J.D. Hooker, Introductory Essay to the Flora of Tasmania. 319 
in Australia as elsewhere, and most remarkably so; the Orchide 
being spring flowers, the Leguminose summer, the Composite 
autumn, and the Cryptogamia winter. 
at the peculiarities of the Australian flora in no way dis- 
turb the principles of natural arrangement derived from the 
study of the flora of the globe apart from that of Australia. For, 
after having attempted to consider the Australian vegetation in 
aclassificatory point of view, shutting out of my view, as far as 
Icould, that of other countries, I have been led to the conelu- 
Sion that the authors of the Natural System—Ray, Linnzeus,* 
and the Jussieus—might have developed the same Natural Sys- 
tem had they worked upon Australian plants instead of upon 
opean. 
I find further, that the classes, orders, gehera, and species, may 
be about as well (or as ill) fixed or limited by a study of their 
~ Australian members as by those of any other country similarly 
_ Utcumstanced; and that there is the same vagueness as to the 
‘xact limits of natural groups, a similar inequality amongst 
Mm numerical value and botanical characters, and an analo- 
short, neither breaks down, nor improves the Natural System of 
Plants as a whole, though it throws great light on its parts; the 
_ ough, though that system was developed before Australia was 
_ Mown botanically, and was chiefly founded upon a study of the 
) tation of its anti 
* The real meri i tem have never 
merits of Linneus as a founder of the Natural Sys 
been appreciated, In the wel: deserved admiration of the genius and labors of the 
ord » Which is pope towards a natural classification of @ Jumionsh 
Nate.) f Dicotyledons. (See Lond. Journ, of Bot.’and Kew Gard. Misc, ix, 314, 
