salt mixed with water in a flower pot, will expedite the opening of a rose-bud, or other flower, when plucked from the parent branch. Here I will observe, that if a small bit of nitre be added to the pure water, in a vase containing flowers; the water changed every day, and a small piece of the flower-stalk cut off each time of the change of water, the freshness of the flowers may be preserved for a considerable length of time. Secretions.-The sap, when exposed to the action of the air, light, and heat, by the leaves, becomes a new fluid, which assumes the peculiar flavour and qualities of the plant. Gum is one secretion, which oozes from the cherry, and other trees; resin, and turpentine, are of the same nature; as is, also, the milky juice of the fig, poppy, &c. Almost all the fruit trees yield some sort of gum. And a species of the Acacia tree, in Arabia, yields the Gum Arabic, which is the chief nourishment of the nations of those parts, who obtain it in great quantities from incisions which they make in the trees. This Gum Arabic is now in frequent use in our own country; and forms a good aliment for young children; particularly when on a sea voyage, where milk cannot be commanded. Another secretion is Caoutchouc, or Indian rubber, which is obtained from several species of trees in South America and the East Indies. The botanic names of the two species found in Cayenne, S. A. are Havea caoutchouc and Jatropha elastica. The fluid is collected from the tree by incision; the colour is, at first, a yellowish white, but, by exposure to the air, it becomes dark. Moulds made of clay, in the form of bottles, shoes, &c. are dipped into it repeatedly, and afterwards dried, and, when of a sufficient thickness, the clay moulds are easily crushed, and the pieces emptied out. The natives make vessels of it for containing water and other liquids; and, while soft, all sorts of designs are traced upon it. On account of its inflammability, it is used, at Cayenne, for torches. When warmed, it gives out a peculiar odour, but not an unpleasant one; from its smoke, a considerable quantity of very fine lamp black may be collected. Rectified oil of turpentine, at common temperature, will afford a complete solution of it; and, when mixed with a solution of wax, in boiled linseed oil, it composes an elastic varnish, with which they cover balloons; and which might be applied to a variety of useful purposes. The fresh cut surface of the Caoutchouc will unite together by simple contact, and, by a proper pressure, may be brought so completely in union, as to be no more liable to separate in that part, than any other. The Caoutchouc, when cut in slips and softened by im. mersion in boiling water, may be drawn out to seven or eight times its original length, and will afterwards, by its elasticity, resume very nearly its former dimensions. During its extension, a very sensible warmth is produced, as may be discovered by applying it between the lips. Another secretion to be found in every vegetable, in a greater or less degree, is sugar; but generally mixed with gum, sap, or other ingredients. It abounds most in fruits, and roots-as the beet, carrot, &c.: but, more particularly in the Saccharum, or sugar-cane. The odour of plants, is a volatile oil of a resinous nature, communicated to the surrounding atmosphere. This volatile oil is sometimes distributed through the whole plant, as in the Bohemia Angelica; sometimes it exists in the bark, as in Cinnamon. Balm and Mint contain their oils in the stem and leaves; Elicampane, and the Iris of Florence, in the root; Rosemary and Thyme, in their leaves and buds; Lavender, and the Rose, in the calyx of their flowers; Chamomile, Lemon, and Orange Trees, in the petals. Many fruits contain it through their whole substance, such as Peppers, Juniper, &c.; Oranges and Lemons, in the zest or peeling which encloses them, &c. Fecula is the general name given to the farinaceous substance contained in all seeds, and in some roots-as Wheat, Indian corn, the Potato, Parsnip, &c.: it is intended by Nature for the first aliment of the young plant. Colour. The fixed colours of opaque bodies are, in all probability, owing to their absorbing some of the coloured parts of white light, or rays of the sun, and reflecting others; their immense variety arising from a mixture of the reflected primitive colours, in various number and proportion. It is impossible to say upon what cause the disposition of reflecting certain colours, in preference to others, may depend. The probability is, that it arises from the different textures of the surfaces. There are some flowers, the petals of which are, in diferent parts of the same leaf, of different colours; as of the Heart's Ease, for instance, which, if examined with a good C microscope, will be found to have a different texture of the blue and yellow parts. The texture, also, of the white and red Rose is very different. It is from reflected rays that we judge of the colour of objects. The whiteness of paper, &c. is occasioned by its reflecting the greatest part of all the rays of light that fall upon it: the blackness of bodies, from their absorbing all the seven coloured rays. The whiteness of the sun's light arises from the union of all the primitive colours. These primitive colours are, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet; according to Sir Isaac Newton. Dr. Wollaston, who has performed many experiments on the refraction of light, in a more accurate manner than had been previously done, confines them to four colours only-red, green, blue, and violet. Colours. Some philosophers say there are only three original and truly distinct, viz: the red, yellow, and blue. Providence seems to have decorated Nature with an enchanting diversity of colours, for the purpose of beautifying the scene, and rendering it a source of sensible gra tification. His kindness is also evident in causing such a construction of plants and grasses, as that green, the colour most grateful and beneficial to the eye, should predominate. FLOWERS. THERE are seven parts to a flower-the Calyx, Corolla, Stamens, Pistils, Pericarpium, Seed, and Receptacle. The Calyx, sometimes called the flower cup, is formed of one or more green or yellow leaves, situated at a small distance from, or close to, the blossom; its chief use is to support and protect the other parts of the flower; it is the envelope in which, in most cases, the tender flower lies, for a time, concealed, as the green leaves of a rosebud, which cover the blossom, and burst as the flower opens. In the rose, it is situated above the germen, or seed vessel; but, in the pea, it will be found beneath the seed vessel. When remote from the flower, as in the Carrot, and other umbelliferous plants, [3] it is called an Involucre. When contiguous to the flower, or other parts of the fructification, as in the Primrose, &c. it is called a Perianth. Some flowers have no Calyx, as the Tulip-others have them double, as in the Mallow; but most flowers have them single, as in the Primrose. number differs in different genera and species of flowers, from one to a hundred or more. The Stamens, according to their number, situation, and proportion, furnish the leading principles of distinction in the artificial, or sexual, system of Linnæus. These organs are liable to be changed into petals, in what are termed double flowers; and, if the change be complete, the flower will no longer bear a perfect seed. Double flowers become what is botanically termed vege table monsters, by the multiplication of their petals, or nectaries. In those flowers which have many petals, the lowest series of the petals remain unchanged in respect to number: hence, the natural number of the petals is easily discovered, as in poppies, roses, nigella, &c. The Pistils are the threads situated in the centre of the flower; adhering to the fruit, for the reception of the pollen. A perfect pistil consists of three parts, the germen, style, and stigma. The thickest part, at the bottom of the Linnæus considered the Calyx as a prolongation of the pistil, is called the germen, or seed-bud, and contains the cortex, or outer bark of the plant. Calyx.-The Perianth is not changed in double flowers: hence the genus, or family, may be often discovered by the calyx. The Corolla is formed by the delicate leaves called the blossom; as the red leaves of a rose, each one of which is called a Petal. It is distinguished from the Perianth by the fineness of its texture, and, generally, by the gayness of its colours. The corolla is considered the termination of the inner bark, or Liber. The Stamens are threads within a flower, which have two parts; the filament, or slender part by which they are fastened to the flower; and the anther (which holds the pollen, or fine powder) situated on the top of the filament. They are seated externally with respect to the pistils, internally with respect to the calyx and corolla. They are inserted either into the calyx, the corolla, or the receptacle, rarely either upon the germen, or the style. Their rudiments of the young fruit, or seed; the style stands upon the germen, and serves to elevate the stigma, or highest part of the pistil. The style is various in length, and thickness, but not always present. The stigma which is indispensably necessary, is, in some cases, seated immediately upon the germen. The shape of the stigma is either simple, being little more than a point; or it is capitate, like a pin's head, as in the Primrose. In most grasses, the stigmas are amply branched or feathery, to detain the pollen. In the Mallow tribe, there is an abundance of viscid moisture evident in the stigma, and their rich purple, or scarlet colour, contrasts beautifully with the large yellow pollen, whose bursting, or explosion, may almost be seen with the naked eye. The Pericarpium, or seed-vessel, is the germen grown to maturity. It varies extremely, being pulpy in apples, fleshy in cherries, juicy in gooseberries, and hard in nuts. In other words, the fruit which we eat, is nothing more than the pericarps, serving to protect the seeds till ripe. The Seed is that part of every plant by which it is propagated. The part of the seed which contains the future plant is the germen, vulgarly called the eye, no seed being capable of vegetation, if this be defective. The Anthera, or apex of the stamen, is provided with a fine dust, called the pollen, which, falling on the gummy matter at the top of the pistillum, or pistil, is there absorbed, and carried down into the germen, or seed-vessel, where the seed is perfected and made capable of reproducing the plant. The Receptacle is the seventh part of fructification, distinguished by Linnæus; being the common basis, or point of connection, of the others. It is not always distinguished by any particular figure. In simple flowers, it is, often, little more than a point: in compound flowers, it is very remarkable, and important, serving, by its differences of structure, to afford very good generic distinctions. The receptacle of the fructification is common both to the flower and the fruit, or it embraces the corol and the germ. A proper receptacle belongs to one fructification only; a common receptacle connects several florets, or distinct fructifications. In some plants the receptacle undergoes great changes, acquiring a different texture in the fruit, from what it had in the flower. Thus, the whole fruit, as we call it, of the Fig, is a common receptacle, at first coriaceous, (resembling leather, or tough,) and, like the rest of the plant, containing a milky acrid juice. It forms a bag, lined with florets, or small flowers, and having a small aperture at the top; after the flowers are past, this bag becomes pulpy, coloured, and full of sweet aromatic juice. So the fruit of the Strawberry is, originally, a small, dry receptacle, subsequently enlarged, and become pulpy, whose outside is studded with naked seeds. The Receptacle of the flower, in Linnæan language, means the area, or space between the stamens and styles, in certain genera whose germen is inferior; as the whole umbelliferous order, Hemlock, Parsley, &c. in which the part in question is more or less tumid, often coloured, and assumes a glandular aspect. According to another definition, the Receptacle of the flower, is the base to which the parts of the flower, exclusive of the germen, are fixed. Nectary, or honey-cup, is that part of the flower, from which bees, and other insects, extract the honey; a fluid found almost universally in flowers. The shape and structure of the nectarium, or nectary, is extremely various; but commonly uniform in flowers of the same genus; very frequently, indeed, supplying the most clear and decisive marks, by which one genus is distinguished from another. In the Crown Imperial, the nectary is a mere cup, or depression; in the Lily, a bordered furrow in the claw of each petal; in the Violet, the base of one petal is elongated into a spur, or bag, containing the honey; in the Nasturtium, the nectariferous spur is an elongation of the calyx. In the Epimedium, or Barron-wort, the nectary is of the nature and texture of petals, but perfectly distinct from them, as well as from the calyx; while, in the Larkspur, and Columbine, there are nectaries more or less agreeing with their petals, but no calyx. Hence, some botanists reckon their petals, though coloured, the calyx, and their nectaries the only corolla. The neighbouring genus Ranunculus, whose nectaries are pores in the claws of its petals, certainly gives weight to such a determina tion. Some flowers display an elaborate apparatus, which cannot be demonstrated to have any concern in the secreting, or holding the honey. Such are the five green bodies, fringed with bristles, each of which bears a globe, in the elegant Parnassia, or Grass of Parnassus. These, not being referable to any other of the usual parts of fructification, all of which are present besides, are, by analogy, presumed to be nectaries. The numerous and complex rays which decorate the Passion flower, are equally inexplicable in their nature. But they crown the cell where the copious honey is lodged, while their cellular texture, and vivid variegation of colour, indicate their connection with air and light, two great probable agents in the secretion of that saccharine fluid; nor does it appear at all improbable, that they share in its elaboration. In other cases, the richly coloured petals of flowers possibly answer the same end. ARRANGEMENT OF FLOWERS. Flowers are arranged into Classes, Orders, Genera, and Species. Linnæus has divided the vegetable kingdom into twentyfour classes, which are subdivided into orders. Distinctions in each order produce a further division into genera; and genera are again subdivided into species. A Class has been aptly described as bearing some resemblance to an army, an order to a regiment, a genus to a company, and a species to a soldier. In distinguishing a plant, two words are employed; the first, which is called the generic name, is common to all the species of the same genus; and the second, termed the specific name, is confined to a single species ; as Rosa muscosa, the botanical name for the Moss Rose. Here, rosa is the generic name applicable to the whole genus or family of roses; and muscosa is the specific name, used to distinguish the particular kind or species of rose. The families, or genera, are characterised by the analogy of all the parts of the flower, or fructification. The species are distinguished by the foliage of the plant; and the varieties, by an accidental circumstance of colour, taste, or odour. The seeds of these do not always produce plants similar to the parent: this is more certainly accomplished by grafts or layers. CLASS. The names of the classes are formed of Greek words, expressive of the characters of each class. Those of the first ten may be easily remembered, by considering the word andria, as meaning stamens, and annexing it to the Greek numerals. The first ten classes are distinguished simply by the number of the stamens; except the fourth and sixththese have stamens of the same length. The fourth has four of the same length-the sixth, six of the same length. THE NAMES OF THE CLASSES. 1. Monandria-1 stamen-as in the Ginger, Cardamomom, Arrow root, Turmeric, &c. The plants of this class are very few, and chiefly found in tropical countries. There are none of this class introduced into this Dictionary. 2. Diandria-2 stamens-as in the Lilac, Jasmine, Sage, Fringe tree, &c. 3. Triandria-3 stamens, as in the Spring Crocus, Iris, &c. In this class is found all the different species of Grasses that cover our fields, as also Wheat, Rye, Oats, Sugar-cane, &c. 4. Tetrandria-4 stamens, as in the Dogwood, Holly, &c. 5. Pentandria-5 stamens, as in the Violet, Parsley, Flax, Hemlock. This is the most numerous of all the classes, and comprehends more than one-tenth of the plants at present known. In this you find the Potato, Deadly Night Shade, Tomato, Capsicum, Tobacco plant, Coffee-tree, Currant, Gooseberry, &c. 6. Hexandria-6 stamens, as in the Rice, Sorrel, Asparagus, Lily, &c. 7. Heptandria-7 stamens, as in the Horse-chesnut, &c. There are fewer plants in this class than in any other. 8. Octandria-8 stamens, as in the Whortleberry, Evening Primrose, &c. 9. Enneandria-9 stamens, as in the Laurel, Rhubarb, &c. 10. Decandria-10 stamens, as in the Locust tree, Rue, Pink, &c. 11. Dodecandria-has from twelve to nineteen stamens in each flower, as in the Mignonette, House leek, &c. 12. Icosandria-20, or more stamens, attached to the calyx, or sometimes, in part, to the The apple, cherry, pear, plum, D |