TITLES OF THE CLASSES. 



CHAP. II. 



EXPLANATION OF THE TITLES OF THE TWENTY- 

 FOUR CLASSES. 



HAVING, in the preceding chapter, given the divisions of the 

 system, we shall in this explain the meaning of the terms used 

 for the titles of the classes. As these terms in the Greek lan- 

 guage, from whence they are taken, are all expressive of the 

 principal circumstance that obtains in the class to which they 

 are applied, the explanation of them will itself give us a good 

 insight into the proper characters of the several classes, and the 

 sexual distinctions on which they are founded : however it will 

 be necessary to say something more particular concerning many 

 of them afterwards in the chapters we shall allot for each of 

 them separately. 



Class I. Monandria. 2. Diandria. 3. Triamdria. 4. Te- 

 trandria. 5. Pentandria. 6. Hexandria. 7. Heptandria. 

 8. Octandria. 9. Enneandria. 10. Decandria. — These ten 

 classes, which consist of bisexual flowers, take their denomina- 

 tions from the number of stamina, or male parts of the flower. 

 The word here compounded with the numerical terms, signifies a 

 male; so that the title Monandria expresses that the flowers of 

 this class have but one male, that is, one stamen ; Diandria, two 

 stamina; Triandria, three ; Tetrandria, four ; Pentandria, five ; 

 Hexandria, six; Heptandria, seven; Octandria, eight; Ennean- 

 dria, nine ; and Decandria, ten. It must be observed, however, 

 that the flowers being bisexual, as above mentioned, is in all 

 these classes a necessary condition ; for should the female part 

 be wanting, the plant would belong to some other class, notwith- 

 standing the number of stamina may be such as would otherwise 



