Bentliam and Hooker's Genera Plantar laii 5 9 



of these cases. Our learned and profound botanist has then 

 grouped the varieties and the races in species, and he has suc- 

 ceeded in placing the species upon a map dispersed according to 

 their degrees of resemblance and dissimilarity, On designing them 

 by the first letter of their names they are found to be placed thus: — 



;/ k g m 



I d z X i j p y e 



c a y p 7a 



u t V 



o 



c s 



There are here evidently six groups : n k I c; c s; d z x; a; 

 g down to v; and 70. The most numerous in species is subdi- 

 vided naturally into two, ior y and tv are more or less distinct from 

 the rest. 



The value of the characters common to species of each group 

 will decide whether we must make of these groups six distinct 

 genera or six sections of a large genus ; or again, perhaps, three 

 genera, that of the left divided into three sections ; a a monotypic 

 genus; and a genus on the right divided into two sub-genera, of 

 which w is monotypic, and the remainder of the sub-genus into 

 two sections. The sound judgment of the supposed botanist will 

 direct him in the appreciation of the characters. He will desire to 

 be consistent with himself in the same family and in the group of 

 families in question. He will name the genera from associations 

 of an importance analogous to that of the genera admitted by 

 means of authors, and of very apparent genera consecrated by the 

 language of all people. If he hesitates to make of a group a genus 

 or a sub-genus, he will prefer this latter course, which dispenses 

 with a new generic name and relieves the memory ; the large 

 genera being after all sufficiently convenient. But whatever course 

 he resolves on, it is clear that the discovery of a species between 

 c and 0, between x and a, between a and y, between w and the 

 nearest species, will change his combinations completely. A better 

 knowledge of species would have the same effect if our supposed 

 botanist was not a veritable monographer ; but we have supposed 

 him such. It is plain that the march of science ought to bring 

 about fusions, and rather fusions than divisions. In former times 

 in entering on the flora of very distant countries, species were dis- 

 covered which have appeared very distinct, and which afterwards 

 have been united by others from these or neighbouring countries. 



