STUDY XI. II I 



fevefal fummits, this denomination would be more 

 applicable to feveral other plants; and, befides, 

 does not exprefs the fwellings, the finkings, and 

 the progreffive diminution of the flowers of the 

 ftachis. 



I'ournefort derives it from the Latin word verti- 

 dlhis; that is, fays he, a fmall weight perforated 

 circularly to receive the end of a fpindle, in order 

 to make it whirl with greater facility. This is 

 going a great way, in queft of a very imperfect 

 fimilitude, to an utenfil by no means generally 

 known. In faying this, however, I would not be 

 confidered as failing in the refpecl; which is due to 

 fuch a man as Toitmefort, who firft cleared for us 

 the botanic path, and was, befides, a perfon of 

 profound erudition. But from this careleflhefs of 

 the great Mailers, we may form a judgment of the 

 vague, inaccurate, and incoherent expreflions 

 which fill the vocabulary of Botany, and diffufe 

 obfcurity over it's defcriptions. 



After all, I mall be afked, How would you cha- 

 racterize the aggregation of the flowers of the two 

 plants which have juft been mentioned ? By refer- 

 ring them to aggregations fimilar to thofe of the 

 plants of our climates. In this there can be no 

 difficulty : thus, for example, we might refer the 

 affemblage of the flowers of the Grecian helio- 

 trope, 



