BOTANY. 



fuccL-fTivc generation. Thefe individuals are not, indeed, 

 ex;:Ct!y like each other in every minute refptcl ; fiich a pe;-- 

 fect conformity docs not exill in any two imlividuals, cither 

 of animate or inanimate organized nature, l^ut the diiference 

 between thofe of the fame fpecies. tlio'igh nillleiently difcern- 

 iblc by the eye, ca^niot ealily be expreflVd in words. With 

 a llrongly marked refemblance in all their parts, there is a 

 perpc-lii:il variation in their outline, and other particulars; 

 fo that no two individuals, lying one upon the other, will en- 

 tirely corrcfpond. Tliey are formed after the fame model, not 

 cad m the fame mould. In the general, an accurate delcrip- 

 tiou of all the parts belonging lo any individual, will difcri- 

 niinate the whole fpeeies. Tiiere are, liowever, fonic ferfible 

 qualities of importance enough to be dillinguilhcd by proper 

 names, which are, in m.any cafes, too uncertain to enter into a 

 fpecihc charailer. Of thefc, fi/.e, colour, fmoothnefs, or 

 hairinefs of furtace, and luxuriapceof one part at the expence 

 of another, are the chief ; and they are owing either to dif- 

 ference of foil, clim?,te, particidar expoftire, and other acci- 

 dents ; or, to artificial cultivatio:i, the moll abundant fouroe of 

 perpetual varieties. 



A genus is an afTemblage of fperies, connefled with each 

 other by one cr more common charaflers, but Hill preferving 

 their fpeciiic dillinftious. 



All ordiT is a iimilar a.Temblage of genera. 



A clnfs bears the fame relation to its orders ; and as it 

 ftands at the top of the feries, it feizes the moll general 

 and mod widely diiTnfed refimblances, and comprehends 

 the greatell number of particular diflcrcnces. 



A natural arrangement of the fpeeies, genera, orders, and 

 claflcs, f^ee, in every inllance, from heterogeneous combina- 

 tions, and dillurbing no real affinities, is the tie plus ultra of 

 claffitication. It is a confummatiou devoutly to be wilhed ; 

 it is the point of pcrfeftion which every naturalifl (hould la- 

 bour to approach, tliough what no one can expcft aftually 

 to reach. To have formed the idea is no fniall advance in 

 tlie progrefs towards it, and implies a very confiderable ac- 

 quifition of knowledge. 



Moll of the fyftems which have hitherto been propofed, 

 are profeli'edly aitificial; that is, foundtd on a few parts of 

 a plant, with little or no regard to the rell. The calyx, the 

 cofolla, the fexual parts of the fructification, and the mature 

 frr.it, have, each in their turn, been feledled fortius piiipofe 

 by difPerent fyft.matic writers. A flight (Icetch of fomc of 

 the principal fyftems will be found below in the hillory of 

 botany, and a fuller explanation will be given, with critical 

 remarks, under the article Classification. But, as the 

 fyllem of Linnxus i- that which has been adopted in this 

 work, we fhall now briefly illu'lrate its general principles. 



In this fylltm., the fruflification has been juflly coniidered 

 of the firli confcquence. The characlers of the clalTes, 

 orders, and genera, are accordingly taken entirely from it. 



In the greater number of plants, the parts of fruftitication 

 may be readily difcerned by the naked eye, or with the 

 afiiftance of a common lens ; but there are alfo not a few in 

 which they have not been fatisfaclorily dilcovered, or arc too 

 minute to be dcferibed with lufRcient accuracy, for the pur- 

 pofe of fyftematic arrangern-.nt. 



In moll of thofe whofe parts of fruflification have been 

 clearly afcertained and diilinftly defcribed, the llamens and 

 piftils are inclofed within the lame envelope ; or, at leafl, 

 aie abfolutely contiguous ; but, in fome, they »re contained 

 in fcparate flowers, or placed at a diflance from each other. 

 In both cafes, there is muth variety with refpedl to their 

 number, pofition, and other circumilances. 



On thefe diftinftions the diftribution into claffcs and or- 

 ders is founded. The charailers of the glaffcs are taken es- 



clu.fively from the ftamer.s ; tliofc of the orders, either from 

 the ftamens or the pHlils, but moll generally from the 

 piftils. 



The firll eleven clalTea, with the exception of the fourth 

 and fixth, regard fiinply the number of tiic llamens, and de- 

 rive their names from the Grctk word Kvr.p, which llgnifies a 

 male, or luilband, compounded with the numcrais, ^io;w, alone, 

 or one; Ji^iP, two; Ti.!i.:, three; rtlfa, four; ^■f-!, five; (J, 

 fix ; cirlu, fcven ; ok'|«, eight ; (vwa, nine ; o'.xa, ten ; iji(«x, 

 twelve. 



Clafs, I. Monandria. Flowers with i ftamen. 



2. Diaiidria. - - - :; llamens. 



3. Triandna. - . - ^ llamens. 



4. Tetrandria. - - - 4 ilamciis, all of 



the fame length. 



5. Pentandria. - - - 5 llamens. 



6. Hexandria. - - - (j ftamens, all of 



the fame length. 



7. Heptandria. - - - 7 ftamens. 



8. Odlandria. - - - 8 ftamens. 



9. Enneandria. - - - 9 ftamens. 



10. Decandria. - - - lo ftamens. 



11. Dodecandria. - - 12 ftamens. 



The twelfth and thirteenth clafTes are called, from the 

 general number of their ftamens, icofaiidria and polyandria 

 (eixoc-i, twenty, iroXu;, many) ; but their real charadler de- 

 pends entirely on the part to which they are attached ; for 

 there are icofandrious plants which have m.ore, and polyan- 

 drious ones, which have fewer than twenty ftamens. 



12. Icofandria. Flowers with about twenty ftamens at- 

 tached to the calyx, or fometimes, in part, to the corolla. 



13. Polyandria. Flowers moil commonly with more than 

 twenty ftamens, attached to the receptacle. 



The fourteenth and fifteenth clafTes have always two 

 ftamens ftiorter than the reft. Their names are taken from 

 the number of thofe which are longer, compounded with the 

 Greek vi'ord ^Jv.-<JLu;, power, implying a fuperior rank or 

 dip;nity. 



14. Didynamia. Flowers with two longer ftamens. 



15. Tetradynamia. Flowers with four longer ftamens. 

 The next three clafTes are determined by the union of the 



filaments, or lower parts of the ftamen, into one or more 

 bundles or brotherhoods. Their names are derived from the 

 Greek word aJi^.^o;, brother, compounded v.ilh the numerals, 

 one, two, and many. 



16. Monadelphia. Filaments united into one brother- 

 hood. 



17. Diadelphia. Filaments forming two brotherhoods. 



18. Polyadelphia. Filaments forming more than two 

 brotherhoods. 



. In the nineteenth clafs the anthers, or fuperior part of the 

 ftamens, are united, and compofe a hollow cylinder, through 

 which the ftyle of the pillil pafl'es. \x is called fyngenelia, 

 from the Greek word <7i>y»(o-K, to denote the union of the 

 parts which polfefs the power of rei.dering the piftil fer- 

 tile. 



10. Syngenefia. Anthers united. 



The twentieth clafs is called gynandria, from ywr,, female, 

 and avKf, male ; it is diftinguinied by the attachment of the 

 ftamens to the piftil itftlf, and not, as in other flowers, cither 

 to the receptacle, calyx, or corolla. 



2©. Gynandria. Stamens on the piftil. 



The twenty-firft and twcnty-fecond claifes roiifift of planf9 

 which have the ftamens and piftils in feparate flowers, grow- 

 ing from the fame or from difi^erent roots. Their names a'c 

 derived from cim,-, a houfc, compounded with the numerals, 

 one uiid two. 



21. Mo- 



