Especially it should be understood that, although phanerogamous
plants are of higher grade than cryptogamous, and angiospermous or
ordinary phanerogamous higher than the gymnospermous, yet there is no
culmination in the vegetable kingdom, nor any highest or lowest order of
phanerogamous plants.

554. The particular system most largely used at present in the
classification of the orders is essentially the following:--

SERIES I. PHANEROGAMIA: PHANEROGAMOUS OR FLOWERING PLANTS.

CLASS I. DICOTYLEDONES ANGIOSPERMEAE, called for shortness in
English, DICOTYLEDONS or DICOTYLS. Ovules in a closed ovary.
Embryo dicotyledonous. Stem with exogenous plan of growth. Leaves
reticulate-veined,

_Artificial Division I._ POLYPETALAE, with petals mostly present
and distinct. Orders about 80 in number, _Ranunculaceae_ to
_Cornaceae_.

_Artificial Division II._ GAMOPETALAE, with gamopetalous corolla.
Orders about 45, _Caprifoliaceae_ to _Plantaginaceae_.

_Artificial Division III._ APETALAE or INCOMPLETAE, with perianth,
when present, of calyx only. Orders about 35 in number, from
_Nyctaginaceae_ to _Salicaceae_.

CLASS II. DICOTYLEDONES GYMNOSPERMEAE, in English GYMNOSPERMS. No
ovary or pericarp, but ovules and seeds naked, and no proper calyx
nor corolla. Embryo dicotyledonous or polycotyledonous. Stem with
exogenous plan of growth. Leaves mostly parallel-veined. Consists
of order _Gnetaceae_, which strictly connects with Angiospermous
Dicotyls, of _Coniferae_, and of _Cycadaceae_.

CLASS III. MONOCOTYLEDONES, in English MONOCOTYLEDONS or
MONOCOTYLS. Angiospermous. Embryo monocotyledonous. Stem with
endogenous plan of growth. Leaves mostly parallel-veined.

_Division I._ PETALOIDEAE. Perianth complete, having the
equivalent of both calyx and corolla, and all the inner series
corolline. About 18 orders.

_Division II._ CALYCINAE. Perianth complete (in two series) but
not corolline, mostly thickish or glumaceous. Chiefly two
orders, _Juncaceae_, the true Rushes, and _Palmae_, Palms.

_Division III._ SPADICIFLORAE or NUDIFLORAE. Perianth none, or
rudimentary and incomplete: inflorescence spadiceous. Of five
orders, _Typhaceae_ and _Aroideae_ the principal.

_Division IV._ GLUMACEAE. Perianth none, or very rudimentary:
glumaceous bracts to the flowers. Orders mainly _Cyperaceae_ and
_Gramineae_.

SERIES II. CRYPTOGAMIA