ORDER MONOGYNIA. 221 



*' Shall little haughty ignorance pronounce 

 His works unwise, of which the smallest part 

 Exceeds the narrow visions of his mind ?" 



The tulip has no style, but its three parted stigma is attach- 

 ed to a three cornered germ. The corolla of the tulip is more 

 expanded at the base than that of the lily. The stem of the 

 tulip is never more than one flowered, while that of the lily 

 usually has a number of flowers. Some native species, of the 

 tulip are found in North America, but those which you see in 

 gardens are exotics. In no plant is the variation made by 

 culture greater than in this ; it is said, that of one single spe- 

 cies, Tulipa gesneriana, one thousand and one hundred varie- 

 ties are cultivated in Holland. About the middle of the seven- 

 teenth century, the rage for tulips was so great, that some 

 Vere sold for four thousand dollars, and one variety, called the 

 ice-roi, for ten thousand dollars ; but this extraordinary 

 traffic was checked by the law that no tulip or' other flower 

 should be sold for a sum exceeding one hundred and seventy- 

 five dollars. 



The amateurs of this flower may truly be said to have had 

 the tulip mania, to have rendered such a law necessary. The 

 Crown-imperial is truly a majestic flower, and presents, in the 

 regularity of its parts, the curious appearance of its nectaries, 

 and the liquid secretion which takes place in them, facts of 

 great interest both to the departments of botanical classifica- 

 tion and physiology. But we find in the foetid odour of this 

 splendid flower, a circumstance which leads us to prefer, as an 

 ornament for our parlours, or as a gift to a friend, the humble 

 mignionette or the lowly violet. 



Besides the liliaceous plants, which include much of the 

 beauty of our gardens, we find in the first order of the 6th 

 class, several genera which belong to the natural family Ensa- 

 tee, having sword-form leaves ; as the spiders wort, a beautiful 

 flower whose symmetry we have already remarked. Many 

 tenderly cherished exotics have less elegance than this neg- 

 lected American plant. The snow-drop, which is one of the 

 earliest flowers of spring, is of the same family. 



It may excite your astonishment to know, that in the class 

 and order with so many splendid and beautiful flowers are the 

 onion (Allium), and the bulrush (Juncus). But you must re- 

 collect that in this artificial system, if a flower has six separate 

 stamens and one pistil, it is entitled to a place in the 6th class 

 and 1st order, even though this should place a very humble 

 plant by the side of the most gaudy flower. 



The onion belongs to a family of monocotyledonous plants, 



Tulip Ensatee Plants of different appearances found in the same classes. 



19* 



