38 AN INTRODUCTION 



tion of the corolla is so great as to exclude tlrm 

 all. Multi plicate flowers are distinguished into Du- 

 plicate, Triplicate, Quadruplicate, &c. that is> having 

 a double, treble, or quadruple series or row, accord- 

 ing to the number of the repetitions of the corolla. 

 The Polypetalous flowers are the most subject to 

 multiplication ; the Monopetalous are multiplied 

 likewise, but it is very uncommon to meet with 

 them full. A coloured Perianthium, though it may 

 have the appearance of a repetition of the corolla^ 

 ought not to be considered as such ; for though this 

 appearance is in some degree monstrous, unnatural, 

 it is no multiplication. 



2 A flower is said to be PLEXUS, full, when the 

 corolla is so far multiplied, as to exclude all the 

 stamina, as was before observed. The Plenitude, 

 fulness, is occasioned by the stamina running into 

 petals, with which the flower is so crowded as 

 frequently to choak the pistillum also. The parts 

 essential to generation being thus destroyed in full 

 flowers, it is evident they must be barren; where- 

 fore no good seed is to be expected*. And for 

 the same reason of their imperfection, we should be 

 cautious also of constituting a genus from them ; for 

 the characters of a genus should be drawn from the 

 parts when in the natural state, and not when in a 

 state of luxuriancy. 



Plenitude is chiefly incidental to polypetalous 

 flowers, as in Malus, Pyrus, Persica, Cerasus, A- 

 mygdaius, Myrtus, Rosa, Fragaria, Ranunculus, 

 Caltha, Hepatica, Anemone, Aquilegia, Nigella, 

 Papaver, Paeonia. Dianthus, Silene, Lychnis, Co- 

 ronaria, Lilium, Fritillaria, Tulipa, Narcissus, Col-' 

 chicum, Crocus, Cheiranthus, Hesperis, Malva, Al- 

 cea, and Hibiscus. 



Plenitude of monopetalous flowers is by some au- 



* Some few, as Papaver and Nigella, perfect their 

 but these are rather multiplicate flowers than full ones. 



