OF ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTERS. 27 



the natural order to which the plant belongs, which 

 character, though essential to that order, here, becomes 

 factitious. 



Linnaeus very much altered his notions of the essential 

 character after he had published his PhUosophla Bo- 

 tanica, whence the above definitions are taken. In- 

 stead of confining it to one mark or idea, he,, in his 

 Systema Vegetabilium, makes it comprehend all the" 

 distinctions requisite to discriminate each genus from 

 every other in the system, only avoiding a repetition 

 at every step of the characters of the artificial class 

 and order, which stand at the top of each page, and 

 are not always essential to the character of the genus. 

 This is the kind of generic character now universally 

 adopted, and indeed the only one in common use. 

 The learned Jussieu has given it the sanction of his 

 approbation and adoption, as far as its plan is con- 

 cerned, throughout his immortal work, subjoining in 

 a different type such characters and remarks as belong 

 to the habit, or refer to other circumstances. For my 

 own part I profess to retain, not only the plan, but 

 the very words of Linnaeus, unless I find them erro- 

 neous, copying nothing without examination, but alter- 

 ing with a very sparing hand, and leaving much for fu- 

 ture examination. I cannot blame my predecessors 

 for implicitly copying the Linnaean characters, nor 

 should I have been the first among English writers to 

 set a contrary example, had I not fortunately been fur- 

 nished with peculiar materials for the purpose. 



