THE cad / 
BRITISH HERBAL. 
lank 
SBesMaeDostea Dee ee decease ela Beas essa edie e ea ead ea a PHN Ten a Se 
CTA Ss an 
Plants whofe flower confifis of a sincie reTaL, and is fucceeded by saverat 
CAPSULES. 
nN 
moft determinate, and moft diftinét manner. Jt contains only a few genera, but it ferves very 
happily in forming a natural method, and it is wonderful men of fcience have overlooked 
it: not that Linnzus has, for his attention has been wholly bent on the lefler, fo that he muft natu- 
rally lofe fight of thefe greater objects; but that Ray in particular fhould not obferve it is ftrange. 
It is here the firft inftance occurs of the neceffity there is, ina work of this kind, after confulting 
the beft authors, to examine nature; and where they are defective, to compleat the fyftem from her 
ftores. 
We have begun with plants whofe flower confifting cf feveral petals is followed by many naked 
feeds ; we have given in the fecond clafs plants whofe flower confift8, as in thofe in the firft, of feve- 
ral petals, and is followed by feveral capfules containing the feeds: from thefe, following our method 
in thofe plants whofe flowers are largeft, plaineft, and moft confpicuous, we fhould be led, if the 
fyftems of others only were our guides, to thofe plants whofe flower confifts of a fingle petal, and is 
followed by a fingle capfule ; but obferving nature, we perceive that fhe has placed between thefe an 
intermediate clafs: this confifts of thofe plants which have a flower formed of a fingle leaf, and 
- followed by more than one capfule. Thefe are the plants we comprife in our prefent new efta- 
blithed-clafs, placing it between the fecond and fourth ; between thofe plants whofe flower confifts of 
feveral petals, and is followed by feveral capfules, and thofe which haye it of one petal, followed by 
one capfule. Thus we fhall trace nature in her own path; and view her as fhe makes her regular 
progrefs and her gradual defcent with no greater gap between. 
Certainly in all other fyftems there was an interruption here; but this fmall arrangement fills up the 
fpace, and makes all regular. : 
Linneeus fcatters the few plants belonging to this clafs over his works, and Tournefort, and Ray, 
not attending to the diftinction, great and obvious as it is, of plants with a flower compofed of many 
petals, and fuch as have it confifting but of one, place thefe confufedly among others. 
ae is a clafs not diftinguifhed by any author, though eftablifhed by nature in the plainett, 
Bees cece seo so ese se oso ie Bo ese De espe i Das So oo so eo Ro 2 oe Be oD Seo a I sas 
OE SR Ala eo. 
NvA Tol VES) opie BeRSl TeA Glen, 
/ 
Goo GaN Ae. UaeRg I, 
NAVELWORT. 
CO LY, LBD uN 
"HE flower confifts of a fingle petal ; this is of a tubulated form, and divided into feveral feoments 
at the edge. The feeds are contained in capfules, five of which follow every flower. 
Linneus places this among his decandria pentagynia, between woodforrel, which has its feeds in a fingle 
capfule, and ftonecrop, which has numerous petals in the ower. There are indeed in this ten threads 
in the centre of each flower, and five rudiments of capfules among them; this, in the fyftem pro- 
3 poled 
