seven stamens, or male organs. This class, the most inconsiderable of the twenty-four, is subdivided into four orders, viz. MONOGYNIA, DIGYNIA, TETRAGYNIA, and HEPTAGYNIA.

MONOGYNIA.

ONE FEMALE.

TRIENTALIS, Disandra, Pisonia, Tovaria, Petiveria, Pancovia, Æsculus, Petrocarya, and Jonesia, are referred to this order by some of the latest botanists: among others by Persoon.-It may be doubted, however, whether any one of these genera be invariably heptandroust.

DIGYNIA.

TWO FEMALES.

LIMEUM, an African genus, of which three species are known, is placed here.

TETRAGYNIA.

FOUR FEMALES.

APONOGETON was formerly placed here. Smith says it " is now properly removed to Dodecandria." But Persoon has referred it to Hexandria Trigynia: yet he says the stamens are from seven to thirteen in number! This writer retains here Saururus, which, however, is really of

* "A favourite plant of Linnæus." Smith.

In Trientalis, the stamens are five, six, and seven in number. Disandra has from five to eight: Pisonia most commonly six, less frequently from five to eight, of these organs. Of Tovaria, a Peruvian plant, I know nothing. In Petiveria, which has already been mentioned, the stamens are from six to eight. The stamens in the different species of sculus vary in number remarkably: they are, perhaps, more frequently six and eight than seven.-Petrocarya is said to have fourteen stamens, seven of which are sterile.

the sixth class: and also Astranthus, a genus of Cochinchina, the stamens of which are said by Loureiro to be very generally seven in number; though sometimes six and eight*.

HEPTAGYNIA.

SEVEN FEMALES.

THE genus Septas, a very singular genus, belongs to this order. The calyx of this plant consists of seven parts: there are seven petals, seven germs, and seven capsules!! Only one species of this genus is known, the Septas capensis, a native of the Cape of Good-Hope.

CHARACTER.

THE class Heptandria has no manner of claim to the character of a natural class. No two of the genera which it contains are arranged by Linnæus, in any one of his natural orders. No two of them, if we except Saururus and Aponogeton, belong to any one of Jussieu's orders. These two genera belong to the order Naiades in the system of the French botanist.

Or the properties of the vegetables of this class, I can say but little. The bark of the sculus Hippocastanum,-which now flourishes nearly as well in many parts of the United-States as upon its native Pindus,-is said to be a good substitute for the Peruvian bark, in the cure of intermittents. The nut of sculus flava and the bark of the root of sculus Pavia contain a noxious principle. (See the explanation of Plate xv.) Saururus, called in the United-States, Swamp-lilies, is

arranged by Linnæus in his second natural order, to which he has given the name of Piperita, from the genus Piper, which belongs to it. The Swedish naturalist informs us, that these Piperita are all acrid plants, that, when externally applied, they are rubifacients*, &c. Saururus, however, is a very mild plant, and is often used in the shape of poultices, by the people of the United-States!

Or the Heptandrous plants which I have mentioned, Trientalis, Æsculus, and Saururus are natives of the United-States.

FOR an illustration of the class Heptandria, see Plate xv.

CLASS VIII.

OCTANDRIA.

EIGHT MALES.

THE eighth class is denominated OCTANDRIA†. It embraces those hermaphrodite flowers which are furnished with eight stamens, or male organs. This class is subdivided into four orders, viz. MONOGYNIA, DIGYNIA, TRIGYNIA, and TETRAGYNIA.

* « Omnes (Piperita) rodunt solida, solvunt humores tenaces; in Asthmate, "Nausea, Vomitu pellunt omnes humores. Externe rubefacientia. Acorus distin"guitur Aromate suo." Prælectiones in Ordines Naturales, &c. p. 127.

+ From OxTW, eight.

E

MONOGYNIA.

ONE FEMALE.

To this order belong the following genera, viz. Mimusops, Tropæolum, Combretum, Epilobium, Gaura, Oenothera, Rhexia, Osbeckia, Jambolifera, Lawsonia, Melicocca, Amyris, Fuchsia, Chlora, Vaccinium, Erica, Menziesia, Gnidia, Dirca, Daphne, Passerina, &c.

***
**

THE following species of genera, which are arranged by Linnæus, in other classes, belong to this order: viz. Monotropa Hipopithys, Ruta graveolens, Jussieua erecta, J. fuffruticosa, Portulaca quadrifida, Dais octandra, Fagara octandra, Melastoma octandrum, Elais serrata, Rivinia octandra, Andromeda octandra, Capparis ferruginea, Breynia Quivisia, several species of Samyda, not to mention many others!!

DIGYNIA.

TWO FEMALES.

LITCHI, Weinmannia, Moehringia, Codia, Schmiedelia, and Galenia, belong to this order.

TRIGYNIA.

THREE FEMALES.

PAULLINIA, Cardiospermum, Sapindus, Ornitrophe, Ponaea, Coccoloba, and Polygonum. The last is an irregular or variable genus, the different species (according to the number of their stamens and styles) arranging under different classes and orders of the system.

TETRAGYNIA.

FOUR FEMALES.

ADOXA, Elatine, Paris, and Haloragis (and frequently Myriophyllum) belong to this order.

CHARACTER.

THE class Octandria embraces several natural assemblages of vegetables. Epilobium, Gaura, Oenothera, Rhexia, and Osbeckia, form a part of Linnæus's seventeenth natural order, Calycanthema*. These plants, among other characters, have the corolla and the stamens inserted into the calyx. The Vaccinium, or Whortle-berry, and the immense family of Erica, or Heath, are placed by Linnæus in his eighteenth order,

*

Calycantbemæ, from calyx, the flower-cup, and avos, the flower.