596 



BOTANY. 



MONOGYNIA, they having only one pistil. In the 

 second order, DIGYNIA, having two pistils, there are 

 seven genera, one of which is the Callitnche, or water 

 starwort, which is also an aquatic, being frequently 

 met with in ditches. There is another plant, some- 

 times sown in flower borders as an ornamental 

 annual, which belongs to this order. Its chief orna- 

 ment is its fruit, which are thickly set on its branches, 

 resembling strawberries : hence it is called strawberry 

 blite, Blitum capitatum. The sexual distinctions of 

 this first class, with the" two orders, are represented 

 thus : 



Class Mooandria. 



Digynia. 



Monogynia. 



The second class is DIANDRIA, that is, flowers 

 having only two stamens. There are sixty-one genera 

 in this class, and which are divided into three orders. 



The first order, MONOGYNIA, having one pistil, 

 contains by far the greater number of the genera. 

 Here we find the useful olive, the beautiful and fra- 

 grant jasmine, and many fine evergreen shrubs. The 

 lilac, the fringe tree, and catalpa, also belong to this 

 order. Nor are the herbaceous plants found here less 

 prized. The wild and cultivated speedwells, the 

 delicate schizanthus, the showy justitias, and the 

 elegant slipperworts, are some of the choicest gifts 

 of Flora. The rosemary, and numerous species of 

 sage, those fine medicinal plants, are ranked in this 

 order. Some botanists have suggested the removal 

 of this last named genus to the class Didynamia, 

 because, although there be but two perfect stamens, 

 there are the rudiments of two others in the flower. 

 " The structure of the stamens in the sage is sin- 

 gular : the two filaments are very short, but two 

 others are fastened to these transversely by the 

 middle ; and at one end of these is a gland, at the 

 other an anther. This circumstance distinguishes 

 the genus from all others, and is called its essential 

 character." 



Diandria. 



Trigjrnia . Digynia. Monogynia. 



In the second order, DIGYNIA, plants with two 

 pistils, there are only three genera, and they are 

 properly grasses. Here we find the sweet vernal 

 grass, anthoxanthum odoratum, which so greatly assists 

 to give to hay its agreeable scent It is also one of 

 our best pasture grasses, and much cultivated. 



In the third order, TRIGYNIA, that is, plants with 

 two stamens and three pistils, there are only two 

 nearly allied genera, namely, the pepper and pe- 

 peromia. The first is universally used as a spice j is 



extensively cultivated in India, and is a most impor- 

 tant article of commerce. Even the leaves of Piper 

 Betel are a necessary of luxury, if not of life, in 

 India, being used to chew along with the betel- nut 

 of that country. 



The distinctions of this class and its orders will be 

 rendered more intelligible by a reference to the an- 

 nexed engraving. 



The third class of the system is TEIANDRIA, and 

 which contains three orders. It comprises two hun- 

 dred and seven genera and one thousand five hundred 

 and forty-nine species. The plants arranged here 

 are of the most interesting character. They form 

 the general verdant covering of the earth, affording 

 pasturage for our flocks and herds at almost all 

 seasons, and fodder when the fields are buried in 

 snow. Almost all the useful plants, significantly called 

 cereals, are found in this class; the " staff of life," and 

 all the different sorts of grain which serve to feed 

 and to fatten the animals which serve for our " sport 

 or gust," are derived from one or other of the trian- 

 drious class. In bulk the grasses are so diminutive 

 as aggregately to form the most compact carpet-like 

 turf; and on the other hand, on the banks of lakes 

 and rivers they grow up into impenetrable reedy 

 thickets. Nor are the other genera ranked here less 

 remarkable for the beauty of their flowers than are 

 the cereals for their usefulness. The well-known 

 crocus, the corn-flag and iris, and many allied foreign 

 genera, are among the chiefest ornaments of our 

 gardens, and which compensates in some measure for 

 their want of usefulness when compared with their 

 associates the cereals. No class shows more decidedly 

 the artificial character of the Linnaean system than 

 this ; for assuredly the iris and wheat can claim no 

 congeniality with each other, either in external struc- 

 ture or constitutional properties ; but these having 

 each three stamens compelled the author to place 

 them together. 



Triandria. 



Trigynia. 



Digynia. 



Monogynia. 



The class is divided into three orders, MONOGYNIA. 

 DIGYNIA, and TRIGYNIA, the first having one pistil, 

 the second two, and the third three. The second order, 

 DIGYNIA, contains most of our common grasses, 

 as millet, panic grass, bent grass, fox and cats' tail, 

 oat and cocks'-foot grasses, besides wheat, barley, &c., 

 together with the far-famed sugar cane, that source 

 of wealth to the tropical planter, and indispensable 

 condiment in the diet of all nations. 



The third order, TRIGYNIA, contains only twelve 

 genera, most of them are water, annual weeds : some 

 are curious or pretty, but none are cultivated out of 

 botanical collections. 



The fourth class is TETRANDRIA, containing all 

 plants having four stamens of equal length. This 

 distinction should be specially kept in mind by the 



