CLASSIFICATION 2/ 



Their peculiarity is that they have only stamens 

 and ovules. There is no calyx or corolla, and no 

 pistil ; so that the ovules are naked. Hence the 

 group is called Gymnosperms. 



All the preceding constitute the class Dicotyledons. 



There remain three more groups of Families. 



First. — All plants with a perianth instead of a 

 calyx and corolla. This word is used because the 

 parts of these two whorls are more or less alike 

 and " petaloid," /. e. of the nature and appearance 

 of petals. These form two groups, viz. — Those 

 with an inferior ovary, and, therefore, a superior 

 perianth, as the Daffodil ; those with a superior 

 ovary, and, therefore, an inferior perianth, as the 

 Colchicum. 



Lastly come those families which have their 

 stamens and pistil protected by chaff-scales called 

 "glumes." Such are the Sedges and Grasses. 

 The only one alluded to in this book is a grass 

 occurring in cornfields, called the Darnel. 



All the preceding are included under the class 

 Monocotyledons. 



The two classes derive their names from the 

 fact that the embryo in the seed of dicotyledons 

 has two seed-leaves or cotyledons, and that of 

 monocotyledons has only one. 



Everybody is familiar with almonds, beans, 

 peas, and acorns, which readily separate into two 

 halves, but are united to a little bud at one side 



