Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, first edition - Volume I, A-B.pdf/758

 '630 B O T Thefe twenty-four clafles comprehend every known genus a.nd Specie's. It is an eafy matter to clafs a plant belonging to any of the fird eleven clalfes, as they ail depend on the number of (lamina or male parts, without regard to any other circumftance. The r 2th clafs requires more attention. When the (lamina amount to above 20, a tyro will be apt to imagine that the plant belongs to the polyandria clafs. In reducing plants of this kind -to their clafles, particular regard mull be had to the infercion of the (lamina. If they are infected into the calix or cup, the plant belongs to the icofandria ciafs; if to the receptacle or bafis of the flower, it belongs to the polyandria. The 14th clafs is likewile in danger of being confounded with the 4th. In the 4th, the number of (lamina is the fame with that of the 14th. But, in the 14th, two of the (lamina are uniformly mtich (horter than the other two; at the fame time each particular (lamen belonging to the different pairs (lands diredlly oppofite to one another. The 15th clafs may be miftaken for the fixth, as they con fid of the fame number of (lamina. But in the 15th, four of the damina are uniformly longer than the other two ; and thefe two are always oppoiite to each other. ORDERS. In the fird thirteen claflls, the orders, which are inferior divifions, and lead us a dep nearer the genus, are taken from the pillils or female parts, in the lame manner as the clafles from the (lamina: Monogynia.-digynia, trigynia, tetragynia, fcc. i. e. one, two, three, four, &c. female parts: When the piflils or female parts have no Aalk or filament like the damina, they are numbered by the ftigmata or tops of'the pidils, which in that cafe adhere to the capfule in the form of fmall protuberances, as may b,e obferved in the flowers of the poppy, fyc. The orders of the 14th clafs are derived from a different fource. The plants belonging to it have their feeds either inclofed in a capfule, or altogether uncovered. Hence they naturally admit of a divifion into the fcllowing orders, viz. gymnofpermia, comprehending fuch as have naked feeds ; and angiofpermia, which comprehends iuch as have their feeds covered, or inclofed in a capfule. The 15th clafs is divided into two orders, viz. the Jiliculofa, or thofe which have a (hort fiiiqua or pod; and K.h$ Jiliquofa, or. thofe which have a longer filiqua. The orders of the 16th, 17th, iSth, and 20th claffes, are taken from the number of (lamina, e. g. monodelphia pentandria, decandria, polyandria, The Syngenesia, or 19th clafs, confids of plants whofe flowers are compounded of a great number of fmall flowers or fldfcules inclofed in one common calix. The orders of this clafs are, Polyg.imia a quaiis, or fuch whofe flofcules are all furnifhed with damina and piftils. Polygarnia fguria, comprehends thofe which have her,maphrodite flofcules in the difk, and female flofcules in the margin." This circumftance is made the foundation of the three following orders. 1. Polygamia fuperjlua, includes ail thofe whofe hermaphrodite flowers in the

ANY. di(k are furnifhed with ftigmata, and bear feed; and whofe female flowers in the radius likewife produce feeds. 2. Polygamia frujlranea, include fuch as have hermahprodite feed-bearing flofcules in the difk ; but whofe flofculesdn the radius, having no jligmata, are barren. 3. Polygamia neceffaria, is the reverfe of the former; The hermaphrodite flowers in the difk want ftigmata, and are barren ; but the female flofculcs in the radius are furniflied with (ligmata, and produce feeds. Polygamia fsgrtgata, many flofcules inclofed in one coipmon calix, and each of the flofcules likewife furniflied with a perianthium proper to itfelf. Monogamia, this order confifts only of feven genera, viz. the ftrumphia, feriphium, coryiribium, jafione, lobelia, viola, and impatiens ; none of which have prsiperly compound flowers, but are ranked under tins clafs purely from the circumftance of having their (lamina united by the antherac. The orders of the 21ft clafs are partly taken from the number of (lamina, and partly from the names and characters peculiar to fome of the other claffes, e g moncecia triandria, moncecia fyngendia, monoecia gynandria. The orders of the 23d are all taken from clailicai characters, e. g. polygamia mbncecia, polyga'mia ..tecia, arid polygamia trioecia. The 24th, or Cryptogam'ia clafs, is divided into the four following orders: 1. Filices, comprehending all plants that bear their feed in the back or edges of 'the leaf, and thofe that are called capillary plants. 2. Mufti, which comprehends all the mofs kind. 3. Algce, including the lichens, fuel, and many, others whofe parts of fructification are either altogether invifible or exceedingly obfeure. 4. Fungi, comprehending all the muftiroom tribe. Having thus explained the method of reducing plants to their clalfes and orders, we (hall proceed to inform the young botanift how to inveftigate the genus. This depends upon minuter diftinCtions, and requires more attention. But it is impoflible to inveftigate the genera, without being previoully acquainted with a confiderable number of terms. All the terms neceflary for this purpqfe belong to the parts of fructification. To attempt to give an idea'by words of the parts to which particular terms are applied, would not only.be difficult, but, in a great meafure, ufelefs, efpecially to fuch as are totally ignorant of botany. We (Hall therefore give a lift of the terms themfelves, with proper references to, the figures of the things (ignified by them, which will both be fhorter, and more intelligible than the moft accurate defeription that language is capable of. Lift of Terms belonging to the Flowers and Parts of Fructification. See Plate LIV. Fig. 1. Spatha, a fpecies of calix opening longitudinally when the flower breaks through it. 2. Spadix, a fpecies of receptacle peculiar to palm-trees, - which confifts of fruit-bearing branches included in a fpatha. 3. *,