ARTIFICIAL SYSTEM. 133 



CLASS IX. ENNEANDRIA. 



50. Character : All plants of this class, bear flowers 

 with nine stamens. (F. 182.) 



With respect to the genera which belong to the class enneandria, 

 they constitute different assemblages of vegetables, more or less 

 natural. The laurel, cashew-nut, and rhubarb, are of the Linnaean 

 natural order fioleracece. The other two genera, butomus and erio- 

 gonum, bear no particular affinity to each other, or to the genera 

 we have just mentioned. 



51. Division .-There are three sets of plants be- 

 longing to this class, and consequently three orders ; viz. 

 monogynia, trigynia, and hexagynia, all established on 

 the number of pistils in each flower. 



52. Monogynia : Comprising those plants of the 

 class, which produce flowers with one pistil only. 



This order is chiefly constituted by a single family of valuable 

 plants, generically called laurus or laurel. The cinnamon tree, bas- 

 tard-cinnamon, camphor-tree, and cogwood, sweet-bay, royal-bay, 

 alligator-pear, benjamin-tree and sassafras-tree, are all species of 

 the genus Inurus. The genera of anacardium or cashew-nut, and 

 eriogonum are very small. 



53. Trigynia: Including snch plants of the class, 

 which produce flowers with three pistils. 



The family of rhubarb or rheum is the only genus of this order, 

 the true medical species of which, is the rheum palmatum or officinal 



rhubarb. 



54. Hexagynia : Consisting of a particular plant of 

 the class, which produces flowers with six pistils. 



