THE LINNAAN SYSTEM 309 
plants as are now often known as Phenogamia 1 or phenogams. 
Each class was again divided into several ‘‘orders”’ mostly 
according to the number, etc., of the other essential organs 
(stamens) of the flower. Under these orders Linnzeus grouped 
all the genera and species of plants known in his day. 
The distinctions upon which Linnzus depended were so 
easy to understand and remember, and afforded such a con- 
venient means of classifying any plant, that the system soon 
gained an immense popularity, especially in England, and 
led to a widespread study of plants. Moreover, in his time, 
explorations in various parts of the world were bringing to 
light a great many kinds of plants and animals, previously 
unknown; and as Linnzus had also published a convenient 
classification of animals, most of those new discoveries were 
sent to him to name and classify. On the foundations 
so broadly laid systematic botany progressed much more 
rapidly and better than ever before, and during more than 
half a century the system of Linnzeus remained practically 
the only one in use. 
We have said that although deliberately artificial, the 
Linnzan system was remarkably natural in many respects. 
This is shown in the separation of the cryptogamic from the 
phenogamic plants; also in the fact that the species of a 
genus were always kept together, and in the association of 
many of the genera into orders corresponding to certain of 
the families recognized to-day. 
To understand why this is, we must remember that plants 
which resemble each other in one particular have very gen- 
erally other points of resemblance as well; hence, almost 
any artificial system is bound to be natural to some extent, 
and to what extent will depend on how far the characters 
chosen imply other points.of resemblance. The reason why 
the Linnzan system was so natural, was that its founder 
had the sagacity to choose his characters primarily from the 
essential parts of the flower; for likeness in these parts in- 
volves a great deal of similarity in other respects. Thus, the 
1 Phe-no-ga/-mi-a (written also Phenogamia and Phanerogamia) < 
Gr. phaino, to be manifest; gamos, marriage: because the floral organs 
essential to the production of seed are manifest. 
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