THE 
BRITISH HERBAL. 
C L A S S X. 
Plants with the flower compofed of five petals regularly difpofed, and the 
feeds contained in a single capsule; and with the Laves alternate, 
or not in pairs, upon the fialks. 
THESE plants, if the flowers and feed veflels alone were to be confidered in the eftablifhmcnt 
of claffes, would have been arranged in the fame with thofe of the preceding; yet they ars 
extremely different from them. The alternate difpofition of the leaves is an obvious 
charafler, and is univerfal among them ; as the having them in pairs is of the preceding. 
This may, to a lefs confiderate obferver, appear too trivial an incident for the forming a claflical 
ditfin£lion j but nature, whofe fteps alone I follow, lliews it to be otherwife. Let him reflefl:, and 
obferve, that of all the genera treated of in the preceding clafs there is not one which has belonging 
to it a fingle fpecies the leaves of which ftand alternately ; and that among thofe which conftitute 
this clafs, the charafter of which is to have the leaves alternate, there is not one that has a fingle 
fpecies with the leaves in pau-s ; and he will then find this, which before feemed to him but a 
cafual incident in the growth of the plants, a regular and univerfal law eftablilhed by nature among 
thefe plants, and in all the genera not once violated. 
He will from this, not only learn the error of his firfl: opinion, but will fee that nature made 
the difpofition of the leaves of plants a certain and regular part of their eftablilhed diftinftions, and 
that Linnaius's method muft have been imperfeift, were it only for that it has not regarded them 
as any part of clalTical diftindions. The more ftrift and more general marks of divifion are placed 
in larger and more obvious parts of the flower and feed-velTel ; but as there are in the threads, and 
other fmaller parts of it alfo, very remarkable particularities, fo there are in the difpofition of the 
leaves, and the genera! growth of the plant. 
Thefe laft, as they are the more obvious of the two fubordinate charafters, fo they are the mofl: 
certain, and free from variation. 
We find, in many of the particular genera of the preceding clafs, certain fpecies in which the 
number of the threads vary ; and this Linnasus finds himfcif obliged to own, even where he is 
eftablifliing the charaflers of the genus upon them ; but we do not fee any inftance of the leaves being 
placed varioufly in the feveral fpecies of any genus therein. 
This is a point we lhall have occafion to treat more at large when we come to fpeak of the flellate 
plants ; but thus much may be proper to be obferved here, to ellablifti the dillinaion of the prcfent, 
and prepare for that of the fucceeding clafs. 
SERIES 
