Chapter I: Preface

The present translation of Dr. E. Warming’s _Haandbog i den Systematiske Botanik_ is taken from the text of the 3rd Danish Edition (1892), and from Dr. Knoblauch’s German Edition (1890), and the book has been further enriched by numerous additional notes which have been kindly sent to me by the author. Dr. Warming’s work has long been recognised as an original and important contribution to Systematic Botanical Literature, and I have only to regret that the pressure of other scientific duties has delayed its presentation to English readers. Dr. Warming desires me to record his high appreciation of the careful translation of Dr. Knoblauch, and his obligation to him for a number of corrections and improvements of which he has made use in the 3rd Danish Edition. In a few instances I have made slight additions to the text; these, however, appear as footnotes, or are enclosed in square brackets.

In the present Edition the Thallophytes have been revised and rearranged from notes supplied to me by Dr. Knoblauch, to whom I am indebted for the Classification of the Fungi, according to the more recent investigations of Brefeld. The Bacteria have been revised by Dr. Migula, the Florideæ rearranged after Schmitz, and the Taphrinaceæ after Sadebeck. The main body of the text of the Algæ and Fungi remains as it was originally written by Dr. Wille and Dr. Rostrup in the Danish Edition, though in many places considerable alterations and additions have been made. For the sake of comparison a tabular key to the Classification adopted in the Danish Edition is given in the Appendix.

In the Angiosperms I have retained the sequence of orders in the Danish original, and have not rearranged them according to the systems more familiar to English students. In any rearrangement much of the significance of Dr. Warming’s valuable and original observations would have been lost, and also from a teacher’s point of view I have found this system of great value. Although at present it may not be completely satisfactory, yet as an attempt to explain the mutual relationships, development and retrogression of many of the orders, it may be considered to have a distinct advantage over the more artificial systems founded upon Jussieu’s Divisions of Polypetalæ, Gamopetalæ, and Apetalæ.

With reference to the principles of the systematic arrangement adopted, I may here insert the following brief communication from the author (dated March, 1890), which he has requested me to quote from the preface of Dr. Knoblauch’s edition:--“Each form which, on comparative morphological considerations, is clearly less simple, or can be shown to have arisen by reduction or through abortion of another type having the same fundamental structure, or in which a further differentiation and division of labour is found, will be regarded as younger, and as far as possible, and so far as other considerations will admit, will be reviewed later than the ‘simpler,’ more complete, or richer forms. For instance, to serve as an illustration: EPIGYNY and PERIGYNY are less simple than HYPOGNY; the Epigynous _Sympetalæ_, _Choripetalæ_, _Monocotyledones_ are, therefore, treated last, the _Hydrocharitaceæ_ are considered last under the _Helobieæ_, etc. ZYGOMORPHY is younger than ACTINOMORPHY; the _Scitamineæ_ and _Gynandræ_ therefore follow after the _Liliifloræ_, the _Scrophulariaceæ_ after the _Solanaceæ_, _Linaria_ after _Verbascum_, etc. FORMS WITH UNITED LEAVES indicate younger types than those with free leaves; hence the _Sympetalæ_ come after the _Choripetalæ_, the _Sileneæ_ after the _Alsineæ_, the _Malcaceæ_ after the _Sterculiaceæ_ and _Tiliaceæ_, etc.

“ACYCLIC (spiral-leaved) flowers are older than cyclic (verticillate-leaved) with a definite number, comparing, of course, only those with the same fundamental structure. The _Veronica_-type must be considered as younger, for example, than _Digitalis_ and _Antirrhinum_, these again as younger than _Scrophularia_; _Verbascum_, on the contrary, is the least reduced, and therefore considered as the oldest form. Similarly the one-seeded, nut-fruited _Ranunculaceæ_ are considered as a later type (with evident abortion) than the many-seeded, folicular forms of the Order; the _Paronychieæ_ and _Chenopodiaceæ_ as reduced forms of the _Alsineæ_ type; and the occurrence of few seeds in an ovary as generally arising through reduction of the many-seeded forms. The _Cyperaceæ_ are regarded as a form derived from the _Juncaceæ_ through reduction, and associated with this, as is so often the case, there is a complication of the inflorescence; the _Dipsacaceæ_ are again regarded as a form proceeding from the _Valerianaceæ_ by a similar reduction, and these in their turn as an offshoot from the _Caprifoliaceæ_, etc. Of course these principles of systematic arrangement could only be applied very generally; for teaching purposes they have often required modification.”

In preparing the translation considerable difficulty has been experienced in finding a satisfactory rendering of several terms which have no exact equivalent in English. I may here especially mention the term Vorblatt (Forblad) which I have translated by the term bracteole, when it clearly applied to the first leaf (or leaves) on a pedicel; but in discussing questions of general morphology a term was much needed to include both vegetative and floral shoots, and for this I have employed the term “Fore-leaf.” Also, the term “Floral-leaf” has been adopted as an equivalent of “Hochblatt,” and the term “bract” has been limited to a leaf subtending a flower. I have followed Dr. E. L. Mark in translating the word “Anlage” by “Fundament.”

At the end of the book will be found a short appendix giving an outline of some of the earlier systems of Classification, with a more complete account of that of Hooker and Bentham.

In a book of this character it is almost impossible to avoid some errors, but it is hoped that these will be comparatively few. In correcting the proof-sheets I have received invaluable assistance from Dr. Warming and Dr. Knoblauch, who have kindly read through every sheet, and to whom I am greatly indebted for many criticisms and suggestions. I have also to thank Mr. I. H. Burkill for his kind assistance in looking over the proofs of the Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons, and Mr. Harold Wager for kindly reading through the proofs of the Algæ and Fungi. My thanks are also especially due to Mr. E. L. Danielsen, and I wish to take this opportunity of acknowledging the very considerable help which I have received from him in translating from the Original Danish. M. C. POTTER. _January, 1895._

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

BEING THE SYSTEM OF CLASSIFICATION ADOPTED IN
THE PRESENT VOLUME.

(_The Algæ and Fungi rearranged in co-operation with Dr. E.
Knoblauch, the other Divisions as in the 3rd Danish Edition._)

PAGE

DIVISION I. THALLOPHYTA 4

A. Sub-Division. Myxomycetes, Slime-Fungi 5

B. Sub-Division. Algæ 8

Class 1. SYNGENETICÆ 14

„ 2. DINOFLAGELLATA 16

„ 3. DIATOMEÆ 18

„ 4. SCHIZOPHYTA 22

Family 1. Schizophyceæ 22

„ 2. Bacteria 26

Class 5. CONJUGATÆ 41

„ 6. CHLOROPHYCEÆ 46

Family 1. Protococcoideæ 47

„ 2. Confervoideæ 53

„ 3. Siphoneæ 59

Class 7. CHARACEÆ 64

„ 8. PHÆOPHYCEÆ (OLIVE-BROWN SEAWEEDS) 68

Family 1. Phæosporeæ 68

„ 2. Cyclosporeæ 73

Class 9. DICTYOTALES 76

„ 10. RHODOPHYCEÆ (RED SEAWEEDS) 77

Family 1. Bangioideæ 77

„ 2. Florideæ 78

C. Sub-Division. Fungi 84

Class 1. PHYCOMYCETES 96

Sub-Class 1. _Zygomycetes_ 96

„ 2. _Oomycetes_ 100

Family 1. Entomophthorales 102

„ 2. Chytridiales 102

„ 3. Mycosiphonales 104

Class 2. MESOMYCETES 108

Sub-Class 1. _Hemiasci_ 108

„ 2. _Hemibasidii_ 109

Class 3. MYCOMYCETES (HIGHER FUNGI) 114

Sub-Class 1. _Ascomycetes_ 114

Series 1. Exoasci 116

„ 2. Carpoasci 118

Family 1. Gymnoascales 118

„ 2. Perisporiales 119

„ 3. Pyrenomycetes 125

„ 4. Hysteriales 132

„ 5. Discomycetes 132

„ 6. Helvellales 136

Ascolichenes 136

Sub-Class 2. _Basidiomycetes_ 144

Series 1. Protobasidomycetes 145

„ 2. Autobasidiomycetes 157

Family 1. Dacryomycetes 159

„ 2. Hymenomycetes 159

„ 3. Phalloideæ 172

„ 4. Gasteromycetes 173

Basidiolichenes 176

Fungi Imperfecti 176

DIVISION II. MUSCINEÆ (MOSSES) 181

Class 1. HEPATICÆ 188

Family 1. Marchantieæ 190

„ 2. Anthoceroteæ 191

„ 3. Jungermannieæ 191

Class 2. MUSCI FRONDOSI 192

Family 1. Sphagneæ 193

„ 2. Schizocarpeæ 195

„ 3. Cleistocarpeæ 195

„ 4. Stegocarpeæ 195

DIVISION III. PTERIDOPHYTA 198

Class 1. FILICINÆ 205

Sub-Class 1. _Filices_ 205

Family 1. Eusporangiatæ 210

„ 2. Leptosporangiatæ 212

Sub-Class 2. _Hydropterideæ_ 215

Class 2. EQUISETINÆ (HORSETAILS) 221

Sub-Class 1. _Isosporous Equisetinæ_ 221

„ 2. _Heterosporous Equisetinæ_ 225

Class 3. LYCOPODINÆ (CLUB MOSSES) 226

Sub-Class 1. _Lycopodieæ_ 226

„ 2. _Selaginelleæ_ 228

TRANSITION FROM THE CRYPTOGAMS TO THE PHANEROGAMS 234

Asexual Generation of the Cormophytes 234

Sexual Generation; Fertilisation 243

DIVISION IV. GYMNOSPERMÆ 251

Class 1. CYCADEÆ (CYCADS) 252

„ 2. CONIFERÆ (PINE-TREES) 255

Family 1. Taxoideæ 259

„ 2. Pinoideæ 262

Class 3. GNETEÆ 270

Fossil Gymnosperms 271

DIVISION V. ANGIOSPERMÆ 273

Class 1. MONOCOTYLEDONES 274

Family 1. Helobieæ 278

„ 2. Glumifloræ 283

„ 3. Spadicifloræ 297

„ 4. Enantioblastæ 308

„ 5. Liliifloræ 309

„ 6. Scitamineæ 323

„ 7. Gynandræ 328

Class 2. DICOTYLEDONES 334

Sub-Class 1. _Choripetalæ_ 337

Family 1. Salicifloræ 337

„ 2. Casuarinifloræ 339

„ 3. Quercifloræ 340

„ 4. Juglandifloræ 349

„ 5. Urticifloræ 351

„ 6. Polygonifloræ 358

„ 7. Curvembryæ 363

„ 8. Cactifloræ 375

„ 9. Polycarpicæ 377

„ 10. Rhœadinæ 393

„ 11. Cistifloræ 406

„ 12. Gruinales 416

„ 13. Columniferæ 421

„ 14. Tricoccæ 430

„ 15. Terebinthinæ 435

„ 16. Aesculinæ 439

„ 17. Frangulinæ 443

„ 18. Thymelæinæ 448

„ 19. Saxifraginæ 451

„ 20. Rosifloræ 456

„ 21. Leguminosæ 466

„ 22. Passiflorinæ 475

„ 23. Myrtifloræ 482

„ 24. Umbellifloræ 490

„ 25. Hysterophyta 498

Sub-Class 2. _Sympetalæ_ 504

_A. Pentacyclicæ_ 506

Family 26. Bicornes 506

„ 27. Diospyrinæ 510

„ 28. Primulinæ 511

_B. Tetracyclicæ_ 514

Family 29. Tubifloræ 514

„ 30. Personatæ 517

„ 31. Nuculiferæ 531

„ 32. Contortæ 541

„ 33. Rubiales 548

„ 34. Dipsacales 556

„ 35. Campanulinæ 560

„ 36. Aggregatæ 564