406 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY, OR 



GentianacecB, we ascertain at once from its affinities, that it 

 must have the tonic and other properties Avhich are possessed 

 by the plants generally of that ordei', and, at the same time, 

 we also learn that it accords in its structure with the same 

 plants ; and hence, by knowing the name of a plant by the 

 Natural System, we at once learn all that is most important in 

 its history. It is quite true that all the orders, as at present 

 constituted, are by no means so natural as that of the Gen- 

 tianacea;, but this arises from tlie present imperfection of our 

 systems, and can only be remedied as our knowledge of plants 

 extends ; even a system, devised as perfectly as possible one day, 

 may be deficient the next, in consequence of new plants being 

 discovered which might force us to alter our views ; for at 

 present the Floras of many regions of the globe are almost 

 unknown. Sufficient, however, is known of plants at present 

 for us to establish certain great divisions according to a natural 

 method, and which after, discoveries are not likely to affect to 

 any important extent. The present imperfections of the Natural 

 System are, accordingly, comparatively unimportant, and will no 

 doubt disappear as our knowledge of the Flora of the globe 

 becomes extended. 



Having now described the general characters upon which the 

 artificial and natural systems depend, and the particular merits 

 and disadvantages of the two classes of systems respectively, we 

 proceed in the next place to describe more particularly the 

 principles upon which such systems are founded, commencing 

 with those of an artificial character. 



Section 1. — Artificial Systems of Classification. 



The first artificial system of any importance, of which we 

 have any particular record, is that of Cresalpinus in 1583. Only 

 1520 i)lants were then known, which were distributed into 

 fifteen classes, the characters of which were chiefly derived from 

 the fruit. The next systematic arrangement of an artificial 

 character was that of Morison, about the year 1670. He divided 

 plants into eighteen classes, Avhich were constructed accord- 

 ing to the nature of the flower and fruit, and the external ap- 

 pearance of the plant. The systems of Hcrmami, Knaut, 

 and others, were also constructed upon somewhat similar 

 principk's, while that of Camcllus was framed from the cha- 

 racters presented by the valves of tlic pericarp, and their 

 number. In the system of Rivinus, which was pronuilgated 

 in the year 1690, plants were divided into eiglitccn classes, 

 which were founded entirely uj)on the corolla — its regu- 

 larity or irreguhirity, and the number of its parts being 

 taken into consideration. The system of Christian Knaut 



