Wee Se 
350 Account of Gertner the Botani/t. 
procefs of fecundation are next confidered ; 
he defcribes all the circumftances attend- 
ant on this phenomenon, and the changes 
which take place in the gemmen at the 
moment it is vivified by the pollen ;" he af- 
terwards diftinguifhes the different {pecies 
of fruits, their coverings, receptacle and 
feeds; and then entering on thofe details 
which were before little known, he diffecis 
the feeds, examines their proper tunic, 
the cicatricula, embryo, albumen, the vit- 
tellus, another acceffory part; the cha- 
Jaza, which is the point where the umbili- 
cal cord enters the feed ; the cotyledons, 
the plumule, and the radicle. He points 
cut the form, fituation, and nature of 
thefe different parts, the chara&ters they 
may furnith, and the refpective importance 
of thefe characters. He exhibits, in fhort, 
a methodical difpohtion of plants from the 
fruit, which he intended fhould only be 
employed in a mere carpology, and not in 
a general fyftem of plants, and which, not- 
withftanding a few anomalies, fuiiiciently 
preferves the natural orders. 
Although vegetables are divided by 
him inte acotyledonous, monocotyledo- 
nous, dicotyledoneus, and- polycotyledo- 
nous, he yet admits that this laft divifion 
is not natural, and can only be employed 
in the claffification of fruits: he ought 
certainly, however, to have fupprefled it 
altogether, and regarded thele fuppofed 
polycotyledons as dicotyledons, with di- 
vided lobes, as he has done in the defcrip- 
tion of the Lepidium (Dittander). But 
the ingenious difcovery of Citizen Desfon- 
taines on the comparative organization of 
plants with one and two feminal leaves 
was not then known, or elfe it might have 
fpared Gertner fome other errors. In 
fa&, he has ranked among the monoco- 
tyledons, feeds, the lobes of which are 
either wholly obliterated, or not very ap- 
parent; and this proves that if general 
theories can only be the refult of repeated 
obfervation, when once eftablifhed on a 
folid foundation, they in their turn en- 
lighten, and direét the future obferver. 
In forming the fub-divifions in the mo- 
nocotyledons Gertner confiders the pofi- 
tion of the ovary, whether fuperior, or in- 
ferior the prefence or abfence of the albu- 
men, and the fituation of the radicule. In 
the dicotyledons he adds to thefe confider- 
ations, thofe of the number of the ovaries, 
the prefence or abfence of the pericarp, 
its nature, the number of the cells, the 
receptacle, and the form of the embryo. 
Thefe characters, united to thofe which 
the other parts of the fruétification prefent, 
afferded him {efficient data on which to 
[May 15 
eflablifh his genera with precifion, to fix 
the fituation of feveral doubtful fpecies, 
and to afcertain with greater certainty 
the link which unites the genera of various 
families. , 
In taking a glance of the {cience, 
Gertner points out what appeared to him 
already well known, and what remained to 
be accomplifhed by future botanifts. He 
maintains, that it is impoffible to make the 
natural method agree with a fyftem found- 
ed on a fingle part. Contending that 
plants do not form a continued feries, he 
oblerves that their arrangement into vari- 
ous groups conveys to our mind the idea of 
a geographical chart, on which we behold 
countries of different extents, bounded by 
feveral_others, whilft fome iflands appear 
{eparated from the reft of the world by 
more or lefs extenfive feas. 
He gives direftions refpe€ting the man- 
ner of preferving feeds, and fuggefts the 
precautions necefiary in analyfing them, 
in order to diftinguifh their different 
parts, which is fomewhat difficult, elpe- 
cially in thofe which are extremely fmall, 
as the poppy, &c. 
This firit part of Gertner’s work is 
the refule of obfervations made during his 
whole life, and well deferves to be ftudied 
by thofe who are eccupied with vegetable 
phyfiology. It is, however, fefs known 
than the fecond, being chiefly calculated 
for individuals who have already attained 
a confiderabie proficiency in this f{cience. 
The fecond part contains a thoufand and 
fifty genera. Of this number, which ex- 
ceeds by one half thofe that had been be- 
fore publifhed, fitty were abfolutely un- 
known. Nearly an equal number are 
formed by the feparation of {pecies, which, 
according to him, differ too much to re-_ 
main united. The charaéters are taken 
from all the parts of the fruétification ; 
the fruits are analyfed and defcribed with 
accuracy ; and the figures are executed 
with the greateft care, frequently exhibit- 
ing feveral {pecies of the fame genus ; they 
however reprefent only the fruit, except in 
fome new genera. : 
The greateft reformation is introduced 
into the families of palms, umbelliferous 
and cruciform plants, becaufe in them the 
genera can only be firmly eftablithed from 
a confi.ieration of the fruit. 
The fecond volume is fuperior to the 
firft, by the profundity of its views, and - 
the accuracy of its approximations. Al- 
though, after returning to his native coun- 
try, the attention of Gartner appears to 
have been chiefly direéted to the anatomy 
of fruits; he was far from neglecting the 
other 
