NATURAL ARRANGEMENT. 



xxvii 



of botany, nor any other science, is to be taken by storm, yet that the fortress is sure to be reduced by silent 

 and patient approach. 



It only remains to explain briefly upon what principles the names of the orders, suborders, &c, are formed. 

 It is usual, in the school of De Candolle, to give a natural order a name derived from that of the genus which 

 is understood to be the type of the order ; as, Ranunculacea? from Ranunculus, Rosacea? from Rdsa, and so 

 on. But several deviations from this principle had been admitted by De Candolle, in favour of certain groups 

 of plants, long known by other popular names, derived from certain peculiarities ; such as Labiata?, because 

 their corollas are labiate; Comp6sitae, because their flowers are what is commonly called compound ; Gutti- 

 ferae, on account of the resinous juice in which they abound; and some others. It would, perhaps, have been 

 better, if uniformity in nomenclature had not thus been sacrificed to a dread of innovation : but it is now too 

 late to remedy the evil, if such it be ; nor would the advantage of alteration be at this day equivalent to the 

 inconvenience. For the purpose of making it at once apparent, whether, in speaking of a group of plants, 

 reference is had to an order or a suborder, it has of late years been thought convenient to terminate the name 

 of the natural order in acece, and of the suborder in ece. Thus, in speaking of the whole mass of which Ra- 

 nunculus is the representative, the word Rmunculacece is used ; but in speaking of the particular division, or 

 suborder, of which Ranunculus forms a part, the term Ranunculi is employed. This manner of speakingis, 

 however, at present, very partial in its application, and is of little importance, except in a few cases, of which 

 Ranuncu'acea? is one of the most striking examples. In those orders, the titles of which, necessarily, from 

 their grammatical construction, end in ece, as Orchidea?, it is obviously inapplicable, without a total change 

 in a great part of the nomenclature of natural orders, a measure which cannot be too much deprecated. 



It may, perhaps, be finally expected, that these remarks should be concluded by a recommendation of some 

 work, from which those who are anxious to become fully acquainted with the principles and distinguishing 

 characters of the Natural System of Botany, may derive the necessary information ; and none can be better 

 than Dr. Lindley's elementary works. M. De Candolle's Theorie E'lementaire de la Botanique explains the 

 principles upon which his orders of plants are constituted ; and M. de Jussieu's Genera Plantdrum explains 

 the orders of his system ; but the latter is now too obsolete to be very useful to the tyro. In our own lan- 

 guage, the best work to consult is Dr. Lindley's Vegetable Kingdom ; but his Elements of Botany, School 

 Botany, and Introduction to Botany, are also admirable works, which should always be in the hands of the 

 botanical student. The edition of the Introduction to Botany published in 1848 is, undoubtedly, the best 

 work that has appeared on the subject. The reader may consult Richard's New Elements of Botany, which 

 contains translations of Jussieu's Natural Orders ; or he may refer to the Dictionna'ire des Sciences 

 Naturelles. 



In the list of genera under each order, in the following arrangement, the figures in the first column indicate 

 the place, in the after part of the work, of the genus to which they are prefixed ; those in the second 

 column of figures show the number of hardy ligneous species and varieties, and those in the third, that of 

 hardy herbaceous species and varieties, belonging to the genus which they follow. Where a genus includes 

 native British species, a star (*) is prefixed to the column to which such species belong. 



First Grand Division, VASCULA RES. 



Genera 3040, Species 27729 ; Hot-kouse Species 6261 ; Green-house Species 7648 ; Hardy Ligneous Species 2512 ; 

 Hardy Herbaceous Species 11308. f 482| feet ; £ 233f feet; =& 22| feet. 



Class I. DICOTYLEDO'NEiE, or EXO'GEN^ (exo, outside, geinomai, to grow). 



Genera 2407, Species 23027 ; Hot-house Species 4936 ; Green-house Species 6326 ; Hardy Lisneous 

 Species 2478; Hardy Herbaceous Species 9287. £ 482 feet ; £ 214 feet ; ^ 15 feet." 



Subdivision I. DICHLAMY'DEiE. 

 This subdivision comprehends all the Dicotyledonous plants, that have both a calyx and corolla, by which 

 they are distinguished from Monochlamydea?, in which the calyx only exists. It is in consequence of this 

 high developement of the floral envelopes, that the greater part of handsome flowering trees and shrubs are 

 found in Dichlamydea?, it rarely happening that those with a single floral covering have any brilliant coloring. 



Subclass 1. THALAMIFLO'RiE. Petals and Stamens inserted in the Receptacle. 

 Genera 517, Species 4774 ; Hot-house Species 922 ; Green-house Species 1211 ; Hardy Ligneous Species 328 

 Hardy Herbaceous Species 2313. ± 138 feet ; £ 96 feet ; i 8 feet. 



The insertion of the petals and stamens into the receptacle is the great character of this subclass, which, 

 therefore, contains all the polyandrous plants of Linnasus, as the Calyciflorae contain the icosandrous genera of 

 the same botanist. 



Section I. Carpella numerous, or Stamens opposite the Petals. 



1. Order I. RANUNCULAXEiE. 



Genera 29, Species 632 ; Hot-house Species 8 ; Green-house Species 19 ; Hardy Ligneous Species 43 ; 

 Hardy Herbaceous Species 562. f 15 feet ; £ 56| feet ; =* 5f feet. 



The greater part of the plants of this order are objects of interest with gardeners, containing, as it does, many 

 of the most elegant or showy of the tribes of hardy plants. It is here that the graceful Clematis, the lowly 

 Anemone, the glittering Ranunculus, and the gaudy Pfeony are found ; differing, indeed, in external appear- 

 ance, but combined by all the essential characters of their fructification. It is remarkable, however that the acrid 

 and venomous properties of these plants are nearly as powerful as their beauty is great. They are all caustic 

 and in many of them the deleterious principle is in dangerous abundance. M. Decandolle remarks that 

 its nature is extremely singular ; it is so volatile, that, in most cases, simple drying in the air or infusion in 

 water is sufficient to destroy it : it is neither acid nor alkaline ; but its activity is increased by acids, honey, 

 sugar, wine or alcohol ; and it is, in reality, destructible only by water. The crowfoots of our European pas- 

 tures, and the Jnembne tnlobata and triternata of those of South America, are well known poisons of cattle. 

 Blistering plasters are made in Iceland of the leaves of Ranunculus acris. The foliage of some species of 

 Clematis is supposed to afford the means employed by beggars of producing artificial ulcers. Some of the 

 Aconites are diuretic, especially Napellus and Cammari;m. Delphinium Consolida is said to be an ingredient 

 m those French cosmetics, which are so destructive of ihe surface of the skin. The /felleborus, famous in 

 classical history for its drastic powers, and the Nig^lla, celebrated in ancient housewifery for its aromatic seeds, 

 which were used for pepper before that article was discover-d, are both comprehended in Ranunculacea? The 

 range of this order, in a geographical point of view, is very extensive. A great number have been discovered in 



