1052 
NATURAL ARRANGEMENT. 
alternate, stipulate or exstipulate, whether the flowers were monopetalous, polypetalous, or apetalous, the 
nature and station of the stamens, the condition of the ovarium, and so on. But when he has ascertained 
thus much, only let it be remembered, for a moment, how much he has gained indirectly as well as directly. 
Perhaps he has discovered that his plant belongs to Rubiacece ; he will then have learned that all vegetables 
with opposite entire stipulate leaves, and a monopetalous superior corolla, are also Rubiaceous ; if a fragment 
of the leaves and stem only of such a plant were afterwards submitted to him for examination, he would 
recognise its affinities, and remember that it was Rubiaceous, and being aware of that fact, he would be able 
safely to infer that its calyx and corolla would be of a particular nature, that if the roots afforded any color 
for dying, it would be red ; that the medicinal properties of the bark, if any, would be tonic, astringent, and 
febrifugal, and that its seeds would be of the same nature as those of coffee, and finally, its geographical 
position would be tolerably certain to him. 
The really important obstacle which exists in the way of acquiring this kind of knowledge, is undoubtedly 
the want of any introduction to the study of it, accompanied by the distribution and characters o'f the 
natural orders into which plants are divided. It is to be hoped that English readers at least will not long 
have to regret this deficiency in their elementary works. In this place, it must suffice to point out the 
characters upon which the great divisions depend, under which the orders themselves are arranged ; and it is 
to be hoped, that even this small aid will be found to smooth the way, and to remove some of the obstacles 
that at present are supposed to exist at the very threshold of the temple. 
Plants considered with reference to their general structure, are separated into two grand divisions called 
Cellulares and Vasculares. 
The Cellulares answer to the Linnasan Cryptogamia, and are also called Acotyledonous ; the Vasculares 
answer to the rest of the Linnaean system, which is sometimes called Phanerogamia and Cotyledonous. 
a. Longitudinal section of a stem. /, Crustaceous thallus of a lichen, with shields. 
I>, Transverse section of a stem. g. Fungi of the highest dignity. ' • 
c, Stem of a moss, with leaves and theca, or seed-ceise- n, i, Fungi of the lo^vest ranlc. 
d, I^af of a moss, magnified. k, Conferva magnified. 
e, I/cafy thallus of a lichen, with sliields. 
Cellulares, Cryptogamous, or Acotyledonous plants are all, therefore, different terms denoting the same 
combination of vegetables. The first term is here adopted in preference to the others as expressing the most 
obvious character upon which the division depends, namely, the cellular, not vascular, structure of the plants 
composing it. Cellular plants are formed entirely of cellular tissue {fig. 1.), without woody fibre or spiral 
vessels ; or in more familiar terms by having no veins in their leaves if foliaceous, and not forming wood ; 
they also are destitute of perfect flowers. The lower tribes, such as Fungi and Algae, are destitute of leaves^ 
and in some points approach the animal kingdom so nearly as to be scarcely distinguishable. In the highest 
tribe. Ferns, apparent veins are formed in the leaves ; but as they are imperfectly supplied with spiral 
vessels, they cannot be considered more than analogous to the veins of other plants. Ferns, however, hold 
the intermediate station between Cellulares and Vasculares, and are chiefly retained among the former on 
account of their perfect accordance in other respects. In the whole of Acotyledones, it is unnecessary to 
examine the seed for the purpose of determining whether it has one cotyledon, several cotyledons, or none, 
the structure of the perfect plant giving the most obvious and satisfactory evidence. 
I, Vertical section of a vasctilar stem. o. Leaf of a dicotyledonous plant. 
m, M'^oody fibre. p, Leaf of a monocotlyedonou* plant, 
n. Spiral vessel 
