I '■ 



96 



IldW ri-ANTS AUK rLASSIFIKO, 



Iff. i : 

 t'" I 



h. r- 



SixTioN III. — The Natural System. 



304. Tlioro are two kinds of cliissiCicat ion in hotimy, viz., Xafiira/ ami Aiti- 

 Jtcf'd/. Tlu'V «lilV('i' in llif way tlu' ^m'ikmii aro nirnii^^t'd in oi'(l«'i's, classes, \'ir. 



305. An Artificial CiaSSilicatiOll is one in wliicii plants arc anan^'«'*l tor convcni- 

 (Micr of r«'f('r«'nc«', or for lindin^ out their names, without any part i<*idar care for 

 l»rin;,'in^ lil\«' tliin<;s to^^cth*-!*. Tournt't'ort nia<h' an artilicial classilicat ion of 

 plants hy tlu'ir Howrrs, mainly by tlu'ir foi(dla, whicii was in comnjon use in tjje 

 last crntury until Linna'us contriNcd a Ix'ttcr one. in which I hf classes and oi'cleis 

 Were founded upon the juind>er, j)ositir)n, »Vc., of the stauM'Us and pistils. Tliig 

 Uas in ^iMieial use for many years. JJut now we use aitilicial classilications oidy 

 in the form of 7'iiI)/>m or .\ii<(/i/s>-s, as a key for lindin^' out the f.iuiily a plant wo 

 aro sludvintr l»elon<rs to, and so readilv nd'errini; it to its place in 



306. The Natural System. Jn this system plants are classilic.l accoi.lin^' to tlieir 

 relationshij)s, tli;»t is. accordin<,' to their resemhlancM's in all i-espe.'Is. 'I'he most 

 important ri'send>lances are us(»d for the d.isses, iV»'. ; (he most iinjioitaul after 

 tlu'se for the orders ; more pai't iculiU" ones mark the i,'euera ; and matters of shape, 

 j)rojM)rtion. colour, iVc. maik (he species. So the whole to<,'ethei" forms a si/.-t/rui, 

 in which all known plants are to lie ranki'cl in (heir natural ordei'. each standin*^ 

 next those whicli it isTUOst lik»' in all respects; the whole formin!,', as it were, 

 u <;reat map, in whirh the classes and other ,i;ieat divisions miijht answer to 

 couudies, the ordi'rs to countii's. and the _ii;enera to towns or parisln's, 



-107. Such Ji svstem is not ;i mere conv«'nience for ascer(ainiii<' tlie name f)f a 

 plant, hut is all illustration, as fa'r as may he. of the j'l<iit of flic C/'rufur iu the- 

 ve^'ctahle kinjjfdom. And the hotanist sees as much to admire, and as plain 

 evidences of desiijfn. in the vjtrious relations of the species of plants to each 

 other (/.'., in tlieir reseml»lances and their dilVeronces), as he does in the adapta- 

 tion of one part of a plant to another, and in tlie various forms under whicli 

 any one or^'.m may appear. The dilVei'cnt kinds of plants are parts of a great 

 whohs like tiie members of a hody. or the })ieces of an liannouious l)ut complex 

 edilice or .structure : and this wliole is the \\'i/cf(ih/f> Kiiu/iidDi. 



308. ^Vhat the main divisions in tlie sy.stem are, may he gatliered from what 

 is stated in several places in Part I. In the ilr.st place, the whole vegetable 

 kingdom divides into two great ISeries or Oradm, — a higher and a lower. The 

 higher series contains all 



