118 BOTANY. 



202. If we bring together all the plants of the Vegetable 

 Kingdom, we may recognize pretty easily six large groups, 

 all the members of which show more or less of resemblance 

 to each other. These are the Branches. Likewise, if we 

 consider the plants in each Branch, we may make several 

 groups, each of which will include those with still greater 

 resemblances. These groups are Classes. 



203. In like manner Classes are divisible into Orders ; 

 Orders into Families ; Families into Genera ; Genera into 

 Species. Each Species is composed of individual plants, 

 all of which bear a close resemblance to each other. In 

 some Species there is such a variation in the individuals 

 composing it that they are grouped into Varieties. 



204. Applying the foregoing, we have the following as 

 the classification of the common Sunflower : 



Kingdom of Plants. 



Brancli, Anthophyta. 



Class, Angiospermae. 

 Order, Inferse. 



Sub-order, Asterales. 



Family, Compositse. 



Genus, Helianthus. 



Species, annuus. 



205. It is necessary now and then to form sub-groups ; 

 thus Classes are often separated into two or more Sub- 

 classes ; so Orders are sometimes separated into Sub-orders ; 

 Families are frequently divided into Tribes and these again 

 into Sub-tribes. So, too, a Genus may be divided into 

 Sub-genera. 



206. These various groups are very differently related to 

 each other ; in some cases several in succession form a regu- 

 larly ascending series, but very commonly several groups 

 are divergent from an initial point. This is well shown in 



