- 

 acter of Saxifraga should be Calix inferior 

 or Superior, equal or unequal, with ^ to \0 

 parts, Petals 5 equal or unequal, with glands 

 vr no glands, with claws and nerves or none. 

 Stamens 5 or 10 or 20, equal or unequal, flat 

 or filiform, fertile or sterile. Ovary inferior or 

 superior with glands or no glands, 2 Styles 

 or 3 to 6 or no Styles, Capsule bifid or bi- 

 come or 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Capsules, naked or 

 crowned or covered . . . ! At which rate and 

 with many . . OR . . OR - we can make a single 

 Genus of Roses and Cabbages ! and without 

 any OR, a single Genus of all the Cruciferes. 



The fact is they are ashamed to give the real 

 characters of such Genera, and discarding the 

 linnean rule, give us instead a paltry unmeaning 

 character that does not apply to all the Sp. 



Linneus did the same, and that is their apolo- 

 gy. And so did the old Botanists before Lin- 

 neus. He himself has broken occasionaly every 

 one of his own rules, either by oversight or by 

 the difficulty of discarding all errors at once. 

 Even his golden rule of two names only for each 

 plant ; since he had some with three — Aspleni- 



