ii. PREFACE of the TRANSLATORS. 



Dr. Withering has given a Flora AngUca under 

 the title of Botanical Arrangement Sy and in this has 

 tranflated parts of the Genera and Species Plant arum 

 ofLiNNEUS; but has intirciy omitted the fexual dif- 

 tind:ions, which are effentiai to the philofophy of the 

 fyftem ; and has introduced a number of englifh ge- 

 neric names, which either bear no analogy to thofe of 

 LiNNEUS, or are derived from fuch as he has rejedled, 

 or has appUed to other genera ^ and has thus rendered 

 many parts of his work unintelligible to the latin Bo- 

 tanift ; equally difficult to the engliih fcholar j and 

 loaded the fcience with an addition of new words. 



We propofe to give a literal and accurate tranflation 

 of theSYSTEMA VEGETABILIUM of LINNEUS, 

 which unfolds and defcribes the whole of his ingenious 

 and elaborate fyftem of vegetation. The terms, which 

 he invented, or appropriated to thofe parts; of veget- 

 ables, which he either firft difcovered, or on which 

 his fyftem is ered:ed, are retained in the tranflation 

 with engliih terminations. K^ new ideas require new 

 w^ords to reprefent them, and muft therefore be ex- 

 plained to the young Botanift, it is of no confequence 

 from what language they are derived. Thofe therefore 

 which are already in ufe, are prefered to fuch as 

 might be found in our own language, though fimilar 

 in their primitive figniiication ; as fuch words would 

 be liable to prefent to the mind their vulgar meaning, 

 which is not fufficiently precife for the purpofes of 

 fcience. Thus Calyx is ufed by Linneus for the 

 green cup beneath fome flowers, for the flieath from 

 which others burft longitudinally, for the leaves beneath 

 the umbels of others, for the huflcs of graffes, the cat- 

 kins of willow, nettle, &c. the veil over the flowers 



