HISTORY OF BOTANY. 315 



the curiosity of scientific Europeans. Among the number of 

 voyagers to America, was a Roman Catholic Priest, Plumier, 

 celebrated for his mathematical and botanical knowledge ; he 

 made three voyages, and gave drawings and descriptions of 

 more American species than any other traveller had done. 



We now find many who were distinguished by their efforts 

 in the cause of science, but a notice of each individual would 

 carry us beyond our limits, and prevent that clear conception of 

 the state of the science, which attention to a few conspicuous 

 facts may produce. 



Botanists now began to observe the stamens and pistils of 

 plants ; it was suggested that the science would remain imper- 

 fect as long as species and genera were undefined. Orders 

 and classes also were recommended. Natural resemblances 

 and affinities were studied. A work was written upon the 

 umbelliferous plants ;* it was the first attempt at describing in 

 one mass, any single group of plants by characters peculiar 

 to the whole. This was followed by several attempts to form 

 a natural method of classification ; among the most approved 

 of these methods was that of Ray, who published a work 

 called " A General History of Plants ;" in this he divided all 

 plants into 33 classes, 27 of which were composed of herbs, 

 the rest of trees. 



The first botanist who thought of classing plants without 

 any reference to their being either herbs or trees, was a Ger- 

 man, of the name of Rivinius, who proposed to consider as 

 the foundation of classification, the absence or presence of flow- 

 ers ; tJie manner in which they were situated, or their inflores- 

 cence ; the number of petals ; the regular or irregular form of 

 the corolla ; the adherence or non-adherence of the calyx to the 

 germ ; the nature of the pericarp ; the number of seeds ; and 

 of cotyledons. 



A botanist of the name of Magnol, at this time was honour- 

 ed by having his name given to the splendid Magnolia, an 

 American plant, which then began to be known in Europe. 



Joseph Pitton de Tournefort, was born in 1656. While 

 very young, he discovered an enthusiastic fondness for botani- 

 cal pursuits ; he had been destined, by his friends, for a pro- 

 fession ; but his genius seemed so strongly bent upon the study 

 of nature, that he was at length permitted ,to indulge without 

 restraint in his favourite pursuits. He ranged over the Alps 



* The author of this was Robert Morrison, a Scotchman. These monogra- 

 phies or descriptions of single families, are now of great value ; no botanist 

 can thoroughly investigate the whole vegetable kingdom, but by close attention 

 to one department, important discoveries may be made. 



Various improvements in botanyRay Rivinius Magnol Tournefort, 



