INTRODUCTION. xiii 



profess to offer any original system in a broad sense of the word. 

 The authors adhere, in the main, to the system of Jussieu (1789), 

 as modified by A. P. De Candolle (1813), and the work was 

 published before the G-erman systems of Eiohler (1883) and 

 Engler (1887-1897) were elaborated. The profound change in 

 men's views as to the import of Classification which has been 

 introduced by the very general adoption of the ideas with which 

 Darwin's name is associated, to say nothing of the results of 

 many years of very productive botanical work, is entirely unrepre- 

 sented. If the same work were to be done over again now, would 

 Sir J. Hooker consent to entangle himself in the trammels of 

 Jussieu ? It is hard to imagine it, nor is it easy to conceive any 

 botanist who desired to grasp the arrangement of the Plant World 

 as a whole, and to realise the relation of the various parts, revert- 

 ing to the ancient order after having studied the system of Engler 

 — unless indeed he were appalled at the prospect of a thorough- 

 going rearrangement of his herbarium. But to most British 

 botanists Engler's system is entirely unknown, or known only 

 as one among the many systems which they conceive of as 

 annually produced by German industry. I will therefore venture 

 to draw attention to some of the more important features. 



The Plant World is divided into four great divisions : (1) Myxo- 

 thallophyta, with which this book has nothing to do; (2) Euthallo- 

 phyta, represented here by the Characes ; (3) Archegoniatas, 

 represented by the Ferns, Bquiseta, and Isoetes ; (4) Phanerogams. 



The Phanerogams form two Sub-divisions : (1) Gymosperms, 

 with six Classes (Oyoadales, Benettitales, Cordaitales, Ginkgoales, 

 Coniferae, and Gnetales), all unrepresented in the Native Flora of 

 the Channel Islands ; and (2) Angiosperms, with two Classes 

 (Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons). 



The Monocotyledons comprise eleven Series (corresponding to 

 the " Cohorts " of Lindley and the " Alliances " of Prantl), each 

 containing so many Families or Orders. The Dicotyledons are 

 divided into two Sub-classes : (1) Arohichlamydeas, with twenty-six 

 Series, and (2) Metachlamydese Sympetal^e, with eight Series. The 

 unscientific division Incompletae disappears. 



Each Series contains so many Families or Orders, which are 

 divided into Tribes, and the latter into Genera and Species. 



Sub-series, Sub-families, Sub-tribes, and Sub-genera are inserted 

 as required. 



