FORMATION OF SYSTEMS. 321 



Sect. 3. Stationary Interval. 



THE method of Csesalpinus was not, at first, gene- 

 rally adopted. It had, indeed, some disadvantages. 

 Employed in drawing the boundary -lines of the 

 larger divisions of the vegetable kingdom, he had 

 omitted those smaller groups, Genera, which were 

 both most obvious to common botanists, and most 

 convenient in the description and comparison of 

 plants. He had also neglected to give the Syno- 

 nyms of other authors for the plants spoken of by 

 him ; an appendage to botanical descriptions, which 

 the increase of botanical information and botanical 

 books had now rendered indispensable. And thus 

 it happened, that a work, which must always be 

 considered as forming a great epoch in the science 

 to which it refers, was probably little read, and in 

 a short time could be treated as if it were quite 

 forgotten. 



In the mean time, the science was gradually 

 improved in its details. Clusius, or Charles de 

 1'Ecluse, first taught botanists to describe well. 

 " Before him," says Mirbel 21 , " the descriptions were 

 diffuse, obscure, indistinct; or else concise, incom- 

 plete, vague. Clusius introduced exactitude, pre- 

 cision, neatness, elegance, method : he says nothing 

 superfluous ; he omits nothing necessary." He tra- 

 velled over great part of Europe, and published 

 various works on the more rare of the plants which 



21 Physiol Veg. p. 525. 

 VOL. III. Y 



