PODOPHYLLUM DIPHYLLUM LINN. = 335 
né has hardly been felt in this Utima Thule of {cience. 
Had a number of the pupils of that great man fpread 
themfelves along, and fettled in, the countries of North- 
America, the riches of this world of natural treafures 
would have been better known. But alas! the one only 
pupil of your predeceffor that has made choice of Amcri- 
ca as the place of his refidence, has added nothing to the 
ftock of natural knowledge. Video meliora. 
But, I return to my plant.—iTs cLhass AND ORDER. 
Thad an opportunity of examining four flowers of this 
vegetable: they arofe from one common root. Each of 
thefe flowers was furnifhed with eight ftamina, and with 
one piftillum. From this examination, I ventured to in- 
form feveral of my friends, as well foreign as domeftic, 
that the Podophyllum diphyllum of Linnzus belonged to 
the clafs and order Odtandria Monogynia of the fexual 
fyftem, and that it fhould ftand between Mzmu/ops and Tro- 
peolum. More obfervations, however, are probably want- 
ing toenable me to afcertain, withcertainty, this part of 
the hiftory of the plant. Perhaps, the number of the 
ftamina, in particular, is not definite*. But on this head, 
‘another fummer will enable me to give you more certain 
information. 
Irs NATURAL CLASS AND ORDER. 
I think, it is a matter of much more confequence to 
afcertain the place of our genus in fome natural /yftem of 
vegetables. I would not wifh you to think, from this ob= 
fervation, that I undervalue the fexual method of Linne- 
us. This is fo far from being the cafe, that] am an im- 
plicit believer in the do&rine which afferts the exiftence 
of fexes in vegetables, and the neceflity of an intercourfe 
Wrt's between - 
_ * Since this letter was written, a number of flowers has been produced in the garden of Mr. 
John Bartram, neaf Philadelphia. In every inftance, they were furnifhed with eight ftami- 
na, and one pittillum. I prefume, therefore, the place of this plant in the fyftem of Linnzyes 
8 now well afcertained; 
