336 HISTORY OF BOTANY. 



Though this system was found to be attractive, 

 as depending, in an evident way, on the most con- 

 spicuous part of the plant, the flower, it is easy to 

 see that it was much less definite than systems like 

 that of Rivinus, Hermann, and Ray, which were 

 governed by number. But Tournefort succeeded 

 in giving to the characters of genera a degree of 

 rigour never before attained, and abstracted them 

 in a separate form. We have already seen that the 

 reception of botanical systems has depended much 

 on their arrangement into genera. 



Tournefort's success was also much promoted 

 by the author inserting in his work a figure of a 

 flower and fruit belonging to each genus ; and the 

 figures, drawn by Aubriet, were of great merit. The 

 study of botany was thus rendered easy, for it could 

 be learned by turning over the leaves of a book. 

 In spite of various defects, these advantages gave 

 this writer an ascendancy which lasted, from 1700, 

 when his book appeared, for more than half a 

 century. For though Linnaeus began to publish in 

 1735, his method and his nomenclature were not 

 generally adopted till 1760. 



