BUTTERFLY-SHAPED FLOWER. 191 



figures ; and it has generally some resemblance to 

 a butterfly, like the sweet-pea blossom that you see 

 in the garden; for which reason the flowers of this 

 class are called Papilionaceous, from the word 

 Papil'io, the Latin for a butterfly. In flowers of 

 this shape, the number of stamens is most com- 

 monly ten; which sometimes are all quite distinct; 

 and then, of course, the plant would be referred 

 to the class Decandria : but whenever you meet 

 with a flower shaped like a butterfly, if any of the 

 filaments are joined together, you may be sure that 

 it belongs to the class Diadelphia of Linnaeus. 



The Orders, of this class, depend upon the num- 

 ber of the stamens; which are either five, six, 

 eight, or ten. The last number is by far the most 

 common; nine of the stamens being generally 

 united, and the tenth standing by itself. 



You will understand better what I have said 

 about the shape of the flowers, when we have ex- 

 amined a plant of this class ; and I think I have 

 seen one in the meadow near the gardener's house. 

 Let us go and look out for it. 



EDWARD. 



Here is a very pretty plant, with a blossom 

 something like what you have just told me of; but 

 the flower is so different from those we have exa- 

 mined already, that I don't think I can understand 

 the parts by myself. 



