430 
SYSTEMS OF CLASSIFICATION; 
Look then, who list your ga^eful eyes to feede 
With sighte of that is faire, look on the frame 
Of this wide universe, and therein reade 
The endless forms of creatures, which by name 
Thou canst not count; much less their natures crime ; 
All Avhich are made with wondrous wise intent, 
And all with admirable beauty blent. 
“ I perceive, I have been talking of these curious productions, as 
if you were already acquainted with them; while it is quite possible 
that you are not. In that case, step to the road-side, or to the first 
patch of weeds you can meet with, and there you will he sure to find 
what is called a Mallow ; we have two very common sorts ; one of which 
has small pink flowers, the other, large striped purple ones, the lat¬ 
ter is one of our handsomest wild flowers, and is called ‘the com¬ 
mon’, or, the larger mallow (malva sylvestris); it. is that you are to 
take as the subject of your study. 
“ This plant grows, two, or even three feet high, in places where 
it is not cropped by cattle. It has an erect branching stem, of a very 
pale green, covered all over with longish hairs, which frequently 
spring from the surface of the stem in starry, (or as we pedantically 
say, stellati clusters. The leaves are roundish, and divided into 
about five shallow lobes, the border of which is notched : their veins 
are netted. At the base of the leaf-stalk grows a pair of small stipu¬ 
les, resembling scales. 
“From the bosom of the leaves spring the flowers singly. Below 
the calyx are placed three small bracts forming an involucre (fig. 3.) 
The calyx is composed of five sepals, joined together about halfway; 
it is quite soft, with long delicate hairs. Five large rosy-purple, 
striped petals, each of which has almost the figure of a wedge, and is 
notched at the end, constitute the corolla, which spreads wide open, 
when its proper time for unfolding arrives; before that time, its 
petals were curiously twisted together. The stamens are very differ¬ 
ent from any that we have yet examined; they consist of a hollow 
column, bearing at its end, a great number of anthers,* each of 
which has a short filament, and is of a kidney shape, containing only 
one cell instead of two, as is usual. Formerlv Botanists were con- 
tented to call this column, a column, and to enquire no further; as if 
they thought it was some new and special organ found only in the 
mallow. At the present day, we are too curious to be thus easily 
contented, and we must have the exact nature of every part explained. 
* This single feature forms the Linnean Class monadelphia in which the 
mallows, Hibiscuses, &e. stand conspicuous members. T 
