252 BOTANY. 
On the subject of leaves, including their forms, their edges, 
their ends, their surfaces, their positions, their character, as 
simple or compound, with their appendages, the reader is re¬ 
ferred to the writers on these points, and particularly to Thorn¬ 
ton’s “ Grammar of Botany, with Plates.” 
The Linnaean system of botany divides all plants into twen¬ 
ty-four classes, which are farther divided into orders, the orders 
into genera, and the genera into species containing varieties. 
The characters of the classes are taken from the number, 
length, connexion, or situation of the stamens. The Linnaean 
classes are twenty-four, but have been reduced to twenty, which 
have been thus arranged: — 
TABLE OF CLASSES. 
1. Monandria ; one stamen ; Indian flowering reed. 
2. Diaisdria ; two stamens ; speedwell, sage. 
3. Triandria ; three stamens; saffron, the grasses. , 
4. Tetrandia ; four stamens, equal in length ; teasel, plantain. 
5. Pentandria ; five stamens, anthers not united ; primrose, elm. 
6. Hexandria ; six stamens of the same length; daffodil, asparagus. 
7. Heptandria ; seven stamens ; wintergreen, horse-chestnut. 
8. Octandria ; eight stamens ; eardrop, willow-herb. 
9. Enneandria ; nine stamens; laurel, flowering rush. 
10. Decandria ; ten stamens, filaments not united ; pinlc, wood-sorrel. 
11. Dodecandria ; twelve to nineteen stamens ; houseleek, agrimony. 
12. Icosandria ; more than twelve stamens, fixed on the calyx or pe¬ 
tals ; mountain-ash, plum. 
13. Polyandria ; twenty to one thousand, fixed to the receptacle ; crow¬ 
foot, poppy, piony. 
14. Didynamia ; four stamens, two long and two short; Virginian 
thyme, eyebright. 
15. Tetrodynamia ; six stamens, four long and two short; mustard, 
horseradish. 
16. Monadelphia ; the filaments united ; geranium, mallow, cotton. 
17. Diadelphia; in one or two sets, blossom butterfly shaped; bush 
and pole bean, pea. 
18. Polyadelphia ; in three or more sets ; yarrow, mayweed,burdock. 
19. Syngenesia ; five stamens, anthers united, flowers compound ; la¬ 
dy’s slipper, sunflower. 
20. Cryptogamia ; flowers with stamens obscure; moss, fern, mush¬ 
room, liverwort. 
