BOTANY. 467 



II. Under the name of Monocotyledones are comprised all plants of 

 which the seeds develope themselves with one lobe or cotyledon, 

 which incloses and absorbs the juices destined to nourish the em- 

 bryo plant in its earlier stage of growth. Late observers have? dis- 

 covered that the Ferns produce seeds which come up with a small 

 lateral cotyledon ; and if this turns out to be generally the case, 

 the method of Jussieu will have an additional order of these plants 

 removed from the class of Acotyledones. The FERNS (Filices) may 

 thus be regarded as Cryptogamic monocotyledonous plants. 



III. Four families belong to the order of monocotyledonous plants 

 with distinct stamina, attached below the pistil. These are, 1. 

 the Graminece, with a culm or jointed stem, sheathing leaves, and 

 a glume or calyx of two valves. 2. The Cyperaceoe, with stems al- 

 most smooth, leaves not cleft at the base, and with a glume or ca- 

 lyx of one valve. 3. The Typhacece, with a calyx of three pieces, 

 of which the male organs are always placed above the female in a 

 catkin. 4. The Aroidece, which have the flowers in a catkin, gene- 

 rally protected by a coloured sheath, and which bear berries. 



IV. The monocotyledonous plants with distinct stamina placed 

 around the pistil have flowers with the sexual organs united and 

 distinct, always incomplete, but sometimes accompanied with a 

 sheath. These plants form an order numerous in genera. They are 

 distributed into five families, after the apparent connection which 

 seems to distinguish the groups. These are, 1. Palmes, plants with 

 an erect stem, the leaves disposed at the top, and of which the 

 sexes are often in different plants. 2. The Asparagece, with 

 branched stems, hermaphrodite flowers, and fruit of three cells. 

 3. The Junceae, of which the flowers, with generally six stamina, 

 are enveloped in a kind of united glume or panicle, or corymbose, 

 and producing capsules of three valves. 4. The Liliacece, compre- 

 hending under this name all plants which have an analogy with the 

 lily by the six divisions of the perianth, six stamina, a single style, 

 often with three stigmata, and a capsule of three valves. 5. The 

 Iridece compose the fifth family, and are distinguished by their 

 flowers of three stamina, and by the form of their leaves, which ge- 

 nerally sheath or envelope one another. 



V. The Epigynous Monocotyledons comprise four small fami- 

 lies, distinguished from one another by the number of the stami- 

 na and the form of the fruit. Thus, 1. certain genera have but a 

 single stamen and an uiiilocular capsule, Orchidece', and 2. sometimes 

 three cells, as the Drymyrrhizece. 3. The other genera have more 

 than two stamina, sometimes six, with the fruit in three cells, as 

 the Scilaminece ; and others nine or more stamina, and the fruit in 

 many cells, as the Hydrocharidece. 



