CLASSIFICATION. 



77 



Umbelliferae are called Umbelliferous plants ; Cruciferse, 

 Cruciferous plants ; and Coniferse, Coniferous trees. In 

 noting individual species, as parsley, it is called an um- 

 helliferous herb ; the raspberry, a rosaceous shrub ; and 

 the elm, an ulmaceous tree. 



Many families consist of only one or two species, 

 generally having special characters which render it diffi- 

 cult to determine their relationship. Some writers view 

 all such as surviving forms of series, the intermediate 

 links of which have in the progress of ages become ex- 

 tinct. To judge them by the Darwinian theory of na- 

 tural selection, they appear rather to represent special 

 advanced centres, from which intermediate forms yet re- 

 main to be developed, as explained at page 78. 



Considering that the Vegetable Kingdom consists of 

 about 100,000 species, the difficulty of classifying such 

 an immense host must be evident ; but towards this 

 modern investigation has done much. It is only neces- 

 sary for me now to give an account of the Linnsean and 

 natural systems, of which the following is a general 

 outline. 



CONSPECTUS OF THE LINN.EAN SYSTEM. 



The names of the classes and orders are a compound 

 of two Greek words ; thus, Monandria, mono, one ; andria, 

 man, the stamens. Monogynia, mono, one ; gyne, woman^ 

 the pistils. The first thirteen classes are founded on the 

 number of stamens, and the order on the number of 

 pistils. 



* Stamens free. 

 Class I. — MONANDBIA. Flowers with one stamen. 



