SYSTEMS OF CLASSIFICATION. 
431 
This column, then, is caused by the filaments growing fast together, 
when they are very young, without being able to separate afterwards, 
except just at the top, where they look like filaments. Suppose the 
stamens of the Tutsan were joined together in this way, when young, 
you would have exactly such a column as is constantly produced in 
the mallow. 
“The next object of examination is the pistil (fig. 2); it is formed 
of several carpels, which grow together in a circle round a common 
centre, and so form a sort of flat plate, from the middle of which the 
style arises. Like the filaments, the styles also grow together at the 
bottom into a column, but they sooii separate again, and then you 
may tell by counting them, that each carpel has its own style, for 
there is exactly as many styles as carpels. 
“Last comes our acquaintance the cheese, in the shape of the 
nearly ripe fruit; we will suppose it to be quite ripe (fig. 4), for the 
sake of avoiding repetition. It consists of a number of dry carpels 
which will separate readily from each other, and from the central 
body to which they were originally joined. Each carpel (fig. 5) 
contains one seed, with an embryo curiously doubled up, and filling 
the whole of the cavity; hence, as the carpels are all of the same size, 
and arranged with the most exact regularity on the same level, if a 
fruit is cut through it will present a singularly beautiful arrange¬ 
ment of the parts, which look like a vegetable star. In the centre, 
if the fruit is not ripe, is a solid circle from which eleven rays branch 
off at the regular distances, each being subdivided into two. Between 
the rays lie eleven embryos, the various convolutions of which, as 
cut through with the knife, exhibit eleven areas of strange patterns. 
The Kaleidoscope itself can produce nothing prettier than this, ex¬ 
cept in colour. 
“ This account is that of all the mallow tribe in most respects; 
and is quite sufficient to enable you to identify it: a power that it is 
useful to possess, because the species are all perfectly innocent. The 
columnar stamens themselves suffice in a majority of cases.” 
I wish that my hints would enable me to present the reader with 
the luminous dissection of one of the grass-tribe (glumaceous) : 
whereby the author,_setting aside the useless and troublesome dis¬ 
tinctions of Calyx, Corolla, Nectary, with which the older botanists 
confused the simple husks of the Graminece, has rendered the inves¬ 
tigation of this important tribe, an operation of comparative facility. 
But I must refrain, and satisfy myself with soliciting attention to the 
few following observations. It will be manifest from the extract given, 
that the natural system, as illustrated by Dr. Lindlev, is one of 
