PHANEROGAMIA.—THALAMIFLORA. 429 
CHAPTER 3. 
ARRANGEMENT, CHARACTERS, DISTRIBUTION, PROPERTIES 
AND USES OF THE NATURAL ORDERS. 
Havina now given a general sketch of the more important 
Natural Systems—especially of that one which we propose to’ 
follow in this volume—and described the characters of its divi- 
sions, we proceed to the description of the various natural orders 
arranged under those divisions. Our attention will be chiefly 
directed to the principal orders, and especial importance will be 
given to their diagnostic characters,—-or those only which are 
necessary for their distinction. In our notice of the natural 
systems, we have seen that some authors, as Jussieu, Endlicher, 
and Lindley, commence with the simplest forms of plants, and 
end with the most complicated; while others, as Ray, De 
Candolle, and Bentham and Hooker, take an opposite course, 
and proceed from the most highly developed plants to the sim- 
plest. We have adopted the latter plan here, because the more 
highly developed plants are much better known than those of 
lower organisation, and are of more general interest to the 
majority of our readers. 
SuB-KINGDOM I, 
PHANEROGAMIA OR FLOWERING PLANTS. 
Division J. ANGIOSPERMIA. 
Class I. DicoryLEDONEs. 
Sub-class I. Polypetale. 
Series 1. Thalamifloree. 
Cohort 1. Ranales.—Gyncecium apocarpous, or very rarely 
syncarpous, or simple. Seeds usually albuminous. 
Order 1. Ranuncutace#,. the Buttercup Order. — 
Character.—Herbs, or rarely climbing shrubs, with a watery, 
colourless, usually acrid juice. Leaves alternate or opposite, 
generally much divided (figs. 333, 334, and 371), or sometimes 
entire, with usually dilated and amplexicaul petioles. Stipules 
generally absent, but rarely present, and then adnate. Inflor- 
escence definite ( fig. 432) or indefinite. Calyx of 3-6, usually 5 
(fig. 870) distinct sepals, regular (figs. 432 and 870) or irregular 
(fig. 457), green or rarely “petaloid, deciduous or very rarely 
persistent ; xstivation generally imbricate (fig. 870), sometimes 
_valvate (jig. 792) or induplicate. Cvrolla of 3.15, usually 5 
