The Botanic Garden Volume Ii Part 1

The Botanic Garden.

Part II.

by Erasmus Darwin.

ADVERTIs.e.m.e.nT.

The general design of the following sheets is to inlist Imagination under the banner of Science, and to lead her votaries from the looser a.n.a.logies, which dress out the imagery of poetry, to the stricter ones, which form the ratiocination of philosophy. While their particular design is to induce the ingenious to cultivate the knowledge of BOTANY; by introducing them to the vestibule of that delightful science, and recommending to their attention the immortal works of the Swedish Naturalist LINNEUS.

In the first Poem, or Economy of Vegetation, the physiology of Plants is delivered; and the operation of the Elements, as far as they may be supposed to affect the growth of Vegetables. But the publication of this part is deferred to another year, for the purpose of repeating some experiments on vegetation, mentioned in the notes. In the second poem, or LOVES OF THE PLANTS, which is here presented to the Reader, the s.e.xual System of LINNEUS is explained, with the remarkable properties of many particular plants.

The author has withheld this work, (excepting a few pages) many years from the press, according to the rule of Horace, hoping to have rendered it more worthy the acceptance of the public,--but finds at length, that he is less able, from disuse, to correct the poetry; and, from want of leizure, to amplify the annotations.

In this second edition, the plants Amaryllis, Orchis, and Cannabis are inserted with two additional prints of flowers; some alterations are made in Gloriosa, and Tulipa; and the description of the Salt-mines in Poland is removed to the first poem on the Economy of Vegetation.

PREFACE.

Linneus has divided the vegetable world into 24 Cla.s.ses; these Cla.s.ses into about 120 Orders; these Orders contain about 2000 Families, or Genera; and these Families about 20,000 Species; besides the innumerable Varieties, which the accidents of climate or cultivation have added to these Species.

The Cla.s.ses are distinguished from each other in this ingenious system, by the number, situation, adhesion, or reciprocal proportion of the males in each flower. The Orders, in many of these Cla.s.ses, are distinguished by the number, or other circ.u.mstances of the females. The Families, or Genera, are characterized by the a.n.a.logy of all the parts of the flower or fructification. The Species are distinguished by the foliage of the plant; and the Varieties by any accidental circ.u.mstance of colour, taste, or odour; the seeds of these do not always produce plants similar to the parent; as in our numerous fruit-trees and garden flowers; which are propagated by grafts or layers.

The first eleven Cla.s.ses include the plants, in whose flowers both the s.e.xes reside; and in which the Males or Stamens are neither united, nor unequal in height when at maturity; and are therefore distinguished from each other simply by the number of males in each flower, as is seen in the annexed PLATE, copied from the Dictionaire Botanique of M. BULLIARD, in which the numbers of each division refer to the Botanic Cla.s.ses.

CLa.s.s I. ONE MALE, _Monandria_; includes the plants which possess but One Stamen in each flower.

II. TWO MALES, _Diandria_. Two Stamens.

III. THREE MALES, _Triandria_. Three Stamens.

IV. FOUR MALES, _Tetrandria_. Four Stamens.

V. FIVE MALES, _Pentandria_. Five Stamens.

VI. SIX MALES, _Hexandria_. Six Stamens.

VII. SEVEN MALES, _Heptandria_. Seven Stamens.

VIII. EIGHT MALES, _Octandria_. Eight Stamens.

IX. NINE MALES, _Enneandria_. Nine Stamens.

X. TEN MALES, _Decandria_. Ten Stamens.

XI. TWELVE MALES, _Dodecandria_. Twelve Stamens.

The next two Cla.s.ses are distinguished not only by the number of equal and disunited males, as in the above eleven Cla.s.ses, but require an additional circ.u.mstance to be attended to, _viz._ whether the males or stamens be situated on the calyx, or not.

XII. TWENTY MALES, _Icosandria_. Twenty Stamens inserted on the calyx or flower-cup; as is well seen in the last Figure of No. xii. in the annexed Plate.

XIII. MANY MALES, _Polyandria_. From 20 to 100 Stamens, which do not adhere to the calyx; as is well seen in the first Figure of No. xiii. in the annexed Plate.

In the next two Cla.s.ses, not only the number of stamens are to be observed, but the reciprocal proportions in respect to height.

XIV. TWO POWERS, _Didynamia_. Four Stamens, of which two are lower than the other two; as is seen in the two first Figures of No. xiv.

XV. FOUR POWERS, _Tetradynamia_. Six Stamens; of which four are taller, and the two lower ones opposite to each other; as is seen in the third Figure of the upper row in No. 15.

The five subsequent Cla.s.ses are distinguished not by the number of the males, or stamens, but by their union or adhesion, either by their anthers, or filaments, or to the female or pistil.

XVI. ONE BROTHERHOOD, _Monadelphia_. Many Stamens united by their filaments into one company; as in the second Figure below of No. xvi.

XVII. TWO BROTHERHOODS, _Diadelphia_. Many Stamens united by their filaments into two Companies; as in the uppermost Fig. No. xvii.

XVIII. MANY BROTHERHOODS, _Polyadelphia_. Many Stamens united by their filaments into three or more companies, as in No. xviii.

XIX. CONFEDERATE MALES, _Syngenesia_. Many Stamens united by their anthers; as in first and second Figures, No. xix.

XX. FEMININE MALES, _Gynandria_. Many Stamens attached to the pistil.

The next three Cla.s.ses consist of plants, whose flowers contain but one of the s.e.xes; or if some of them contain both s.e.xes, there are other flowers accompanying them of but one s.e.x.

XXI. ONE HOUSE, _Monoecia_. Male flowers and female flowers separate, but on the same plant.

XXII. TWO HOUSES, _Dioecia_. Male flowers and female flowers separate, on different plants.

XXIII. POLYGAMY, _Polygamia_. Male and female flowers on one or more plants, which have at the same time flowers of both s.e.xes.

The last Cla.s.s contains the plants whose flowers are not discernible.

XXIV. CLANDESTINE MARRIAGE, _Cryptogamia_.

The Orders of the first thirteen Cla.s.ses are founded on the number of Females, or Pistils, and distinguished by the names, ONE FEMALE, _Monogynia_. TWO FEMALES, _Digynia_. THREE FEMALES, _Trigynia_, &c. as is seen in No. i. which represents a plant of one male, one female; and in the first Figure of No. xi. which represents a flower with twelve males, and three females; (for, where the pistils have no apparent styles, the summits, or stigmas, are to be numbered) and in the first Figure of No.

xii. which represents a flower with twenty males and many females; and in the last Figure of the same No. which has twenty males and one female; and in No. xiii. which represents a flower with many males and many females.

The Cla.s.s of TWO POWERS, is divided into two natural Orders; into such as have their seeds naked at the bottom of the calyx, or flower cup; and such as have their seeds covered; as is seen in No. xiv. Fig. 3. and 5.

The Cla.s.s of FOUR POWERS, is divided also into two Orders; in one of these the seeds are inclosed in a silicule, as in _Shepherd's purse_.

No. xiv. Fig. 5. In the other they are inclosed in a silique, as in _Wall-flower_. Fig. 4.

In all the other Cla.s.ses, excepting the Cla.s.ses Confederate Males, and Clandestine Marriage, as the character of each Cla.s.s is distinguished by the situations of the males; the character of the Orders is marked by the numbers of them. In the Cla.s.s ONE BROTHERHOOD, No. xvi. Fig. 3. the Order of ten males is represented. And in the Cla.s.s TWO BROTHERHOODS, No. xvii.

Fig. 2. the Order ten males is represented.