Dioscorides: thus translators, commentators, and practitioners, seldom agreeing, a variety of names was given to the same plant, and the same name to several plants. At length, more careful researches and many excellent observations were made; but the latter being enveloped in a chaos of nomenclature, physicians and herbalists no longer understood each other.
Botanists of real genius indeed occasionally published instructive books, among which the principal are the writings of Cordus, Gesner, Clusius, and Cœsalpinus; but each of these authors regulating his nomenclature by his own method, created new genera, or divided the old ones, according to his own fancy. Hence the genera and species were so intermingled and confounded, that almost every plant received as many names as there were authors employed in its description.
The advancement of the study of botany was, however, greatly promoted by the writings of the indefatigable Bauhins, two brothers, each of whom undertook an universal history of plants, including a synonymy, or exact list of the names of each plant in the works of all the writers that preceded them.
Meanwhile, voyages of discovery enriched botany with new treasures, and while the old names over-loaded the memory, new ones were invented for the newly discovered plants. In order to extricate themselves from this immense labyrinth, botanists were obliged to adopt some methodical arrangement. Ray, Herman, Rivinius, proposed their respective plans; but Tournefort, who published his system in 1697, surpassed them all. To him we are indebted for the first complete regular arrangement of the vegetable kingdom; his plates of generic characters are excellent, but his work is deficient, as it contains no characters or descriptions of the different species.
At length, Linnæus formed the vast project of new moulding the whole science of botany. Having prepared the rules by which it ought to be conducted, he determined the genera of plants, and afterwards the species; and by keeping all tire old names that agreed with these new rules, and new modelling all the rest, he established a clear nomenclature, formed upon principles more consonant with Nature. He also invented specific names, which he joined to the generical ones, in order to distinguish the species.
The whole Linnæan system is founded on the idea, that there is in vegetables as well as in animals, a real distinction of the sexes; that each plant may be analysed by its several organs of fructification; and, consequently, that it is necessary to acquire an accurate knowledge of the number, shape, situation, and proportion of these parts. Hence, only the student will be enabled to understand the elements of the science. And as all vegetables are capable of producing blossoms and fruit, or seed, the following parts, which compose a flower, must be minutely examined in every plant, namely: 1. The calyx, or flower cup, or empalement; 2. The corolla, or blossom, or flower-leaf; 3. The stamina, or chives; 4. The pistillum, or pointal; 5. The pericarpium, or seed-vessel; 6. The semina, or seeds. To these may be added
