B O T 
gan, or framen. And finding, upon a fcrutiny into the 
-flowers of this clafs, that home of them were p ode (Fed of 
■one piftillum, and others or two, it became neceffarv to 
■diftinguifh thefe, and to feparate them, by appropriate 
.names, into two orders j fo that the JirJl of thefe flowers 
would be compofed of one ftamen and one piftillum j and 
the fecond fet, of one ftamen and two piftilla. Here then 
we lee the foundation of clalfes and orders. The firjl or¬ 
der, Monogynia, he likewife denominated from the Greek 
p.ov®', one, and yvuri, niulier, a wife, or female ; denoting, 
that flowers of this order have only one piftillum, or female 
part; fo that, “clafs Monandria, order Monogvnia,” de¬ 
notes a plant whofe flower or frublification has only one 
ftamen, and one piftillum ; as exemplified in the Botanical 
-Plate X. fig. i. where s is the ftamen, and p the piftillum; 
it is a bloft'om of the canna, or Indian flowering reed. The 
fecond order, Digynia, is in like manner compounded of the 
Greek words importing two females ; and denotes that this 
order of flowers is poftefled of t.u>o piftilla, or female or¬ 
gans, as fhewn at p, fig. 2. Let it be conftantly recob 
lefted, that all thefe flowers, pofFefiing both male and fe¬ 
male organs, are termed hermaphrodite , 
Diandrja, from -h;, bis, twice, and «*■»§, ahnfband, or 
male ; imports in like manner that all flowers of this clafs 
are poftefled of two ftamina, or male organs; as at fig. 3. 
which (hews the clafs Diandria, order Digynia; it is the 
frudlification of the vernal grafs, confiderably magnified 
to fhew the parts diftimSf; ss, the ftamina; f, the piftillum. 
But, as the flowers compofed of two ftamina, were alfo 
found to have among them forne with one, fome with two, 
and fome with three, piftilla, it became neceffary to in¬ 
troduce a third order into this clafs, termed Trigynia , 
which fhould comprehend the flowers with three piftilla, 
or female organs; as fhewn at p, fig. 3. 
Triandria, compounded likewife of the Greek term 
for three males', denotes that clafs of plants whofe flowers 
have three ftamina. And thefe having either one, two, or 
fhree, pijlilla , the clafs is divided accordingly into the 
three orders correfponding thereto. Fig. 3. (hews the clafs 
Triandria, order Trigynia ; s, the ftamina; p, the piftilla. 
It is the vcrticillate mollugo, or African chickweed, mag¬ 
nified to diftinguifti the parts, 
TETRANDRIA ; by changing the numerical term to that 
denoting four, implies a clafs of plants whofe flowers have 
four ftamina, or male organs, of equal length. In this clafs, 
fome of the flowers have one, others two, and fome four , 
piftilla; hence the two firft orders are monogynia, and 
digynia ; but the third order in this clafs, to exprefs the 
four piftilla, is termed Tetragynia, i. e. four females. 
Fig. 4. exprefles this cafe ; clals Tetrandria, order Tetra¬ 
gynia ; s, the ftamina ; p, the piftilla. This example is a 
very curious conftrudlion of the parts; it is a frudlifica. 
tion of the petamogeton, or common pondweed, confide- 
rably magnified. 
Pentandria, in like manner, denotes /for males ; it is 
therefore ufed to diftinguifti thofe plants whole flowers 
have five ftamina. And as the flowers of this clafs are 
conftrudted either with one, two, three, four, five, or many, 
piftilla, they are of courfe divifible into fix orders ; lb 
that in addition to the four orders above explained, we 
have now two additional ones to add, viz. Pentagynia , con¬ 
taining flowers with five piftils 5 and Polygynia , containing 
flowers with many, or with a clufier, of piftils. A flower of 
the fifth clafs and fifth order, viz. Pentandria, Pentagynia, 
is delineated at fig, 5. s, the ftamina; p, the piftilla: it is 
the craffula, or African navel-wort. 
Hexandria; this term fignifies fix males; it therefore 
implies that clafs of plants whofe flowers have fix ftamina, 
all of the fame length. The flowers in this clafs are formed 
either with one, two, three, four, or many, piftilla; the 
orders are therefore of the fame denomination as thofe 
above explained; only the fixth order, Polygynia , in the 
Pentandria clafs, is the fifth in this. An example of the 
clafs Hexandria, order Polygynia , is Ihewn at fig, 6, s, the 
Vo e. 111 . No. 139. 
A N Y. 257 
ftamina; p, the cluftered piftilla: It is a frudlification of 
the alifma, or great water plantain, very much magnified. 
Hei’TAXDRia, denotes that clafs of hermaphrodite 
plants whofe flowers contain [even ftamina, or male organs. 
The flowers are alfo conftrudted with either one, two, four., 
or Jcven, piftilla; whereby the order Ilcftagynia, denoting 
'even females, occurs only in this clafs. A delineation of 
the clafs Heptandria, order Monogynia, is given at fig. 7. 
s, the ftamina ; p, the piftilla : it is a bloffom of the aefeu- 
lus, or horfe-chefrmt. 
Octandria, denotes thofe plants whofe flowers are 
compounded of eight male parts, orftamens. The females 
have either one, two, three, or four, piftils, common to 
each flower ; fo that the four orders, expreflive of thefe 
four cafes, are all that belong to this clafs. A reprefen- 
tation of the clafs OElandria, order Monogynia , is given at 
fig. S. It is the oenothera, or tree-primrofe. 
Enn.eandrja, fignifies nine males; it is therefore chn- 
radteriftic of that clafs of plants whofe bloflbins contain 
nine ftamina. In thefe flowers are alfo found either one, 
three, or fix, piftilla; the correfponding orders are there¬ 
fore monogynia, trigynia, and hexagynia. The clafs En- 
neandria, order Hexagynia, is fhewn at fig. 9. which is the 
butomus, flowering-nifti, or water gladiole. 
Decandria, is a term denoting ten males; it therefore 
reprefents the clafs of plants whofe frudlification have ten 
ftamina, or male organs. The flowers in this clafs are 
formed either with one, two, three, five, or ten, piftilla; 
the order Decagynia is therefore now added to thofe before 
explained, denoting ten females. This clafs Decandria, or¬ 
der Decagynia, is delineated at fig. 10. s, the ftamina j p, the 
piftilla: it is the phytolacca, or American nightfhade, 
Dodecandria, denotes twelve males, and it is there¬ 
fore ufed as charadleriftic of twelve ftamina. The clafs, 
however, is not confined to that number, but includes all 
f'uch hermaphrodite flowers as are furniflied with any quan¬ 
tity of ftamina from twelve to nineteen inclufive. No flowers 
have yet been found to have precifely eleven ftamina, which 
is the reufon no clafs lias been allotted to that number. 
The flowers in this clafs have either one, two, three, five, 
or twelve, piftilla : the order Dodecagynia is therefore now 
introduced, to denote the twelve females. Fig. u. repre¬ 
fents the clafs Dodecandria, order Dodecagynia ; s, the (la¬ 
mina ; p, the piftilla: it is the frudlification of the fern- 
pervivum, or great houfeleek. 
Icosandrja ; this term fignifies twenty males; and 
therefore denotes thofe plants whofe bloffonis have twenty 
ftamina. But here again the term is to be underflood 
within a certain latitude; for, though the plants of this 
clafs are rarely ever found with lefs than twenty ftamina, 
yet they frequently have a greater number. They are 
therefore not always to be known with certainty from thofe 
of the next clafs, without having recourfe to their eftential 
charadler, which we fiiall explain under the head of the 
genera. The flowers of this clafs being formed with either 
one, two, three, five, or many , piftilla, the orders cor¬ 
refponding thereto arc already explained. An example 
of the clafs Icojandria, order Digynia, is given at fig. 13. 
s, the ftamina; p, the piftilla: it is the crataegus, or 
white bean-tree. 
PoEYANDRiA, denotes many males; it is confequently 
ufed in this place to diftinguifli that clafs of plants whofe 
bloffonis have many ftamina, from twenty to a theufand . 
The flowers are conftrudted either with one, two, three, 
four, five, fix, or many, piftilla; the feven orders, there¬ 
fore, correfponding fo thefe numbers, and which have 
been already explained, belong to this clafs, A delinea¬ 
tion of the clafs Po/yandria, order Trigynia, is given at 
fig. 13, s, the clufier of flamens; f, the piftilla : it is the 
aconitine, or wolf's-bane. 
Didynamia; this term denotes the power or fuperiority 
of two\ and is applied to this clafs, becaufe the flowers 
have four (lamina, two long, and two fliort. This cire 11 m> 
fiance is alone fufficient to diftinguifti this clafs from the 
3 U fourth, 
