BOTANY. 171 



COTYLEDONS. 



Small lateral inflations of the embryo, as many as one or 

 two, or even more. Cotyledons of a foliaceous nature have 

 stomata ; grow more or less green in germination ; fleshy or 

 farinaceous cotyledons have no stomata, never grow green, 

 and diminish in volume during germination. 



CLASSIFICATION OF PLANTS. 



Two methods have been followed in classifying plants ; 

 one is called the artificial, the other the natural method : the 

 object of the former is to afford an easy mode to recognize in- 

 dividuals; the latter to arrange them according to their natural 

 affinities. In one point both of these methods agree, viz., 

 the subdividing the vegetable kingdom into groups of more 

 or less importance, as follows: classes, subclasses, orders, 

 genera and species. The artificial system of Linnaeus is that 

 which is at present, with some modifications, universally 

 adopted. The classes of this system are twenty-four in 

 number, and are founded upon characters drawn from the 

 number, situation, proportion, &c. of the stamens. The first 

 eleven classes are characterized by the numbers of stamens, 

 and expressed by names derived from the Greek. 



Class 1. Monandria; perfect flowers, with only one 

 stamen. 



Class 2. Diandria ; 2 stamens. 



Class 3. Triandria ; 3 stamens. 



Class 4. Tetrandria ; 4 stamens. 



Class 5. Pentandria ; 5 stamens. 



Class 6. Hexandria; 6 stamens. 



Class 7. Heptandria; 7 stamens. 



Class 8. Octandria ; 8 stamens. 



Class 9. Enneandria ; 9 stamens. 



Class 10. Decandria; 10 stamens. 



Class 11. Dodecandria; 12 to 29 stamens. 



The next two classes derive their characters from the 

 number and insertion of the stamens ; the number in both 

 being twenty or more. 



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