THE JESSIEUS AND THE NATURAL METHOD. 



275 



simply immediate, will be divided, like the apetalous, according to tlie insertions 

 epigynic, bypogynic, and perigynic of the stamens, witboutany further subdivi- 

 sion. The class of dicJ'mes will close this series of eleven classes, which, joined 

 to the four preceding, Avill carry the whole number to fifteen, in which we can 

 arrange all the families known, witbout decomposing them." (Article Methode 

 naturcllc of the Diet, dcs Sciences NaturcUes. 



The following is the table of these fifteen classes given by Laurent himself in 

 the article just cited : 



ACOT YLEDONES AcotyUdoncs 



( stamens hypogynoua Monohypogyna: . . . 



MOXOCOT YLEDONES X stamens perigynous iMonnpcrigyii<z . . . 



(_ stamens epigynous Monocpi^yaa^ . 



Afetal^. 



Is 



DICOT YLEDONES ....{ 



MONOPETAL^. 



Stamens epigynous Epistamcnccc 



famens perigynous PeristaniinecE 6 



tameus iypogynous Hypustaminca: 7 



corolla hy pogynous Hypocorollcce 8 



corolla perigynous PcricoroUeie I) 



f anthers united EpicoroUca: ( -,q 



corolla epigynous •' .■^yiiantkcrte 3 



( anthers distinct Epicorollca .. \ -, , 



Chnrisanihcrm !) 



stamens epigynous Eplpetalea: 13 



stamens hj'pogynous Hypopctalea l.'S 



stamens perigynous Prripcsalm 14 



I.DICLINE3 DicUiics 15 



In the table placed at the head of the Genera Plantarum, instead of the names 

 which here indicate each class, the author had merely employed the number, a 

 mode of designation which, as is seen above, he judiciously changed. 



POLYPETALjE. 



I stai 



, < stai 



(stai 



3I0N0C0TYLED0NES 



l.\DEX JMETHODI 



Ordines tiaturales complectcntis. 



ACOTYLEDONES Class 



I stamina hypogyna 



perigyna 



epigyna 



( stamina epigyna 



< " perigyna 



( " hypogyna 



f corolla h3-pogyna 



) " perigyna 



] ,, • ,„ C antheris counatis 



( ^P'eyua ^ ^^ji^^j.;^ distinctis 



Apetala;. 



DICOT YLEDONES ; ^"^^sopetalje 



I 

 II 

 III 

 IV 



v 



VI 



VII 



VIII 



IX 



X 



XI 



XII 



POLYPETAL.E. 



C stamina epigyna XII 



< " hypogyna XIII 



( " perigyna XIV 



IDICLIN'ES IRREGULARES. 



M. de Jussieu has been censured, and with reason, for the arrangement of his 

 classes, founded on the forms of the corolla. It will be seen that he censured 

 it himself: " These classes," he says, " have the defect of not subsisting without 

 exception." Again, he says that, "if the method be considered rigorously, and 

 not with a view to convenience, it would be necessary to adhere, as Bernard has 

 done, to the sole invariable characters, the lobes of the emhryo and the insertion 

 of the stamens^ And yet, in proportion as the number of species has increased, 

 it has been found that even this last character, taken from the insertion of the 

 stamens, cannot be regarded as exempt from variation. On the other hand, 

 everything has concurred in confirming the grand division given by the lohes oj 

 the emhryo. Hence, the three groups founded on these lobes (the acotyledons, 

 monocotyledons, and dicotyledons) are far beyond simple classes, properly so 

 called ; they correspond to the emhranchements of the animal kingdom estab- 

 lished by Cuvier, and ought, perhaps, to bo designated by the same name. 

 Under these three grand divisions should be placed the classes proper, each 

 formed by the union of several families, in conformity with the judicious reflec- 

 tion of Mr. Robert Brown : " A methodical and at the same time natural ar- 

 rangement of families is perhaps impracticable in the actual stateof our knowledge ; 



