I 



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CELOSIA.nLm. Gen. Plant. 255.' Amaranthus. I . cfillinft fpecks/ I^haVe railHgr^^^ 



Tourn. Inft. R. H. 234. tab. 118. Amaranth. 



The Characters are, * ■ "*^- 



^he e^npahnent is permanent^ dind compofed of three dry 



coloured leaves. The flower hath five ereR Jharp-pointed 



petals^ nvkich are permanent^ ftiff^ mid Jhaped like a 



flower-cup. It hath afmall ne^arium joined to the border 



cf the gerineny to v)hich adhm the five flamiHa, which 



m-e terminated by turning fimmits. Thi globular germen 



fjfpcrts an upright fly le^ which is as long as theftamina^ 



cnwned 'with afmglcfiigma. Thi empaJment dfte'rvsard 



lf::mcs a glolular capjtili with one cell opening horizon- 



~ tdly\ coUainiv^ roundifls feeds. ■ ■ 



This genus of plants is ranged in the firft fediori of 



Linn.Tus's fifth clafs, intitled Pentandria Monogyriia, 



from feeds which carftfe from Chi 



ancr other coun- 



' tries, but have' geiferally found theit^ alter in a few 

 years, ri6twithfefidifig great care has te^n taken in 

 the faviftg of their feeds: the principal colours of 



' their' heads are fedj' purple, yelloW, and white ■, but 

 I have HSd foitt^; Sffidfe h^ads ha^fe bft^ii variegated 

 with two or three edlotirs.' I alio raifed feme from 

 feeds which I received from Perfia^ whofc heads 

 were divided like'a ptlime of ft^tlLefs, which were 



' of a t65utiful fcdHef colour, bxit thefe in a few 

 years degenerated: therefore I ftiall include all the 

 different varieties of Cockfcomb> iirider this general 



' title. 





- ■ . i ,^kS.,. 



^' ' i - 



the flower having five ftamina and dile llyle. ' 

 The Species are, * " '' 



t. Celosia (Margaritacca) foliis oVatis ftipulis falcStis, 



pedunculis angulatis, fpicis fcariofls. Lin. Sp. Plant. 

 • 297. Celq/Ia ivitb oval leaves^ a faukhion*Jhaped ftipulay 



and a rctigh fpike, Arnarahthus fpica albefcente habi- 



tiore, Martyn. Cent. 1. p. 7. • -r ■;::^ ' ' > ; 



1. CiaosiA (triflata) foliis lanceolato-pvatis recurvis 

 fubundatis pedunculis angulatis, fpicis oblongis crif- 



■ tatis. Lin. Sp. 297-. Celojiaivith ovalfpear-fljapedledves^ 



angular foot-flalksy and oblong cfcfled /pikes of flowers. 



Amaranthus criftatus. Camen Epit. 792. Crefled 



^Amaranthy commonly called Cockfcomb. •' ^ • 



Celosia {Panicidata) foliis l^nceolato-ovatis, pani- 



cula diffufa filiformi. Flor, Virg. 144. Celofta njbith 



cval fpear-fhaped leaves^ and a flender diffufed panicle, 



Amaranthus paniculSf 8*vicafite gracili Mofericea. 



Sloan. Hift. i. p. 14^". tab. 90. ■ _ 

 Celosia {Coccinea) foliis ovatis ftriftis inauriculatis, 



3 



• J 



»' 



4 



caule fulcato, fpicis nrtultiplicibus criftatis, Lin. Sp. The fifth fort i§ of hlinibleV 



The feeds of the third fort were fent me from Ta- 

 inaica by the late' Dr. Houftoun. /This grows na- 

 turally in moft ^'the Sugar Iflands. It riles with a 

 weak ftalk near four feet high, garniihed with oblong 

 pointed leaves, which ftand oppofite at each joint. 

 The flowers eorrie out in lodfe panicles frohi the fide 

 6f^ the ftallc'Si *aftd alfo at the ^nd 6f the branches : 

 thefe dfe diYided into a great rivimber of very flender 

 fpikes, i^hich are of a pak yellow, ftiihing with x 

 giofs like filk.- The plants of this periflied in the 

 aiitiiffin, withMit fiferfedtirig their feeds, i 

 The fourth fort I received from China -, this hath a 

 furrowed ftalk, wJiicfe rifes three or four feet high, 

 garniihed #fth oval leaves which art fi^ eared at their 

 Erafe; tl^e fl:alk is terminated by ieveral fpikes of 

 flowers which are varioufly formed, fome being 

 crefted, others are plumed like feathers, of a bright 

 fcarlet cblotir, fo make a: good appearance -, but th 

 feeds of this when carefully faved, are apt to dege- 

 neratd.- - V; ..';..-■•' - '. 



the leaves are 





297. Celofia with oval leaves^ a furrowed ftalk^ and 



■ many crefled fpikes of flowers. Amaranthus panicula 



■ fpeciofa criftata. C. B. P. i2t. 



5, Celosia [Cdflrenfls) foliis lanceolato-ovatis lineatis 

 acuminatifljmis, Itipulis falcatis, fpicis criftatis. Lin. 

 Sp. 297. Celofla with ovah linear ^ fpear-fhaped^ acute- 

 pointed leaves^ and crefled fpikes of flowers. Amaranthus 

 vulgaris. Rumph. Amb. 5. p. 236. . 



6. Celosia (iL^;/<2/^) foliis lanceolatis tomeritdns ofetufis, 

 fpicis confcrtis, ftaminibus lanatis. Flor. Zeyl, 102. 

 Celbfia with fpear-fhaped^ obtvfcy woolly leaves^ and many 

 fpikes of flowers having downy ftamina. 



The firfl: fort here mentioned, grows naturally in 

 America, from whence I have frequently received 

 the feeds. This rifes with an upright fl:alk about two 

 " feet high, garniflied with oval leaves ending in points, 

 ' of a pale colour; thofe on the lower part being four 

 or five inches long, and one and a half broad in the 

 middle, but they diminifli gradually in their fize up- 

 ward. Toward the upper part of the ftalk, there are 

 a few fide branches fent out which ftand ere£t •, each 

 of which is terminated by a flender fpike of flowers, 

 and the principal ftalk is terminatecl by one which 

 is much larger ; this is two or three inches long, and 

 about as thick as a man's middle finger, the whole 

 fpike being of a filvery colour. But there is a variety 

 of this with flender pyramidal fpikes, intermixed 

 with red toward the top, the feeds of v/hich I re- 

 ceived from Dr. Linnaeus, by the above title •, but I 

 am inclinable to think it is different from that which 

 was figured by Dr. Martyn in his Decades of rare 

 plants, which I have cultivated many years in the 

 Cheliea garden, and have never found it to vary. 

 I'he fpike of this is much thicker than that of Lln- 

 na^us's, and of equal fize the whole length-, whereas 

 his diminiflies almoft to a point at tlie top, and the 

 colours of both are very different. ' This fort is an- 

 nual like the other Amaranths, and requires the ikmc 

 culture. 



The fecond fort is well known by its common an- 

 pcUation of Cockfcomb, which was given to it from 

 the form of its crefted head of flowers refcmblino- a 

 Cockfcomb; of this there are many varieties, v/hich 

 differ in their form, magnitude, and colours ; but as 

 they vary from feeds, they are not enumerated as 



6 



oval, fpear-ftiaped, ending in verj^ acute points; the 

 branches proceed fronri the wing§ of the leaves, al- 

 moft the length S( tlie ftalk, and are terminated by 

 flender fpikes of flowers of no greait beauty, therefore 

 the' plant is- prelerved as a variety in the botanic 



' . ■; -^A 



gardefts^.- 



The fixth fort grows naturally in Ceyldli'j'lt rifes with 

 a very white woolly ftalk from two to three feet 

 high,- garniflied with obtufe, fpeaf-fhaped, woolly 

 leaves ; from the upper patt of the ftalk cdhie out 

 two or three flender fide branches, which (as alfo the 

 principal ftalk) are terminated by woolly fpikes of 



flowers : thefe flowers are fo clofely trapped up ia 

 their woolly enipalements, as to be fcaV'ce vifible to 

 the naked eye, fo they make no appearance ; but 

 the extreme whitehefs of the ftalk, leaves, and fpike?^, 

 iilalce a pretty Variety" among other tender plants 



during their continuance. 



This plant is tender; the feeds ftiould be fown In tlie 



Ipring upon a hot-bed, and the plants fliould be 

 treated in the famti way as is direfted for the Cockf- 

 combs ; but when the plants are fully grown, they 

 ftiould be removed into an airy glafs-cafe, where they 

 may be fcreened from cold and wet, but have fi'cc 

 air admitted to them in warm weather, otherwife 

 they will not perfeft t'heir feeds in this country. 

 In order to have large fine Amaranths, great care 

 fhould be, taken in the choice of the feeds ; for if they 

 are not carefully collefted, the whole expence and 

 trouble of raifing them will be loft. "When you are 

 provided with good feeds, they muft be fown on a 

 hot-bed (which fliould have been prepared a few 

 days before, that the violent heat may be abated) 

 about the beginning of March ; and in about a fort- 

 night's time (if the bed is in good temper) the planes 

 will rife ; but as they are tender when they firft ap- 

 pear, they require great care for a few days till 

 they get ftrength; firft, in giving them a due pro- 

 portion of air, to prevent their drawing up weak ; 

 and next to keep them from too great moifture, tor 

 afmall fliare of moifture will caufe their tender ftems 

 to rot : in fowing tlie feeds, there fliould be cars 

 taken not to put them too clofe, for when the plants 

 come up in clufters, they frequently fpoil each other 



for want of room to ";row ; in a fortnight or thrt^e 



weetis 



