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fcription, viz. i. of the whole flower in its aggregate (late, 
which is termed the Jlofculcus flower ; and 2. of the Jlofculi , 
or florets, of which it is conipofed. We (hall begin with 
the firll, which concerns only the calyx and receptacle, 
thefe being the only parts that are alike in them all. 
Character of the Flgsculous Flower. 
Calyx : The common calyx is a perianthium, which 
contains the florets and the receptacle. It is either Jimp/e, 
augmented, or imbricated. It contrads when the flowers are 
fallen, but expands and turns back when the feeds are ripe. 
Receptacle : The common receptacle of the fructi¬ 
fication receives many feflile florets on its di(k, which is ei¬ 
ther concave , plain, convex, pyramidal, or globular. The 
furface of the diik is either naked, without any other ine¬ 
quality than that of being lightly dotted ; villous, covered 
with upright hairs; or paleaceous, covered with paleae, 
chaff's, or draws, that are linear, fubulate, comprefled, 
and erefit, and ferve to part the florets. 
The ftructure of the florets which compofe a compound 
flower, will be bed under.ffood by pulling to pieces the 
flower of a thiffle, of dandelion, or of the fun-flower, and 
comparing the florets with the following natural 
Character of the Floret. 
Calyx : A final 1 perianthium, fupporting the herma¬ 
phrodite floret, often quinquepartite, feated on the germen, 
perfiftihg, and afterwards becoming the crown of the feed. 
Corolla: Monopetalous, with a long and very nar¬ 
row tube. It is feated on the germen, and is either tubulate, 
with tire limb campanulate and quinquefid, and the laciniae 
fpreading and turning back ; ligulate, with the limb linear, 
plane, turned outwards, and the top whole ; tridentate, or 
quinquedentate, or wanting, having no limb, and often no tube. 
Stamina : The filaments five, capillary, very fliort, 
inferted in the neck of the corollulse. The antherae five, 
linear, ereft, and by the union of their (ides forming a cy¬ 
linder that is tubulate, quinquedentate, and of the length 
of the limb. 
Pistillum: The germen oblong, placed under the 
receptacle of the flower ; the ffyle filiform, erect, of the 
length of the (lamina, and perforating the cylinder of the 
antherse ; tire (tigma bipartite, the laciniae revolute and 
fpreading afitnder. 
Pericap.pium : No true one, though in fome there is 
a coriaceous cruft. 
Seed : A (ingle one, oblong, often tetragonous, but 
commonly narrower at the bafe. It is either crowned, or 
with the crown wanting. The crown is of two kinds, ei¬ 
ther a pappus, ora perianthium ; if a pappus, it is either 
feflile, or placed on a ftipes : and confifts of many radii, 
that are placed in a round figure ; and are either Ample, 
radiate, orramous: when the crown is a perianthium, it 
is fuch as is deferibed above. The difpofition of the (la¬ 
mina and piftillum frequently varying, occalion the follov/- 
ing diftindtions in the florets, viz. Hermaphrodite, contain¬ 
ing both liamina and piftilla: male, containing (lamina, but 
no piftillum : female, containing piftilla, but no (lament 
or, neuter, containing neither (lamina nor piftillum. The 
offence of a flofculons flower confifts in having the anther.se 
united in a cylinder, and a fingle feed below the receptacle 
of rhe floret. The plants of this clafs are fuppofed to have 
various fpecific virtues. Mod of them are bitter ; none 1 
are poifonous, except, perhaps, tiie laCtuca virofa, a fpe- 
cies of lettuce, when growing in ftiady fituations. The 
elafticity of the calyx in the ox-tongue, thiftle, and many 
other genera, is too remarkable to pafs unnoticed by the 
flighted obferver. It feents as if the ex.panfion of the florets 
firft burl! the calyx open, and when thefe wither, it clofes 
again. The downy hairs that crown the feeds, before up¬ 
right, now begin to expand, and, by this expanfion, again 
open the leaves of the calyx, and bend them quite back. 
The feeds now efcape, and the calyx, becoming dry and 
withered, no longer retains its elaftic power. The hairy 
or downy appendages of the feeds, occafton them to be 
3 
ANY. 2 7? 
wafted about in the air, and difleminated far and wide. 
The (iruOfure of this downdeferves our admiration : there 
is hardly a child that is infenfible to its beauty in the Dan¬ 
delion. The orders into which the genera of this clafs are 
divided, are as follow : 
Order 1. Polygamia ZEqualis, comprehending fuch 
plants as have compound flowers, of which the florets are 
all hermaphrodite. This order contains forty-two genera, 
diftinguifhed into, j. Such as have ligulate compound flow¬ 
ers, of which there are nineteen, viz. Geropogon, old 
man’s beard; Tragopogon, goat’s beard ; Scorzonera, vi- 
per-grals; Picris, ox-tongue; Sonchus, fow-thiftle ; I.ac- 
tuca, lettuce ; Chondrilla, gunt-fuccory; Prenanthes, wild 
lettuce; Leontodon, dandelion; Hieracium, hawkweed; 
Crepis, bafe hawkweed ; Andryala, downy fow-thiftle ; 
Hyoferis, yellow-eye ; Seriola ; Hypochceris, gofmore- 
hawkvveed, or cat’s-ears ; Lapfana, nipple-wort ; Cata- 
nanclte, Candia lion’s foot; Cichoriitm, fuccory or endive ; 
and Scolymus, golden-thiftle.- 2. Such as have tubulous 
compound flowers; of which there are twenty-three, viz. 
Arftium, burdock ; Serratula, flaw-wort, or way-thiftle ; 
Carduus, thiftle ; Cnicus, blefl'ed-thiftle ; Onopordon, 
woolly or cotton thiftle ; Cynara, artichoke; Carlina, car- 
line-thiftle, Carthamus, bafe fa-ffron ; Bidens, water-hemp 
agrimony; Cacalia, Alpine colt’s-foot; Atrafilylis, diftaff- 
thiftle; Eupatorium, hemp agrimony; Ageratum, bafe 
hemp agrimony ; Ethulia ; Staehelina ; Chryfocoma, gol- 
dy-locks; Calea, halbert-weed ; Tarchonanthns, (hrubby 
African fteabane ; Pteronia ; Athanafia, Spilanthus ; San- 
tolina, lavender cotton ; and Barnadefia. 
Order 2. Polygamia Superflua, comprehending 
fuch plants as have the florets of the di(k hermaphrodite, 
and thofe of the radius female. This order contains thirty- 
eight genera, diftinguilhed into, 1. Tubulous; of which 
there are eight, viz. Tanacetum, tanfey ; Artemifia, worm¬ 
wood, or mugwort ; Gnaphalium, everlafting flower, or 
cudweed; Xeranthemum, Auftrian fneezewort, or eterna .1 
flower; Carpefnim ; Baccharis, plowman’s fpikenard; Co- 
tula, May-weed ; and Conyza, greater fleabane. 2. Ra¬ 
diate ; of which there are thirty, viz. Erigeron, leffer flea- 
bane ; TLiflilago, coltsfoot; Senecio, groundfel, or rag-wort; 
After, ftar-wort; Solidago, golden rod; Inula, elecam¬ 
pane; Cineraria, (ky-flower ; Arnica, mountain leopard’s 
bane; Doronicum, leopard’s-bane; Perdicium; Helenium, 
bafe fun-flower; Beilis, daify ; Leyfera ; Tagetes, Afri¬ 
can marygold ; Peftis ; Chryfanthemnm, corn-rnarygold; 
Matricaria, feverfew; Anacyelus; Anthemis, ohamontile; 
Acltillea, mill foil or yarrow; Tridax, trailing ftar-wort 
of Vera Cruz; Zinnia; Verbefina, Indian hemp agrimony ; 
Sigefbeckia ; Buphthalmum, ox-eye; Eclipta; Bellium, 
bafe daify ; Aniellus, ftar-flower; Unxia ; and Mutifia- 
Order 3. Polygamia Frustranea, comprehending 
fuch plants as have the florets of the difk hermaphrodite, 
and thofe of the radius neuter. This order contains nine 
genera, all radiate, viz. Helianthus, fun-flower; Rud- 
.beckia, American dwarf fun-flower ; Coreopfis, tick-feed- 
ed fun-flower ; Gorteria; Ofmites ; Zoegea ; Centaurea, 
centaury ; Sclerocarpus ; and Didelta. 
Order 4. Polygamia Necessaria, comprehending 
fuch plants as have the flowers of the difk male, and thofe 
of the radius female. This order contains fourteen genera, 
mod of which are radiate, viz. Milleria ; Silphiutn, bafe 
chryfanthemnm; Chryfogohum ; Melampodium ; Calen¬ 
dula, marygold ; Arflotis ; Ofteofperntunt, hard-feeded 
chryfanthemnm ; Othonna, African ragwort ; Polymnia, 
dwarf fun-flower; Eriocephalus ; Filago, cotton or cud¬ 
weed ; Micropus, bafe cudweed; Baltitnora; and Hippia, 
flmibby tanfey. 
Orders- Polygamia Segregata. This order com¬ 
prehends fuch plants as have many partial cups contained 
in the common calyx, which fe pa rate". and furround the 
flofcula. This order contains feven genefa, diftinguilhed 
into, 1. Such as'have four flofeufi in each partial calyx ; 
of which there are two genera', viz. Elephantopus, ele¬ 
phant’s foot j and Oedera. 2, Such as have many flbfcnli 
in 
