248 



CLASS DIADELPIIIA. 



the season of flowers, be easily procured for analysis. The 

 hollyhock is in almost every garden, the common mallows 

 grows wild about dwellings ; both are good examples of the 

 class Monadelphia. 



The plants of this class vary in size from the low mallows 

 to some of the largest trees that have yet been discovered ; 

 " the Silk cotton tree, (BOMBAX pentandrum,) is so large, and 

 spreads its branches so widely that twenty thousand persons 

 might stand under its branches. This tree is a native of Af- 

 rica and South America. The Adansonia, a native of Sene- , 

 gal in Africa, is said to grow to the size of seventy feet in cir- 

 cumference ; this tree also attains great age. In 1749, the 

 learned Adanson saw two of these trees in the neighborhood 

 of Gorrea, upon one of which was inscribed the date of the 

 fourteenth, and upon the other that of the fifteenth century ! 

 yet there were good reasons to suppose that the trees were not 

 young when the dates were cut. It may be conjectured that 

 they have sometimes attained to the age of eight or nine hun- 

 dred years ! an immense period of time for the existence of 

 any species of organized bodies."* 



Having now considered the class Monadelphia in its most 

 important particulars, we will pass to the next class, which in 

 common with this, is founded upon the union of the filaments. 



LECTURE XXXIV. 



CLASS XVI UIADELPHIA. 



Fig. 120. 



THIS is the class of two brother- 

 hoods, the stamens being united by 

 their filaments ink) two sets. The 

 flowers of this class have already been 

 described under the head of Papiliona- 

 ceous, which you will recollect means 

 butterfly shaped ; this peculiar form 

 of their corollas is an important mark 

 t)f distinction in this class. 



There are, however, two circum- 

 stances to be noted here, in order to 

 prevent you from falling into error 

 with respect to this class. 

 1st. There are some plants here which have their filaments 



* B. S. Barton. 



Plants of this character variable in size Adansonia. Class Diadelphia Two 

 circumstances to be noted. 



