

94 



HOW rr.ANTS AKR CLASSIFIED, 



294. Genus ', pluml Genera. SjM'cics winch me vorv much alike holon^ to the 

 snmo ^'onns. 'i'ho «;<muis is a group of sjx'cics which have tlu' flower ami fruit 

 constructed on exactly the same plan. The (.'ahhage and the Tuiiiip i>elon<,' to 

 the sauje genus. T1h> dilferent species of Hus[)l)eii y and Hlackheiiy belong to 

 one genus — the Brnnihlr' (/cnuff. The dilTerent species of Uoses compo.se the 

 lidsc getins ; of Oaks, the Oalc (jnnix : and .so on. 



295. An Order or Family (the two words meaning the same thing in Hotany) is a 

 kind of genu.s on a wider scale, consi.sting of giMiera, just as a geiuis consi.sts of 

 species. For example, while all the Oaks hdong to the Oak getuj.s, there are 

 other trees which are a good deal like Oaks in the whole |)lan of their flowers, 

 fruit, and .seeds, .so much .sf) that we .say they hdong to tlie Oak family. Among 

 them are the Chestiuit, the IJeech, and the I la/el ; i-ach a genus hy itself, con- 

 taining .sevei'al species. So the Peai* genus, the Quince genus, the Jlawthoi-n 

 genus, th(» Hose genus, and the Ihamhle genus, with many niore, helong to one 

 great order. The !N'a genus, tlu* [»ean genus, the Locust genus, the Clover 

 genus, and the like, make up another order. 



29O. A Class is a great group of orders oi- families, all on the .same general 

 ])lau. The Hose family, tlic Oak family, and a hundred others, all lielong to 

 <»ne great class. Lili«'s, Amarylli.ses, Iri.ses, Palms, l{ushes. and (Jra.s.ses helong 

 to another great cla.ss. 



297. There ai-e other divisions; hut the.se are the principal ones in all classifi- 

 cations, hoth of the veg»»tahle and of the animal kingdom. And the.se four stages 

 always rank in this way : the species under the genus, the genera under the 

 order or fauiilv, and ordeis under the cla.ss, viz. : — 



C^LASS, 



OiJDER OR Family, 



Genus, 



SrECiE.s. 



I; 



■I 



Section II. — Names. 



298. Tlie name of any plant is the name of its genus and of its .species. The 

 name of the genus answers to the surname or family name of people, as Sviifh 

 or Bwicn. The name of the species answers to the baptismal name, as John or 

 James. We distinguish persons hy these two names, ag Jolui Smith and James 



