288 THE CROSSING OF FLOWERS. 



Vegetable Kingdom into a many-membered whole. It is therefore obvious that 

 he could never have felt much enthusiasm for the Swedish botanist. 



But, strange as it may sound, that w^hich Goethe regarded as the weak point 

 in the Linnean system was, on the contrary, its strength. The very fact that 

 counting afforded a safe path through the apparent chaos of plant-forms, that 

 by means of counting the floral parts the possibility was afforded of attaining 

 to a short and intelligible classification; and not least, the persistent adherence 

 to the principles laid down fascinated both lay and professional men. These 

 same good points explain why even many quite recently issued works (tourists' 

 pocket-floras and the like) retain the Linnean system when their object is to 

 facilitate a speedy reference of a plant to its position amid the plexus-like 

 ramifications of the phylogenetic tree. Later on we shall have an opportunity 

 of investigating the value of the different plant - systems from an historical 

 standpoint. Here the Linnean system claims our attention solely on the ground 

 of the division of the stamens and pistil, i.e. of those organs in which the two 

 kinds of sexual cells are formed. The results of the researches into the divisions 

 of these organs in which the fertilizing and receptive sexual cells, i.e. the male 

 and female cells are developed, form the foundation of the Linnean system and 

 afibrd the most important marks for the division into the so-called Classes, of 

 which Linnseus distinguished twenty-four. 



The first 20 classes of the Linnean system include Phanerogams, whose flowers 

 are all hermaphrodite, i.e. in wdiich each flower of the plant contains both stamens 

 and pistil. Those species whose stamens are all the same length, and are neither 

 joined to one another nor to the pistil, are all in the first 13 classes. Each of these 

 13 classes is distinguished in the following manner: — 



Class. 



1. MONANDRIA. A single stamen in each flower; e.g. Mare's-tail (Hippuris), Indian 



Shot (Canna), Alpinia (see fig. 283 ^). 



2. DIANDRIA. Two stamens in each flower; e.g. Speedwell {Veronica; see fig. 257^), 



Lilac (Si/ringa; see fig. 283^). 



3. TRIANDRIA. Three stamens in each flower; e.g. Iris (see fig. 265, p. 246), Valerian 



{Valeriana; see fig. 283^). 



4. TETRANDRIA. Fom- stamens in each flower; e.g. Woodruff {Asperula), Plantain 



{Plantago), Cornel {Cornus; see fig. 283^). 



5. PENT ANURIA. Five stamens in each flower; e.g. Deadly Nightshade {Atropa), Cow- 



bane {Cicuta), Aralia; (see fig. 283^). 



6. HEXANDRIA. Six stamens in each flower; e.g. Tulip {Tulipa), Lily of the Valley 



{Comallaria). Gagea (see fig. 283^). 



7. HEPTANDRIA. Seven stamens in each flower; e.g. Horse Chestnut {Aesculus Hippo- 



castanum; (see fig. 283'''). 



8. OCT ANURIA. Eight stamens in each flower; e.g. Ling {Calluna), Spurge Laurel 



{Daphne; see fig. 283^). 



9. ENNEANDRIA. Nine stamens in each flower; e.g. Bay Laurel {Laurus), Flowering 



Rush {Butomus; see fig. 283 9). 



