FLORA CESTRICA. 



Virtud cs, rcspondio Sancho, eonocer esas Yerbas, que segun yo me voy imagi- 

 nando, algun dia sera menester usar de ese conocimiento. CERVANTES. 



SERIES I. 



PHAENOG'AMOUS OR FLOWERING 

 PLANTS. 



VEGETABLES bearing proper flowers, with stamens and pistils, and 

 producing seeds which contain an embryo, or rudimentary plantlet. 



CLASS I. 



EXOGENOUS OR DICOTYLEDONOUS 

 PLANTS. 



STEMS distinctly formed of bark, wood and pith; leaves mostly 

 netted- veined ; embryo with 2 (or rarely more) opposite cotyledons. 



SUB-CLASS I. 



ANGIOSPlSRMOUS EXOGENOUS PLANTS. 



PISTIL a closed ovary, containing ovules and becoming the fruit ; 

 pollen applied to a stigma ; cotyledons 2. 



DIVISION I. DIALYPET'ALOUS EXOGENOUS PLANTS. 



FLORAL ENVELOPES consisting generally of both calyx and corolla, 

 with the petals mostly distinct.* 



ORDER I. RANUNCULACEAE. 



Herbs, or woody vines, with a colorless and often acrid juice; leaves usually dis- 

 sected ; stipules none ; petals sometimes wanting, and the calyx corolla-like, hypo- 

 gynous ; the sepals, petals, numerous stamens, and many or few (rarely single) 

 pistils, all distinct and unconnected; seeds with firm fleshy albumen; embryo 

 minute. 



This family comprises a number of plants of considerable beauty ; but few that 

 interest the mere utilitarian. 



* The petals, however, will be found more or less connected, in many species of 

 ORDER XXXIV. LEGCMINOSAE, and ORDER XL. CCCURBITACEAE. A few instances of 

 Dialypetalous flowers occur in ORD. LIV. ERICACEAE (viz. in the Suborders, PTRO- 

 I.EAE ftnd MONOTROPEAE), which Order is, nevertheless, placed in the Gamopetolous 

 Division of the Series. The petals are also nearly distinct, in some plants of ORD. 

 LV. AQUIFOLIACEAE ( Y iz. in Ilex, and Prinos); and in Chionanthus, ORD. LXXIV. 

 OLEACEAE. 



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