BOTANY (Gr. botane, an herb), the science which treats of the vegetable kingdom (see PLANT). Everything that relates to plants is included in this science; there are, there fore, several great branches of it. in many respects very different from each other. Of these branches of the science, some, relating to plants in general, rather than to particular kinds or species, are sometimes included under the designation of yeacialf 11. (sometimes called pbytononiy; Gr. ploton, a plant, and 11011108. a law); whilst those which relate to particular species, their distinctive characters, distribution, etc., are. in like manner, comprehended under the terra boteray.—In the former of these departments, the first place must be assigned to stroetaral 13., also called organology, or organography, which has for its subject the structure of plants, the textures of which they are com posed, and their various organs. Subordinate to this are the study of the elementary tissues of plants, sometimes called rovetable histology (see IltsToi,tativ), and that of the ananimv of plants. sometimes called phytotomy (Gr. phy'on, a plant, and tontj, a cut 11 M: Loth of which have recently been prosecuted with great assiduity. In both, the inicros.riope is an indispensable instrument, and by means of it all the important dis coveries of modern times have been made. Intimately connected with these is •aor p!tology (Gr. snorphos, a form, and logos. a discourse). that branch of botanical science which relates to what has been called the nutynorpliosis of organs. r, in other words, the erailtial transmutation of leaves by the processes of vegetable life into the various organs •Nvitii which a plant is provided, and their consequent assumption of ucw forms and adaptation to new uses. This branch of B., entirely of recent origin, has been described as being in the vegetable what comparative anatomy is in the animal kingdom, and has nor become the exposition of an admitted great general law, almost equally important in reference to structural B. and to vegetable physiology. Vegetable physiology or physi ological B. treats 'of the various kinds of organic activity which are displayed in the life of plants. It is based upon structural B., an intimate acquaintance with which is indispensable to the study-of it. The arguments or illustrations of natural theology, derived from B., are chiefly taken from structural B. and vegetable physiology consid ered together, the wisdom of the Creator appearing in his works equally in their struc ture and in the adaptation of all their organs to their respective wonderful functions. In connection with vegetable physiology, another branch! of science claims attention—VEGE mums CHEMISTRY, of which there are two parts—an examination of tin products of the living processes in plants, which, with all its well-known difficulty, is still comparatively easy; and an inquiry into these processes themselves, with respect to the chemical changes effected in them—an investigation of the secrets of that chemistry of nature which so far excels all that has yet been accomplished in laboratories. This is, however,
a branch of the science of chemistry rather than of B.; but it so far belongs to the latter, that although only subsidiary, it is useful and indispensable. Even mathematics and natural philosophy, however, have been called to the assistance of the philosophical bota nist in his attempts to explain the phenomena of his own science.
Special B. has been rendered subservient to the study of general B., and errors in t he former are also guarded against by dependence, to a certain extent, on the well-ascer tained principles of the latter. A comprehensive view of the vegetable kingdom is indeed impossible without an inquiry into the number and peculiarities of the different species which it contains; but the attempt to classify and arrange these can only be suc cessful when it is founded on a knowledge of general laws relating to all vegetable organisms. That the discoveries of a botanist may be made known, the description of species is necessary; and works devoted to this are sometimes called works of descriptiee B. or of Autography (phyton, a plant, and praphe a writing). But in the description of plants, a multitude of terms must be employed, which almost exclusively belong to botanical science itself, whilst even those which are common to it with other departments of natural history, must be employed in senses modified by the peculiarities of the vege table kingdom. Many of the terms used are such as belong to structural B. and vege table physiology; but many also—for example, adjectives which designate the particular forms of leaves, cte.—become familiar only when an acquaintance with them is sought to advance descriptive B., and a knowledge of the different species of plants. Great precision is necessary in the use of these terms, and from the WIWt of it, the descriptions of the ancients and of travelers unacquainted with B. often leave it impossible to deter mine the particular species intended. This gives rise to what is sometimes called in botanical works terminology—an explanation of botanical terms, which, however, has no right to be regarded as a separate branch of science, or worthy of a distinct name; and the name which it has received is barbarous. When structural B. was little heeded, and little more was commonly supposed necessary for a botanist than a knowledge of species and the ability to distinguish them, "terminology" was often separately taught, and the student was required to commit long tables of terms and their meanings to memor•—a difficulty placed in his way at the outset which was both formidable and repulsive, like that which the student of the Chinese language must expect to encounter in its alphabet.