How did Carolus Linnaeus use flower structures to classify plants?

Carolus Linnaeus utilized the reproductive structures of flowers to develop his famous "sexual system" of plant classification. Influenced by the discovery of sexual reproduction in plants, he categorized them based on the number and position of their reproductive organs, which he referred to as "husbands and wives".1

Specifically, Linnaeus used the following criteria:
* Classes: Determined by the number and position of the stamens (the male organs).12
* Orders: Determined by the number and position of the pistils (the female organs).12

While this system provided a practical and popular method for identifying plants, Linnaeus later sought a more comprehensive approach. In his work Genera Plantarum, he moved toward a system based on "natural characters," which involved detailed morphological descriptions of all parts of the flower and fruit. This shift allowed for a more robust classification that could better accommodate the increasing number of new species being discovered at the time.3