.566 



NATURAL CLASSES. 



Sect. XX.' 2. 



•fyflem had turned his mind to have claflcd all of them from the pro 



fit nations, and forms of the ft 



from thefe 



ber, and to have diftinguiflied the ord 



portions, 



donjointly 



according to the proportions, fituations, or forms of the piflilla alone, 



or conjointly with their numbers. 



The great ufe of didributing plants into natural clafTes is not only 

 for the purpofe of more readily diftinguifliing them from each other, 

 and difcovering their names, but alfo for that of more readily detedt- 



arts ; as for 

 ne; which 



the virtues or ufes of them in diet, medicine, or the 

 the purpofes of dying, tanning, architecture, fhip-build 



ing 



to th 



genera or 



has already been happily experienced in attending 



famihes of plants, which are all natural diftributions of them, wh 



the fbecies of 



the fame virtues or qualities generally exifl among all 

 the fame genus, though perhaps in different degrees. 



2. But another great advantage would probably occur from deduc 

 ing the chara6lers of the clafTes of vegetables from the fituation 

 proportions, or forms of the fexual organs rather than from the 

 number ; which is, that thefe criterions of the clafTes and orde 

 would be much lefs fubjecl to variation. 



The 



f the number of flami 



from th 



not only frequently 



th of many cultivated fl 



or 



by the duplicature or multiplication of their petals, or nedarieSjwh 



able much to inconvenience the youpo- 



& 



botanifl: but feveral of 



th 



f plants h 



but half the number of ftam 



which 



other fpecies of the fame genus pofTefs. This occurs fo frequently 

 that the defed of number is exprefTed as an efTential character of th( 



V 



fpecies in many inlla 



Thus the ceraftium pentandrum, and fp 



o 



pentranda, diflinguifh thofe fpecies from the other plants of th 



genus 



which pofTefs 



flamens: fo tamarix florib 



pentand 



tamarix floribus decandris, falix floribus diand 

 pentandra, Valeriana floribus monandris, vale 

 verbena diandra. 



r 



I 



falix triandra, fali: 

 I floribus diandris 



So 



i 



