170 Morphology under the Doctrine of [Book i. 



methodic description of plants the theory of the brothers 

 Bravais is much inferior to that of Schimper ', 



The genetic morphology founded about the year 1840 had* 

 to make the best terms it could with the doctrine of phyllotaxis, 

 which was constructed on a totally different principle ; the two 

 went their way on the whole side by side without disturbance 

 from one another till the year 1868, when Hofmeister in his 

 general morphology attacked the principle of Schimper's theory, 

 and endeavoured to substitute a genetic and mechanical ex- 

 planation of the relative positions for the purely formal account 

 of them ; this attempt however, which from the nature of the 

 case has not yet led to a finished theory but nevertheless 

 contains the germ of a further development of this important 

 doctrine, does not come within the scope of this history. 



The doctrine of phyllotaxis of Schimper and Braun, as it 

 appeared after 1830, had clearly presented only one side of the 

 theory of metamorphosis ; what other elements there were in it 

 capable of being turned to speculative account were further culti- 

 vated by Alexander Braun between the years 1840 and i860. 

 In this period fresh points of view were asserting themselves in 

 botanical research ; the founding of the doctrine of cells, the 

 study of the more delicate anatomy of plants and of the history 

 of development, and increased, methodical knowledge of the 

 Cryptogams were enlarging the repertory of botanical facts, 

 while the physico-mechanical method of investigation was 

 being more and more adopted. Braun, who took an active 

 part by his own researches in this revolution in morphological 

 botany, remained true nevertheless to idealistic views; and 

 in his frequent and comprehensive discussions of the general 

 results of the new investigations in accordance with these 

 views he has shown how far the idealistic platonising con- 



1 A comparison of the two theories and a refutation of Schleiden's asser- 

 tion, that that of the brothers Bravais expresses better ' the simplicity of the 

 law," will be found in 'Flora,' 1847, No. 13, from the pen of Sendtner, 

 and in Braun's ' Verjungung,' p. 126. 



