1001 



SVRINGODEA. 



SYSTEM, SEXUAL. 



1003 



damp shady places near water. Though very dissimilar in appearance 

 to the common lilac, it has been suspected to be only a variety of that 

 species. It is not yet very common in our nurseries. 



& Persica, the Persian Lilac. Leaves small, lanceolate. Flowers 

 purple. It is a native of Persia, and is a small shrub, from four to 

 six feet high. It ia one of the most ornamental of low deciduous 

 shrubs, and on that account is very commonly cultivated. When 

 planted in pots and forced, it may be made to flower at Christmas ; 

 but by this process the fragrance of the flowers is lost. Of thia 

 species also three varieties are found in the nurseries, the White, the 

 Cut-Leaved, and the Sage-Leaved Persian Lilacs. 



S. Chinentit, Chinese Lilac. Leaves ovate-lanceolate. Flowers 

 purple. It is a native of China. In character it is intermediate 

 between S. vulgaris and S. Penica, and agrees with a hybrid plant 

 produced at Rouen by SI. Vain, and called S. Rotomagenaii, the 

 Rouen Lilac. It is a plant that grows vigorously, and attains a height 

 of ten or twelve feet. The sorts known in nurseries as the Belgio 

 Lalas de Marly and the Lilas Saugd are varieties of this species. 



& Emodi has elliptical-oblong leaves, glaucous beneath, attenuated 

 at the base, and acuminated at the apex, with purple flowers. It 

 is a native of Kumaon near the Himalayas. S. vMoia has villous 

 leaves, and is found in China on mountains about Pekin, but neither 

 of these species is cultivated in this country, although both would 

 probably bear this climate. 



Syringa ia also the name that ia commonly but improperly given 

 to the species of Philadelphia, or Mock-Orange. The name Syringa 

 was given to the Lilac on account of its stems being used for the 

 manufacture of Turkish pipes. The stems of the P. coronarius are 

 also used for the Fame purpose, and equally with the Lilac it had the 

 name of Pipe-Privet, or Pipe-Tree, given it when first introduced 

 into thia country, and afterwards the name Syringa. [PHILADELPHIA] 

 SYRINGO'DEA, a genus of Plants belonging to the natural order 

 Ericaceie. This genus was formed by David Don out of the old 

 genus Erica. It possesses the following characters : Calyx 4-leaved, 

 glumaceous ; corolla long, tubular, usually rather dilated at top, rarely 

 a little contracted; limb short, 4-lobed; stamens for the most part 

 inclosed, filaments capillary, anthers 2-parteJ, cells of anthers short, 

 obtuse, mutic or ariatate at the base, dehiscing by an oblong foramen ; 

 Htigma simple or capitate, and ill some species annulated with an 

 elevated disc; capsule 4-celled, many seeded; seeds oval, compressed, 

 smooth. (Don, Miller, iii.) The species, of which 112 are described, 

 are all natives of the Cape of Good Hope. They are erect shrubs, 

 with loose leaves and large showy flowers, which are crowded at the 

 tops of the branches on every side, and form a spike-like inflor- 

 escence. 



SYRINQO'PORA. [MADBEPHYLLKEA.] 

 SYRINX. [SIPUNCCLID^.] 

 SYRNIUM, Savigny's name for a sub-genus of Owls. Ex. Syrnium 

 Aluco, the well-known Brown Owl, Tawny Owl, or Ivy-Owl, or Wood- 

 Owl, of these islands. [STRlorDf.] 



SY'RPHID^E, a family of Dipterous Insects of the section Brachy- 

 tloma of Macquart, the species of which are distinguished by their 

 having the palpi inflated at the extremity, the fore part of the head 

 often with a prominence, the labrum large, arched, and emarginated ; 

 the stylet of the antennae is usually dorsal ; the abdomen is most 

 frequently depresaed and elongated ; the wings have one diacoidal 

 cell, three posterior cells, the first of which is closed, and the second 

 extends along the posterior margin of the wing; sometimes there are 

 some small terminal nervures ; the anal cell is large, and a longitudina 

 nenrure divides the discoidal cell, aa well as the posterior. 



The present family contains upwards of 40 genera, a great portion 

 of which have representatives in thia country. The species frequent 

 flowers and woods ; the larva of the species of Syrphut are in the 

 form of an elongated cone ; they fix themselves, &c., with a kind o 

 glue, and feed exclusively on aphides. Some of the Syrphidce inhabit 

 the nests of the Humble-Bees (Bomlui), and these so much resemble 

 the species of South!, that they might at a first glance be mistaken 

 for them. Other Syrphida live in the larva state in water and mud 

 and these larvae are provided with a long slender tail, through thi 

 extremity of which they respire, it being raised to the surface of tin 

 water or mud for the purpose. 

 SYRKHAPTES. [TSTBAO.NID.E.] 



SYSTEM, SEXUAL, in Botany, ia the name given to the method 

 by which Linnxus arranged the Vegetable Kingdom. In this system 

 plants are divided into twenty-four classes, each of which is distin 

 guished by the number and relative positiou of the stamens. Th< 

 following are the classes : 



I. Flowers with Stamens and Pistils. 

 Class 1. Monandria; flowers with 1 stamen. 



2. Diamlria 



3. Triandria 



4. Tctrandria 



5. Pmtandria 

 i'. Ih fandria 

 1. I/rptandria 



8. Octandria . 



9. Enntandria 



2 stamens. 



3 



Class 10. Decandria . 



11. Dodecandria 



12. Icosandria 



. . 10 stamens. 

 . 12-19 



. . 20 or more stamens inserted 

 into the calyx. 



13. Polyandria . ' .' .' 20 oV mofe stamens inserted on 



the receptacle. 



14. Didynamia .' '. .' 4 stamens ; 2 long and 2 short. 



15. Tetradynamia, ' . .6 stamens ; 4 long and 2 short. 



' [CRCCIFEB.E.] 



16. Monadelphia ; flowers' with' the 'filaments of the stamens 



united in one set. 



17. Diadelplda ; flowers with the filaments of the stamens 



united in 2 sets. (In this class the flowers are papilio- 

 naceous.) 



18. Polyaddphia ; flowers with the filaments of the stamens 



united in 3 or more sets. 



19. Syngenesia ; flowers with the anthers of the stamens 



united. [COMPOSITE.] 



20. Oynandria; flowers with the stamens and pistils combined. 



[OBCHIDACE.E.] 



II. The Stamens and Pistils on different Flowers. 



21. Moncecia; flowers with the stamens and pistils on the 



same individual. 



22. Dicecia; flowers with the stamens and pistils on different 



individuals. 



23. Polygamia ; flowers perfect and unisexual, on the same 



or on different individuals. 



III. Fructification concealed. 



24. Cryptogamia. [AcROGENS.] 



It will at once be seen that this system is exceedingly artificial, and 

 .hat the great object of arrangement aud classification in natural his- 

 .ory is not attained by it. The effort of the naturalist in all systems 

 should be to bring together those objects which moat resemble each 

 other, and to separate those which differ. A classification like the 

 above, which takes only one organ or part of an organised being as a 

 means of arrangement, is therefore certain to frustrate the great aim 

 of the systematist. The only ground on which artificial classification 

 such aa the above can be tolerated is that of convenience in finding 

 out the name of any particular object. It was undoubtedly this that 

 .ed to the general adoption of the sexual system of Lmiuuus by bota- 

 nists. It is now however fast falling into disuse ; and our catalogues 

 of plants and manuals of indigenous Floras are witten on the plan of 

 the Natural System. 



Linnjeua divided the above classes into orders in the same artificial 

 way. The orders in the first thirteen classes were founded on the 

 number of styles or stigmas in each flower. Thus, flowers having one 

 style were placed in the order Monogynia, those with two in the order 

 Digynia, with three in Trigynia, and so on. Thus the name of tho 

 orders are repeated in each of the thirteen classes. In the remaining 

 classes however other points of structure are adopted. In Didynamia 

 the orders are two, according as the fruit is 4-lobed or capsular. TLe 

 first order is called Qymnospermia, and the second Angiospermia. These 

 names were given by Linnaeus under the erroneoua supposition that 

 the 4-lobed ovary was a series of naked seeds. 



The class Tetradynamia was divided into two orders, according to 

 the form of the fruit. Siliculosa embracing the species with the fruit 

 a silicle, and Siliqunia those with a silique. 



In the classes Monadelplda, Diadelphia, and Polyadelpkia, the 

 number of the stamens was made the text of the orders, and these 

 were named as the classes. Thus we have the order Decandria, class 

 Monadelphia, and the order Decandria, class Diadelplda. 



With regard to Syngenetia the following plan will afford the best 

 idea of the nature of the orders : 



OrJer 1. Polygamia Equal is. Florets all hermaphrodites. 



Order 2. Polygamia Superflua. Florets of the disc hermaphrodite, 

 those of the ray pistilliferous and fertile. 



Order 3. Polygamia Frtutanea. Florets of the disc hermaphrodite, 

 those of the ray neuter. 



Order 4. Polygamia Necetsaria. Florets of the disc staminiferous, 

 those of the ray pistilliferous. 



Order 5. Polygamia Segregata. Each floret having a separate 

 involucre. 



Order 6. Monogamia. Anthers united, flowers not compound. 



This large class thus divided by Linnaeus forms the natural order 

 Compotitce, and has beon recently subdivided in a much less artificial 

 manner than in the orders above given. [COMPOSITE.] 



The class Gynandria was divided into orders by the number of the 

 stamens. It includes the natural orders Orchidacece and Arista- 

 lochiaceas. 



The classes Moncecia and Dicecia are also formed into orders accord- 

 ing to the number of stameus, and the orders are again named as 

 preceding classes. Thus we have order Diandria, class Dicecia, &c. 



The class Polyoecia has the following orders : 



Order 1. Monoecia. Hermaphrodite, staminiferous, and pistilliferous 

 flowers ou the same plant. 



