THE 
BRITISH HERBAL. 
CLASS III. 
Plants whofe Jlower confjls of a single petal, and is fucceeded by several 
capsules. 
THIS is a clafs not diftinguifted by any author, though elhblifhed by nature in the plainefl:, 
mofl. determinate, and moft diftinft manner. It contains only a few genera, but it ferves very 
happily in forming a natural method, and it is wonderful men of fcience have overlooked 
it : not that LinnEus has, for his attention has been wholly bent on the Icfler, fo that he mufl. natu- 
rally lofe fight of thefe greater objedls ; but that Ray in particular Ihould not obferve it is ftrange. 
It is here the firft inftance occurs of the necefiity there is, in a work of this kind, after confulting 
the beft authors, to examine nature; and where they are defedlive, to compleat the fyftem from her 
ftores. 
We have begun with plants whofe flower confilling cf feveral petals is followed by many naked 
feeds ; we have given in the fecond clafs plants whofe flower confifts, as in thofe in the firft, of feve- 
ral petals, and is followed by feveral capfules containing the feeds : from thefe, following our method 
in thofc plants whofe flowers are largeft, plainell, and moft confpicuous, we ftiould be led, if the 
fyftems of others only were our guides, to thofe plants whofe flower confifts of a Angle petals and is 
followed by a Angle capfulc ; but obferving nature, we perceive that flie has placed between thefe an 
intermediate clafs : this confifts of thofe plants which have a flower formed of a fingle leaf, and 
followed by more than one capfule. Thefe are the plants wc comprife in our prefcnt new efta- 
bliftied clafs, placing it between the fecond and fourth ; between thole plants whofe flower confifts of 
feveral petals, and is followed by feveral capfules, and thofe which have it of one petal, followed by 
one capfule. Thus we ftiall trace nature in her own path ; and view her as ftie makes her regular 
progrefs and her gradual defcent with no greater gap between. 
Certainly in all other fyftems there was an interruption here ; but this fmall arrangement fills up the 
fpace, and makes all regular. 
L.innreus fcatters the few plants belonging to this clafs over his works, and Tournefprt, and Rayj 
not attending to the diftinftion, great and obvious as it is, of plants with a flower compofed of many 
petals, and fuch as have it confifting but of one, place thefe confufedly among others, 
SERIES I. 
NATIVES OF BRITAIN. 
GENUS L 
N A V E L W O R T. 
COTTLEDON. 
fl'^HE flower confifts of a fingle petal ; this is of a tubulated form, and divided into feveral fegments 
at the edge. The feeds are contained in capfules, five of which follow every flower. 
LinniEus places this among his decandria pento^iiia, between woodforrel, which has its feeds in a fingle 
capfule, and ftonecrop, which has numerous petals in the flower. There are indeed in this ten threads 
in the centre of each flower, and five rudiments of capfules among them ; this, in the fyftem pro- 
2 pofcd 
