OKDER DECAGYNIA. 159 



if fashion, and not nature, were to regulate our emotions. A writer on the culture 

 of flowers observes, that a florist may consider himself fortunate if, in the course 

 of his life, he should be able to raise six superior carnations; — but the hope that 

 such success may crown his labors he thinks a sufficient stimulus to continued exer- 

 tions. To degrade the beautiful and innocent employment of cultivating plnnts by 

 rivalries to produce a flower that may claim to be dhtingue, shows that the serpent 

 still lingers in Eden. Let the flower-garden be a retreat from low and groveling 

 competitions, the promoter of innocence, of benevolence to man, and devotion to God. 



221. Order Trigynia, three pistils. — We here find the genus Silene, one species 

 of which is called the catch-fly ; another, the nocturna, or night-blooming, is, 



" That Silene who declines 

 The garish noontide's blazing light ; 

 But when the evening crescent shines, 

 Gives all her sweetness-to the night." 



Another genus, the sandwort, is the 



" Arenaria, who creeps 

 Among the loose and liquid sands." 



222. Order Pentagynia^ five pistils. — The corn-cockle (J.^r6>6'- 

 temmcC) is very common in corn or wheat fields ; although 

 troublesome, it is a handsome pink-like plant, with showy corol- 

 las ; it resembles the genus Dianthus, but has five pistils in- 

 stead of two, on which account it is placed in the fifth artificial 

 order, but is found in the same natural order. The wood-sorrel, 

 oxalis^ j)roduces the oxalic acid^ which in a concentrated state 

 is poisonous. This is the type of a natural order called Oxali- 

 dacece^ the characters of which are, Geraniae (or geranium-like), 

 exogens^ with syr/imetrical flowers^ distinct styles.^ carpels longer 

 than the toriis^ and seeds with abundant albumen. 



223. Order Decagynia^ ten pistils. — In this order is the 

 Poke-weed {Phytolacca^ a very common plant, found on the 

 borders of fields and road-sides ; the fruit consists of large 

 dark berries, filled with a reddish-purple juice. The flower 

 has ten stamens, ten styles, a calyx with Ave white petaloid 

 sepals, berry superior, with ten cells, and ten seeds. When 

 there is a variation in the number of stamens, other parts of the 

 flower usually exhibit a similar change as to number of parts. 



LECTUKE XXX. 



ICOSANDRIA, OVER TEN STAMENS, INSERTED ON THE CALYX *, POLY- 



ANDRIA, MANY STAMENS. 



224. Had we strictly followed the classification of Linn^us, 

 we should have met with the class Dodecandria, from dode'ka^ 



221. Plants in the order Trigynia.— 222. Order Pentagynia.— 223. Poke-weed.— 224. Wlial ir -ail of 

 the class which is omitted in this part of the system 1 



