CLASSIFICATION OF PLANTS 129 



above. 1. Sub-Kingdom. 2. Class. 3. Sub-Class. 4. Division. 

 5. Series. 6. Cohort or subordinate group of each series. 7. Natural 

 Order. 8. G-enus. 9. Species. 



For the sake of example, let the reader assume that he has a Wall- 

 flower but does not know that it is a Wallflower. He is then to proceed 

 as follows to find out what it is from the ' Key.' 



1. He consults the two sub-divisions of the Vegetable Kingdom 

 ((1) ' Flowering ' and (2) ' Non-Flowering ' Plants) and decides that it 

 belongs to the flowering one, as it has flowers and is therefore what 

 botanists call a ' Phanerogam.' 



2. He then refers to the two ' Classes ' of Flowering Plants (Angio- 

 sperms and Grymnosperms), and having discovered that the flowers have 

 (i) a distinct perianth, and (ii) ovules (young seeds) enclosed in carpels or 

 pods, the plant is regarded as belonging to the group called ' Angio- 

 sperms,' or plants with seeds hidden or concealed within an ovary or 

 fruit. 



3. The two sub-classes of Angiosperms, i.e. ' Dicotyledons ' and 

 'Monocotyledons,' are next referred to, and as it has (i) net- veined 

 leaves, (ii) bark or rind to the stem, and (iii) the parts of the flower 

 arranged in fours or fives, he places it down as a ' Dicotyledon.' 



4. There are three divisions of Dicotyledons : namely, PolypetalcB 

 (p. 122), GamopetalcB (p. 125), and Incompletm or Monochlamydem 

 (p. 126) ; and it is found that the Wallflower belongs to ' Polypetalee,' 

 (i) because the flowers have ' both calyx and corolla,' and (ii) because 

 the petals are ' free or distinct from each other.' 



5. Polypetalse is divided into three groups or ' series ' — Thalami- 

 florae (p. 122), Disciflorse (p. 123), Calyciflorse (p. 124), and it will be 

 found that the Wallflower belongs to Thalamifloree, because (i) the 

 stamens are hypogynous and are inserted on a torus, thalamus, or 

 receptacle, and not on the calyx tube as in Calyciflorse, and (ii) the 

 flowers are not in fives as in most of the Disciflorse. 



6. When a series is divided into ' cohorts ' or sections the characters 

 of each of these are examined in the same way. The Wallflower 

 evidently does not belong to the cohort ' Eanales,' (i) because the car- 

 pels are not free, and (ii) because the stamens are not numerous. But 

 owing to the ovary, or seed pod, being 1-celled, and containing many 

 ovules or seeds, it may be safely assumed to belong to the ' Parietales ' 

 group, which has such characters. 



7. Under this group there are eight distinct natural orders men- 

 tioned. The point now is to find out to which one of them the Wall- 

 flower belongs. They are taken in rotation, and the characters of 

 each will be found at the page given in brackets. It is unnecessary to 



