26 
ORDERS OF LINN^US. 
Fig. 10. 
The name of the 21st class is a compound of two Greek words, 
CRYPTO and gamia, signifying a concealed union. 
$ Stamens and Pistils invisible, ir too 
Natural Families 
Fig. 11. 
I small to he seen with the naked eye. 
Lichens. Mushrooms. Perns. Mosses. 
The number of classes as arranged by Linnsus, was twenty-four. 
Two of them, Poly-adelphia, (many brotherhoods,) which was the 
eighteenth class ; and Poly-gamia, (many unions,) the twenty-third 
class, are now, by many botanists,* rejected as unnecessary, ^he 
eleventh class, Dodecandria, which included plants whose flowers 
contain from twelve to twenty stamens, has been more recently 
omitted. The plants which were included in these three classes have 
been distributed among the other classes. 
T7ie Orders of JLinnceus. 
The orders of the first twelve classes are founded upon the num- 
bci* of JpISTILS 
The orders'are named by prefixing Greek numerals to the word 
gynia. signifying pistil. 
OKDERS. 
Names. 
Orders found in 
the first twelve 
classes. 
1. MoNO-GYNlAj 
2. Dl-GYNIA, 
3. Tri-gynia, 
4. Tetra-gynia, 
5. Penta-gynia, 
6. Hexa-gynia, 
7. HePTA- GYNIA, 
8. octo-gynia, 
9. Ennea-gynia, 
10. Deca-gynia, 
No. of pistils. 
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
10. 
this order seldom found, 
this still more unusual, 
very rare, 
very rare. 
.13. PoLY-GYNiA, otJer ten pistils. 
The classes vary as to the number of orders which they contain. 
The orders of the 13th class, Didynamia, are but two. 
1. Gymnospermia. From gymnos, signifying naked, and spermia, 
sends usually four, lying in signifying Seed, implying that the seeds are not 
the calyx. covorod by a seed vessel. 
2. Angiospermia. From an gig, signifying bag or sack, added to 
sceiis numerous in a capsule. SPERMIA, implying that the sccds are covered. 
* A few writers still retain the 24 classes of Linnseus ;-but in the works of Eaton, 
Torrey, Beck , and Nuttall, only 21 are adopted. 
What does Cryptogamia signify 1-CIasses omitted-Orders of the first tw^^^^ 
classes, on what founded 7-How are the orders named 7-Orders of the clahs Didy- 
