TO BOTANY. 55 



CLASS XXIV. CRYPTOGAMIA. The term sig- 

 nifies concealment of marriages ; this class consisting 

 of such plants as either bear their flowers concealed 

 within the fruit*, or have them so small, as to be 

 imperceptible. 



CHAP. III. 

 EXPLANATION OF THE TITLES OF THE ORDERS. 



THE titles of the orders have been given in 

 Chap. I. It remains to explain them. 



CLASS I. to XIII. inclusive. The orders of the 

 first thirteen classes take their denominations from the 

 number of the Pistillum, or female part of the plant, 

 which is usually reckoned from the base of the style, 

 if there be any : but if the style be wanting, the num- 

 ber is fixed from the stigmata. The Greek word com- 

 pounded with the numerical terms in the titles of 

 these orders signifies a wife : Monogynia implies 

 one wije or one style ; Digynia, two styles ; Tngynia, 

 three ; Tetragynia, four ; Pentagynia^/we ; Hexagy- 

 nia, slv ; Decagynia, ten ; and Polygynia, many. 

 These are the titles that occur in the orders of these 

 thirteen classes; and this general explanation of them 

 will be thought sufficient, as from the table given in 

 the first chapter it appears how they are employed 

 in the classes. 



CLASS XIV. DIDYNAMIA. Of the three orders 

 of this class, the two first are founded on a distinction 

 in the fruit. The title of the first order Gymnosper- 

 mia is expressive of such plants as have naktd seeds ; 



* The Ficus, whose flowers are within the fruit, used to 

 be put in this class, but is since removed to the 23d class 

 Polygamia, 



D4 



