CLASS TRIANDRIA. 139 



. Airiong the exotics of this order we find a singular plant, peculiar 

 to the East Indies, the Nyctanthes arbor tristis, or sorrowful tree; 

 its boughs droop during the day, but through the night they are erect, 

 and appear fresh and nourishing. 



The OUve, (Olea,) is common on the rocks of Palestine ; it may 

 now, according to the accounts of travellers, be found upon the same 

 spot which was called, eleven centuries before the Christian era, 

 the mount of Olives, or mount Olivet. 



Order Digynia. 



In the second order of this class is the sweet scented spring-grass, 

 (Anthoxanthum odoratum,) which is found in blossom in May ; to 

 this grass the pleasant smell of new made hay is chiefly owing ; its 

 odour is like that of clover. This plant is separated by the artificial 

 system from the other grasses, on account of its having but two 

 stamens. This is the kind of grass used in this country as a sub- 

 stitute for the Leghorn grass, in the manufacture of hats. The first 

 hat of the kind was made a few years since by an ingenious female 

 in the town of Wethersfield, Connecticut; since which time, many 

 hats, not inferior to the best Leghorn, have been made from the same 

 material. 



The Catalpa, an elegant tree, with flat, cordate, or heart-shaped 

 leaves, is indigenous tu the Southern United States ; its white flowers, 

 striped with purple, grow in panicles similar to the Horse-chestnut 

 Only one species is found in North America. 



Order Trlgynia. 



This order contains the genus pipek, one species of which, the 

 nigrum, is the common black pepper. The cayenne pepper belongs 

 to the genus capsicum, which is found in the eighth class. The flowers 

 of the Piper genus have neither calyx nor corolla, but the fruit is 

 borne on a spadix. 



We have in this lecture remarked upon the use of botanical terms j 

 we have considered the few groups into which the classes of Lin- 

 naeus may be arranged, with the names of the classes, and the cha- 

 racters of each ;— and have given a sketch of the two first classes, 

 with some examples under each of their orders. In doing this, we 

 have been obUged to pass by many plants which had an equal claim 

 to notice, but as knowledge must be gained by the observation of 

 particular cases, we have thus selected a few examples, in order 

 that you may be prepared to examine the others with pleasure and 

 advantage. 



LECTURE XXV. 



class III. — TRIANDRIA. 



Order Monogynia. 



In the first order of this class we find among our common exotics 

 the Crocus, which is particularly interesting as being one of the 

 earUest flowers of our gardens, not unfrequently blossoming in the 

 neighbourhood of a snow-bank. It has a bulbous root, long and 

 narrow leaves, a spatha, and six petals. Besides the Crocus vernus^ 

 or spring crocus, which often appears even in our own climate as 



What is said of the Nyctanthes?— Of the Olive?— Sweet scented sprinjj-grass— Ca- 

 talpa— Pepper— Order Trigynia—Recapitulation— First order of the third class— Differ 

 ent species of Crocus. 



