At the end of his proper Palma, Linnaeus sub joins, in a distinct section, three genera, which he was doubtful whether to leave there, or to establish as a distinct order. These are Stratiotes, Hydrocha ris, and Valisneria. He remarks in his lectures that " they have a spatha extremely like the palms; a ca lyx of three leaves, and a corolla of three petals ; leaves perennial and evergreen, folded when they first come forth. Hydrocharis cannot be separated from Stratiotes, nor Valisneria from Hydrocharis. They produce leis leaves crowded together at the base, like Ferns. Although their strict affinity with the larger Palms of India cannot be demonstrated, they ought nevertheless to be associated therewith. They are all aquatics, whence we may presume that India may afford some aquatic palms, smaller than the others, which may prove a connecting link be tween the latter and the plants of which we are speaking." Giseke points out several palms, in vari ous authors, which though but imperfectly ascertain ed, confirm this conjecture of his preceptor. Lin naeus in his own copy of the Genera Plantarunt, en riched with his manuscript notes, to which we shall often refer, has marked this section, or appendage, of his Palma, as distinguished by " an inferior fruit, with many,seeds." He has moreover added 4 genera to this assemblage, Pandanus, Bromelia, Tillandsia, and Burmannia. Giseke has amply illustrated the order of Palma, by observations of his own, or those of various writers; but the most solid acquisitions to our knowledge, in this interesting tribe, are derived from the labours of Dr Roxburgh, in his Plants of Coromandel.
Order 3. CALAMARIZ. " These are closely re lated to the true grasses, and have almost the same kind of leaves. Their seed is solitary and naked ; stamens three ; style one, not unfrequently three-cleft at the summit. Their glume is of one valve (whereas most grasses have two valves), except Sehcenus, which bears several valves irregularly disposed, though in other respects so near the rest of its order, as scarce ly to be distinguished without accurate examination of the parts alluded to. The stem of these plants is a calm, mostly triangular, rarely round, often leaf ' less, or nearly so. Leaves rather rigid and rough. Flowers often disposed in an imbricated manner. Seed in a few instances surrounded with bristles. When these are extended into a kind of wool, hang ing out beyond the scales, such a character marks the genus Eriophorum." Linnaeus asserts that" Scir pus differs from Carex, in having all the flowers united, whereas in the latter some scales are accom panied with stamens only, others with pistils ;" but he forgot the tunic, or arillus, of the seed, which makes the essential and clear character of Carer. He mistakes also in supposing the stamens are al ways three in this order ; in several instances they are but two, in a few they are solitary. Much has been done respecting the genera and species of this order by Rottboll, Vahl, Brown, Schrader, and others. Linnieus has made a manuscript correction in the Calamaricr, excluding from thence Typha and Spar ganium, which he would remove to the preceding order, principally, it seems, because he judged the latter to be very closely allied to Zostera ; as well as on account its anthers, but we can trace no resemblance in those to the Pzperitce. On the con trary they and their filaments agree with the Cala marix. The stamens of Typha indeed are some what different, and Mr Brown, in his Prodromus Flom Nov Hollandim, has anticipated this altera tion of Linnieus.
Order 4. GRAMMA. " The true grasses compose as peculiar a family as the palms. They are the most common plants in the world, making about a sixth part of the vegetable kingdom, especially in open situations. There they multiply, and extend themselves by their creeping roots, prodigiously. In confined and woody places they scarcely creep, but stand erect. They are the most important of all
vegetables, for this reason, that they are the chief support of such animals as depend on vegetable food. They make the verdure of our summers, and the riches of rustic life. Their leaves are not easily hurt by being trampled on, and though the severity of winter may wither and fade them, so that in the early spring no appearance of life remains, yet they revive. The solicitude of the Author of Nature, for the preservation of this important tribe of vegetables, appears from their flowering stems being rendered unfit for the food of cattle, that nothing may hinder the perfecting of their seeds. Besides, the more they are cut and ill-treated, the more vigorously they grow, propagating themselves proportionably under ground ; and in order that they may be en abled to thrive any where, their narrow leaves are so contrived, as to insinuate themselves between the divisions or branches of other herbs, without any mutual impediment. There are very few grasses agreeable to our palate. For the most part they are insipid, like pot-herbs ; a very small number being fragrant. None are nauseous or poisonous. Grasses are the most simple of all plants ; having scarcely any spines, prickles, tendrils, stings, bracteas, or si milar appendages to their herbage." " Their stem is termed a- culm, being hollow, com posed of joints which are separated by impervious knots. In our quarter of the world the culm is usually simple, unless in consequence of cutting away the flowering part ; in the Indies most calms are branched. The leaves are mostly alternate, always undivided, and generally flat on both sides, with a rough edge, and either smooth or hairy surface. Each leaf stands on a sheath, which em braces the stem, and is crowned with a membrane,. sometimes termed ligula, closely embracing the stem, to hinder the admission of water. The sheath springs from a knot, and (with its membrane) answers the purpose of a stipula." " The fructification of Grasses differs so much from that of other plants, that it was supposed im possible to reduce them to scientific order. They were first distinguished into corn and grasses ; but such a distinction is founded merely on the compa ratively larger seeds of the former, on which we de-. Pend for food, as small birds do on the very minute seeds of the latter. Ray was the first botanist who undertook a regular .examination, of grasses. He distributed them according to their outward appear ances, but distinctive characters failed him. Neither was Tournefort, however great a botanist, equal to the arrangement of this tribe. Monti followed Ray, but investigated such only as were natives of Italy. John Scheuchzer, first induced by Sherard, paid a most laborious attention, to this subject, collecting grasses from all quarters, and describing them with the greatest exactness ; but he was deficient in tech nical terms, and his very long descriptions are near ly all alike, till he arrives at the flowering part- The terms which he uses are folliculus for the corolla, glum for the calyx, locusta for the spikelet contain ed in the latter. After him Micheli contrived a new method, dividings according to their spikelets,. which he either compound or simple.. He subdivided them by their flowers being united or separated ; and subjoined an order of plants " akin to grasses," which really do not belong to them. If their sexes be attended to, the arrangement of grasses becomes less difficult. They are either monandroms, diandrous, triandrous, or hexandrous. The two lat ter have either united, monoecious or polygamous flowers." " The inflorescence in this order of plants is either spiked or panicled. Their spike, properly so called, consists of several flowers, placed on an alternately toothed rachis, or stalk. If such a rachis be con ceived perfectly contracted, it will become a toothed common receptacle, as in compound flowers, so that grasses may thus be distinguished into simple and compound. Or if we imagine all the flowers to be sessile on one common base, such grasses as are pro perly spiked will have a scaly receptacle, the rest a naked one, according to the analogy the synge nesious class ; and by this means the corn family may be separated from the rest, for they are scaly.