94 



TAXONOMY. 



stand on the germen, and are therefore epigynous ; partly on 

 the assignation of new names to the Syngenesia, Polygamia, 

 and Cryptogamia, namely, Synantheria, Anomalsecia, and 

 Agamia, which are very superfluous. And, lastly, he forms 

 from the Linnjean Monogamous plants in the Syngenesia, 

 a peculiar class which he calls Sympliysandria. All these 

 changes seem to fail of answering their purpose. 



140. 



Beside the linnsean, there are some other artificial sys- 

 tems, the most important and best known of which must be 

 here noticed. The nearest in principle and value to the Lin- 

 naean, is that which Gledltch proposed in 1764. It is founded 

 entirely on the situation of the filaments, and the more there- 

 fore may be said for it, the more constant this situation and 

 insertion are. The filaments, according to this system, stand 

 either on the receptacle, (thalamostemones), or in the corolla 

 (petalostemones), or on the calyx (calycostemones), or, lastly, 

 on the pistil {stylostemo7ics), or no filaments are found, or they 

 are hidden. Nevertheless, the small number of divisions 

 which this system allows, are a disadvantage to it ; and a 

 multitude of subordinate divisions must again be made, ac- 

 cording to the Linnaean system, by which means the value of 

 the former is much diminished. 



However, Borckhausen (179^), and Mbnch (1794), on the 

 principle of the system of Gleditch, have published pecu- 

 liarly acute treatises, which evince as much a fine talent for 

 observation, as for just criticism. 



141. 



Older attempts to form artificial systems have been found- 

 ed on other essential parts beside the male organs. Casalpu 

 nus (1583), Morison (1683), Paul Hermann (1690), and 

 Boerhaave (1720), divided plants simply according to the dif- 

 ferences of their fruit, without regarding natural afiinities. 

 They were called Fructist^e. To these belongs Joseph Gart- 

 ner, in later times, although he has never completed the plan 

 of his system. 



