Page:Illustrations of Indian Botany, Vol. 2.djvu/187

 ILLUSTRATIONS OF INDIAN BOTANY-

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in which he must search through upwards of 1000 genera to find the genus of any species he may have under examination, I have thought I might render him a more acceptable service by preparing a brief Synopsis of all those appertaining to the Indian Flora, than by any amount of remarks on such of them as may have engaged my particular attention. Such a synopsis, if but moderately well drawn up, should materially lessen his labour, while endeavouring to ascertain the genus of an unknown plant, through the simple operation of concentrating his attention on about one-tenth of the whole number embraced by a general system of Botany, exclusive of the advantage of having only to deal with the most essential points of the character of each genus.

The characters as given in the following Synopsis are simply abreviations, of those of DeCandolle's Prodromus, and therefore can only be viewed as aids to the knowledge of, not as substitutes for the originals, the difference between the two being that mine are somewhat differently arranged and include only the essential particulars of his fuller definitions. I was in the first instance induced to undertake this abridgment from having myself often felt the want of some work to which I could refer for Indian genera, apart from those of the rest of the world (still a desideratum), while undergoing the irksome labour of studying the characters of numerous foreign ones, where there was no chance of finding what 1 wanted, and now publish it in the hope of thereby smoothing down, for others, some of the impedi- ments which then beset my own path. If I have succeeded in lightening the labours of those following in the same track mine is amply rewarded. A compendium of all the Indian species described in that great work would prove a boon indeed to the Indian Botanist, and it is to be hoped that this consideration will induce some one, having leisure for the task, to undertake the work, as the materials accumulated by the esteemed author, though still imperfect, are wonderfully complete.

Various plans for the subdivision and grouping of the species of this great family, to bring them more within our grasp, have at different times been proposed. Tournefourt divided Compositse into three Classes, adopting as the basis of his arrangement the form of the corolla : Flosculose, Semiflosculose and Radiate. The first of these included the modern Cynarece, to the second Cichoracece corresponds, and to the last all those with Radiate flowers.

Jussieu also divides them into three Classes or Orders: Cichoracce, Cinocephalce and Corymbiferce. The first is still retained, and also, with some modifications, the second : the third, having capitula, partly flosculose partly ligulate, or altogether flosculose, but with male or hermaphrodite flowers in the centre and females in the circumference (DeCandolle's Tubuli- florae), has been largely modified by late observers.

Linnaeus divides his 19th Class, Syngenesia, into five orders. 1st. Polygamia eqaulis, flowers all perfect. 2d. Polygamia superflua, flowers of the disk hermaphrodite, of the ray female. 3d. Polygamia frustrania, flowers of the disk hermaphrodite, of the ray sterile. 4th. Polygamia necessaria, flowers of the disk male, of the ray female ; and 5th. Polygamia segregata, the general capitulum made up of a series of minor capitula, each containing from one to several flowers, having the united anthers of the class.

Cassini divided the Order into 19 Tribes, each mainly resting on some peculiarity of the style and stigma. Lessing adopted the principles of his arrangement to a certain extent, but reduced the number of tribes from 19 to eight, taking the primary characters of his tribes from the style of the stameniferous flowers.

DeCandolle has adopted Lessing's eight Tribes as the basis of his arrangement, but has recast the distribution, by combining them with other characters taken from the inflorescence, hence his three primary groups : Tubuliflorce, Labiatiflorce and Liguliflorce, a division, perhaps somewhat artificial, but certainly calculated most materially to lighten the labour of ascer- taining the name and place of an unknown genus. The tribes are distinguished by certain peculiarities of the style.

These styloid distinctions are not always, especially in the first division, of easy application in practice, but, notwithstanding the, apparent, narrowness of the foundation, it seems to have afforded room enough for the erection of a large and wonderfully perfect edifice. It is probable it is but another step towards a better by throwing much new light on many parts previously most obscure and unintelligible.