fo much eonfequence in afcertaining the genera as fome 
have imagined ; but the cup, or perianthium, which has. 
been hitherto thought unworthy of notice, is of the great- 
elf tile. The leaves never (hould be conlidered in forming 
the characters of genera. The feeds of this clafs furnilh 
food for men, and otjher animals : they are farinaceous and 
flatulent. The leaves are food for cattle. None of them 
are poifonous. Dr. Pulteney, in a note added to his tran- 
flation of the Pan-Suecicus, fays, “ A general view of this 
clafs, fliews at once how very acceptable its plants are to 
almoft all cattle ; cows and flteep refilled none, and horfcs 
not more than three, out of the whole number with which 
they were tried. They afford the richeft food for cattle, 
and are cultivated in divers parts of Europe with all pof- 
lible attention. With us, the trifolium pratenfe, or'clo¬ 
ver, is mortly fown. Many trials have been made with 
the hedyfarum onobrychis, or faintfoin, and fome have 
thought that it anfvyers better than clover. I fay nothing 
of the exotic lucern. Among thefe plants the anthyllis 
viilneraria is particularly acceptable to ffieep ; infomuch, 
that the feparate cultivation of it has been recommended; 
but it will not fucceed well except on chalky grounds.” 
See Dr. Pulteney’s accurate and judicious work, entitled, 
A General View of ihe Life and Writings of Linnaeus. —The 
orders under which the genera of this clafs are divided, are 
the following, viz. 
Order i. Pentandria, comprehending fuch plants as 
have five (lamina. Of this order there is only one genus, 
viz. Monnieria. 
Order 2. Hexandria, comprehending fuch plants as 
have lix (lamina. This order contains two genera, viz. 
Fumaria, fumitory ; and Saraca. 
Order 3. Octandria, comprehending fuch plants as 
have eight (lamina. This order contains three genera, 
viz. Poly gala, milkwort ; Securidaca, hatchet-vetch ; and 
Dalbergia. 
Order 4. Decandria, comprehending fuch plants as 
have ten (lamina. This order contains fifty genera, diftin- 
guifhed into, 1. Such as have monadelphous filaments, or 
one fet of brotherhoods; of which there are feventeen, 
viz. Niflolia ; Erythrina, coral-tree ; Pifcidia, dogwood- 
tree ; Borbonia ; Spartium, broom ; Genifta, fingle-feeded 
broom; Afpalathus, African broom ; Amorpha, flirubby 
bale indigo ; Crotolaria, rattle-wort ; Ononis, root-har¬ 
row ; Anthyllis, lady’s-fingety or vetch ; Ebenus, ebony 
of Crete; Abrits, Jamaica wild liquorice; Pterocarpus, red 
landers; Ulex, furze, whins, or gorfe ; Arachis, ground- 
rmt ; and Lupinus, lupine. 2. Such as have diadelphous 
filaments, or two brotherhoods, and a downy ffigma ; of 
which there are ten, viz. Phafeolus, kidney-bean; Doli- 
clios, cow.itch ; Glycine, Carolina kidney-bean-tree; Cli- 
toria ; Pifum, pea ; Orobus, bitter vetch ; Lathyrus, 
chichling vetch ; Vicia, vetch or tare; Cicer, chich-peafe ; 
and Ervum, bitter vetch. 3. Such as have diadelphous 
filaments, bilabiate calyces, and the ffigma not downy, of 
which there are lix, viz. Cytifus, trefoil-tree ; Geofrroya, 
bafe cabbage-tree ; Robinia, falfe acacia; Colutea, blad¬ 
der fenna ; Glycyrrhiza, liquorice ; and Coronilla, jointed- 
podded colutea. 4. Such as have diadelphous filaments, 
ffigmata that are not downy, and calyces not bilabiate; of 
which there are feventeen, viz. Ornithopus, bird’s-foot; 
Hippocrepis, horfe-fhoe vetch ; Scorpiurus, caterpillars ; 
Hedyfarum, French honeyfuckle ; AEfchynomene, bafe 
fenfitive-plant; Indigofera, indigo ; Galega, goat’s-rue ; 
Phaea, bafe milk-vetch ; Aftragalus, liquorice-vetch, or 
milk-vetch; Biferrula, bafe hatchet-vetch; Pforalea; 
Trifolium, trefoil; Lotus, bird’s-foot trefoil; Liparia; 
Trigonella, fenugreek; Medicago, medic or moon trefoil; 
and Mullera. 
Example for Investigation. 
After the very copious defeription of the natural cha- 
fafler above given of the genera in this clafs, it is pre¬ 
fumed that a correct delineation of the flower of any one 
genus, will enable the young botanift, by analogy, eafily 
A N Y. 
to diferiminate all the genera belonging to the Diadelphia 
clafs. We have for this purpofe (elected the plant Lathy- 
rus, called the everlafting-pea, or chichling vetch, the parts 
ot frudlification in which are as follow. Calyx, (1^.30; 
a perianthium monophyllous, femiquinquefid, campanul 
late or bell-fliaped ; the lacinias or divifions lanceolate, 
acute; the three fuperior ones ffiort, the two inferior ones 
longer. Corolla, fig. 31 ; papilionaceous; the vexillum 
or (tandard, a, obcordate, the margin and apex reflexed; 
the alas or wings, b, oblong, lunulate or moon-fhaped, 
(hort, obtufe ; the carina or keel, c, femiorbicular, of the 
• magnitude of the wings, fomewhat broader, opening inter¬ 
nally. Stamina, fig. 32 ; the filaments diadelphous; one 
(lamen (landing by itfelf, fimple; the oiliers in one body 
divided into nine; antherae fubrotund. Pistillum, p ’; 
germen, g, compreTed, oblong, linear; (lyle eredt, flat,, 
broader upwards, the apex acute ; ffigma, from the mid¬ 
dle of the (lyle to the apex, villous in the front. Peiu- 
Carpium, fig. 33 ; a legumen or pod, long, comprefied, 
acuminate, bivalve. Seeds: many, re ni form or kiidne.y- 
iliaped.—See the article Lathyrus. 
CLASS XVIII. POLYADELPIIIA. 
This clafs comprehends the plants whofe flowers have 
their (lamina united into three, or more lets. In moll fpe- 
cies the filaments (land very clofe ; but in fome few they 
are fo much feparated, that, unlefs they are examined 
quite down to their bafe, the young botanift may eafily 
miffake them for plants belonging to the claffes Icefandria 
or Polyandria. The orders are three, arranged according 
to the number of (lamens. 
Order 1. Pentandria, comprehending fuch plants as 
have five (lamina in each fet. Of this order there are two 
genera, viz. Theobroma, chocolate-nut; and Abroma. 
Order 2. Icosandria, comprehending fuch plants, as 
have twenty (lamina in each fet. Of this order there is 
but one genus, viz. Citrus, citron. 
Order 3. Polyandria, comprehending fuch plants as 
have many ftami T na in each fet. This order contains eight 
genera, viz. Hypericum, St. John’s wort; Afcyrum, St. 
Peter’s wort ; Hopea ; Symplocos; Melaleuca, cayputi- 
tree ; Durio ; Munchhaufia; and Glabraria. 
Example for Investigation. 
As the principal art in afcertaining the genera belonging 
to the orders of this clafs, depends on detefling with ac¬ 
curacy the number of fets or brotherhoods in the (lamina, 
and alfo the number of (lamens in each fet, we have fe- 
lefled the frudlification of the Citrus, or orange, as bell 
calculated to difplay the manner in which thefe parts are 
formed and united in the fame corolla. Calyx, fee the 
Botanical Plate XIII. fig. 1; a perianthium monophyllous, 
quinquedentate, or five-toothed, plain at the bafe, maref- 
cent, or withering on the plant. Corolla, fig. 2 ; the 
petals five, oblong, obtufe, plain, patent. Stamina, 5, 
fig. 3 ; the filaments ufually twenty, Tubulate, cornprelfed, 
erect, (landing in a cylinder, forming a circle round the 
piftillum, as in fig. 2 ; joined together in many or few bro¬ 
therhoods or fets, as (hewn in fig. 3, which contains the 
(lamina and piftillum taken from the blolTom, and magni¬ 
fied. Pistillum, p\ the germen, g, fuperior, ovate; 
(lyle cylindric, thick, length of the (lamina ; ffigma glo¬ 
bular, having nine cells within. Pericarpium, fig. 4; 
a bacca or berry, with a fle(hy rind, (the orange;) having 
a bladdery pulp, enveloping nine loculame.nts or feed-vef- 
fels. Seeds : in couples, i. e. two in each loculament, 
ovate, callous.—.For the fpecies, culture, and propagation, 
fee Citrus, vol. iv. of tiffs work. 
CLASS XIX-. SYNGENESIA. 
This clafs conffffs of fuch plants as bear compound flow¬ 
ers ; and we have already paved the way for underffand- 
ing them, by the explanation already given in p. 252. What 
is further neceffary here, is to give the natural character 
of the flowers. Compound flowers admit of a double de- 
feriptiou, 
