176 
BOTANICAL NAMES. 
inflorescence, called an ament. The stems of these plants are 
woody and generally of great height, as the oak and chesnut. 
The Conferee, have their pistillate flowers mostly arranged in 
a cone,(strobilus,) formed of scales each of which performs the 
office of a calyx. The pine and cypress belong to this family. 
LECTURE XXIII. 
Use of Botanical Names — Artificial classes and ordei'S con- 
sidered in groups. — Classes 1st. and 2nd. 
Having briefly noticed some of the most conspicuous families 
of plants according to the arrangement of Jussieu, we will now 
proceed to consider the Artificial or Linncean system. 
You already know something of the principles, on which this 
is founded ; but, in the condensed form under which it has hith- 
erto been presented, you cannot understand as well as by taking 
it up more in detail. We shall now examine each class sepa- 
rately, with the orders it contains, and the most remarkable plants 
and natural families, which we shall meet in our progress 
through this system. 
From what has been already observed, you have no doubt 
come to the conclusion, that this is the best method yet discover- 
ed of finding out new plants, and of ascertaining the botanical 
names of those which are already known by their common names. 
If in all countries the common names were alike, there would 
be no need of any other ; but the names of plants vary in dif- 
ferent languages as much as other terms. We call that pen 
which in France is called plume, so we call that oak, which is 
there called chene.* Even in the same countries, and often in 
the same neighborhoods, the common names of plants are dif- 
ferent, but botanical names are the same, in all ages and coun- 
tries ; without this uniformity no permanent improvement could 
be made in the science. A Botanist in France who should send 
a description of la chene, (the common name for oak,) to his 
friend in America, would not be understood ; if the American 
knew something of French, he might mistake the word for one 
which is like it, chien, which signifies a dog, and thus he might 
fall into the grotesque mistake of supposing that in France 
they had a wonderful species of dogs. But let the French Bo- 
* Pronounced shane. 
Conifer®. 
Use of Botanic names. 
