THE LINN.EAN SYSTEM 309 



plants as are now often known as Phenogamia » or phenogams. 

 Each class was again divided into several "orders" mostly 

 according to the number, etc., of the other essential organs 

 (stamens) of the flower. Under these orders Linnseus grouped 

 all the genera and species of plants known in his day. 



The distinctions upon which Linnaeus depended were so 

 easy to understand and remember, and afforded such a con- 

 venient means of classifying any plant, that the sj'stem soon 

 gained an immense popularity, especially in England, and 

 led to a widespread study of plants. IMoreover, in tiis time, 

 explorations in various parts of the world were bringing to 

 light a great many kinds of plants and animals, previously 

 unknown; and as Linnseus had also published a convenient 

 classification of animals, most of those new discoveries were 

 sent to him to name and classify. On the foundations 

 so broadly laid systematic botan^^ progressed much more 

 rapidly and better than ever before, and during more than 

 half a century the system of Linnaeus remained practically 

 the only one in use. 



We have said that although deliberately artificial, the 

 Linnaean system was remarkably natural in many respects. 

 This is shown in the separation of the cryptogamic from the 

 phenogamic plants; also in the fact that the species of a 

 genus were always kept together, and in the association of 

 many of the genera into orders corresponding to certain of 

 the families recognized to-day. 



To understand why this is, we must remember that plants 

 which resemble each other in one particular have very gen- 

 eralh^ other points of resemblance as well; hence, almost 

 any artificial system is bound to be natural to some extent, 

 and to what extent will depend on how far the characters 

 chosen imply other points of resemblance. The reason why 

 the Linnaean system was so natural, was that its founder 

 had the sagacity to choose his characters primarily from the 

 essential parts of the flower; for likeness in these parts in- 

 volves a great deal of similarity in other respects. Thus, the 



^ Phe-no-ga'-mi-a (written also Phsenogamia and Phanerogamia) < 

 Gr. phaino, to be manifest; gamos, marriage: because the floral organs 

 essential to the production of seed are manifest. 



