SECT. I. ORGANOGRAPHY AND GLOSSOLOGY. 1 1 



which it is seated ; and the second is the " Fructifi- 

 cation/" which embraces the seed, and the different en- 

 velopes by which it is surrounded, and which collectively 

 are termed the fruit. This latter series, indeed, consists 

 of organs which had previously belonged to the former 

 series during the early stages of their development ; but, 

 as a very material alteration takes place in their con- 

 dition after the flower has expanded and faded, they 

 are considered as having so far changed their character 

 as to merit a different name from that which they before 

 possessed. But here, again, our definitions do not apply 

 to the whole mass of vegetation, since no flowers 

 or seeds are ever produced by the lowest tribes of 

 plants ; but they are propagated by little bodies 

 termed " sporules," which do not require any previous 

 process for securing their fertility, similar to that which 

 we shall hereafter show to be essential to the perfection 

 of true seeds. 



(12.) Internal Structure. Before we enter more 

 fully into further details respecting these and the other 

 external organs, we propose to examine the internal 

 structure of plants ; especially as there are certain in- 

 vesting or cuticular organs, which cannot well be de- 

 scribed without referring to the elementary organs, of 

 which the whole structure of the vegetable is composed. 



The great simplicity of the vegetable structure, when 

 contrasted with the complexity of that of animals, is very 

 remarkable; and whilst every separate function performed 

 by the latter, seems to require an organ of a peculiar con- 

 struction, the functions of vegetation are all carried on by 

 the intervention of a few simple tissues of the same kind. 

 Probably, however, this extreme simplicity is much 

 overrated ; for as yet we know very little of the nume- 

 rous slight modifications which different plants exhibit 

 in the arrangement of the several parts of their tis- 

 sue, and it may be reasonably conjectured, that every 

 modification of this sort, however slight, implies some 

 corresponding alteration in the mode of performing the 

 function. If we cut or fracture any portion of a living 



