Introduction. 



These classes, for good reasons, have been abridged to twenty- 

 one, bnt as opinion on the subject is yet divided, we thought it 

 best to allow Linnaeus to speak for himself. 



The orders in the first thirteen classes depend on the number 

 of stigmas ; they are named as I have before mentioned, by pre- 

 fixing the Greek numerals to the word wife. These are the only 

 two orders in the 14th class, namely : 



1st order, Gymnospermia (naked seeds), apparently naked, but real fruit. 

 2d " Angiosperraia (seeds in vessels), fruit easily seen. 



Also, only two orders in the 14th class, namely : 



1st order, Silieulosa, fruit in a short pod. 

 2d " Siliquosa, " « ( " long pod. 



The 19th class has six orders, namely : (The first five orders 

 are compound flowers.) 



1st Polygamia Equalis (many equal marriages), each floret has a stamen and 



pistil. 

 2d " Superflua. Stamina as the last ; all fertile ; florets of the ray 



only have pistils. 

 3d " Frustanea. Florets of the disk perfect ; wanting or abortive 



in the ray. 

 4th u Necessaria. Florets of the disk have efficient stamens; of the 



ray efficient pistils. 

 5th " Segregata. Each floret has its own calyx, in addition to the 



common one. 

 6th Monogamia (one marriage). Solitary flowers have united anthers, as the 



Lobelia. , 



The orders of the classes from the 16th to the 23d, except the 

 19th which we have just mentioned, depend on the number of 

 stamens, as Monandria, Decandria, &c The 23d class has three 

 orders, founded on the characters of the two preceding classes, 

 namely : 



1st order, Moncccia, separated, and perfect flowers on the same plant. 

 2d " Dioecia, " « « '« « two plants. 



3d " Tricecia, one plant bears the perfect, another the staminate, another 

 the pistillate flower. 



The 24th class has natural orders. 



1st order, Filices, the ferns. 3d order, Algae, the lichens, seaweeds, &c. 



2d " Musci, «« mosses. 4th " Fungi, mushrooms, &c. 



The genera are too numerous to be named here ; we will de- 

 scribe them in connection with the plants. There is no neces- 

 sity at present, for descending to minutise ; we will do that as we 

 proceed. It is our intention, in the description of the separate 

 plants, to take a prominent part of each one, such as the leaf, 

 corolla, petal, nectary, &a, and describe its anatomy and physi- 



