TO BOTANY. 39 



thors held a contradiction ; but this cannot be grant- 

 ed; for there are instances of it in Colchicum, Cro- 

 cus, Hyacinthus and Polianthes : however, it is rare 

 that their Luxuriancy passes duplicity. When they 

 are filled, it is by the multiplication of the Laciniae, 

 segments ; whereas the polypetalous are usually filled 

 by the multiplication of the petals ; but the manner 

 in which the Impletion, filling, is brought about, 

 must be more particularly considered. 



The Impletion is either in simple or compound 

 flowers ; we shall begin with the simple. 



The impletion of SIMPLL flowers is by the in- 

 crease either of the petals, or of the Nectarium. 

 The impletion of the Aquilegia is observed to be 

 after three different manners, viz. either, 1 . By mul- 

 tiplying its petals, and excluding the nectaria. 

 2. By multiplying its nectaria, and excluding its pe- 

 tals : or, 3. By multiplying its nectaria, and retain- 

 ing its petals ; in which last case the five petals re- 

 main, and the spaces between them are each of them 

 filled up with a triple case of nectaria, that is, three 

 nectaria buried one within another. 



The impletion of the Nigel la is by multiplying 

 the nectaria only ; that of the Narcissus two ways, by 

 multiplying either the nectarium only, or both nec- 

 tarium and petals ; that of Delphinium, for the most 

 part, by multiplying the petals, and excluding the 

 nectarium : the change wrought in the Saponaria 

 anglicana is remai kable, the flower from pentapeta- 

 lous becoming truly monopetalous ; and the altera- 

 tion in the Peloria is also very singular*. But the most 



* The Peloria is a plant which has been found in some 

 parts of Sweden, growing amongst the species of Antirrhinum, 

 called Linaria. It resembles the Linaria so nearly, in every 

 thing but the flower, that they are not to be known one from 

 the other, till their flowers appear; and even in the flowers 

 they agree in the calyx, pi-ricarpiuui, and seeds, and also in 

 colour: Which has given rise to a supposition, that the Pe- 

 loria is only a Linaria in a monstrous state; see the 



