114 THE NATURAL SYSTEM. 



345. The first and highest division of the vegetable kingdom, 

 namely, into the Phcenogamia or Flowering Plants, and the 

 Oryptogamia or Flowerless Plants, has already been noticed, 

 and its distinctions explained, in Chapter III., and elsewhere. 

 These grand divisions lie at the foundation of both the System 

 of Linnasus and of Jussieu, and are truly founded in nature ; 

 for 



The PILSSNOGAMIA 



1. Consist of a regular axis of growth with leafy appendages. 



2. They possess a woody and vascular structure. 



3. They develope flowers, and 



4. They produce seeds. On the other hand 

 The CRYPTOGAMIA 



1. Are destitute of a regular axis and of true leaves. 



2. They possess a cellular structure only. 



3. They do not develope flowers, and 



4. They produce SPORES (129) instead of seeds. 



346. These distinctive characters must not, however, be regarded as decisive in 

 all cases ; for the higher Cryptogamia. as the ferns, give indications both of a regu- 

 lar woody axis and of a vascular structure, while some of the lower Phasnogamia 

 can scarcely be said to produce flowers. And, universally, so gradual are the 

 transitions from family to family and tribe to tribe, that it is impossible to fix 

 upon characters so definite as to completely circumscribe any one group, while at 

 the same time, they exclude every member of surrounding and approximating 

 groups. 



347. There is a small and curious order of plants of comparatively recent dis- 

 covery, native chiefly of the East Indies, which appear, from the most authentic 

 accounts of them, to form the connecting link between the Flowering and Flow- 

 erless plants, combining a part of the characters of each, so that botanists are at 

 a loss to which it belongs. They possess a cellular structure, develope flowers 

 immediately from the root, whence they are called Rhizanths (OILTJ, a root, *v0o?, 

 a flower) ; but their ovaries are said to be filled with spores instead of seeds, and 

 hence they are also called Sporogens. Ex. Bafflesia. 



348. Again, the Phsenogamia are very naturally resolved into 

 two subdivisions, depending upon their manner of growth, called 

 EXOGENS and ENDOGENS, whose distinctions are briefly as fol- 

 lows : 



EXOGENS, 



1. GroAving by external accretions (196). 



2. Bearing leaves which have reticulated veins (229) and which fall off by 

 an articulation. 



3. Seeds with two or more cotyledons (127) or dicotyledonous. 



