304 



Cardamoms, belong to this order. It stands between 

 the OrchidecB and Spathacea. 



" The genera referred to this order by Linnaeus 

 are Afusa, Heliconia, Thalia, Maranta, Gtobba, 

 Costus, Alpi?iia, Amomum, Curcuma, Kampferia, 

 Canna, lienealmia, and Myrosma. 



" The order of Scitaminece, including the Cannca, 

 coming at the very threshold of the Linnaean arti- 

 ficial system, and being in themselves very attrac- 

 tive, curious, and rare, have particularly engaged 

 the attention of several distinguished botanists, but 

 with very unequal success. No plants have been 

 less understood by Linnaeus and his immediate fol- 

 lowers, with regard to their genera, and the prin- 

 ciples upon which they ought to be founded. 



" Professor Swartz, who has so well illustrated the 

 Orchidece, and whose attention was called to the 

 ScitamifiecD by their near affinity to that tribe, has 

 not thrown any light on their generic distribution. 

 The French botanists have done absolutely nothing 

 to clear up this family, but have adopted the ideas 

 and all the mistakes of Linnaeus. 



"The most unfortunate attempt relative to the ge- 

 nera of Scitaminea was made by Giseke, in his edi- 

 tion of the lectures of Linnaeus upon the natural 

 orders of plants, printed at Hamburgh in 1J92. 

 This writer, working with other people's materials, 

 and destitute of practical experience, boldly under- 

 took to new-model the whole order. But as Gul- 

 liver's mathematical tailor of Laputa, having made 

 a mistake in the beginning of his calculation, 

 brought him home a whole waggon-load of clothes, 



