AND GENERAL HORTICULTURE. 



99 



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places, and forming a total of about equal to a 

 tenth of the whole vegetable kingdom. They 

 are recognized by their monopetalous flowers, 

 growing in close heads {capitula), and having 

 at once an inferior one-celled ovary, and sta- 

 mens whose anthers cohere in a tube (that is, 

 are syngenesious). De CandoUe states, as the 

 result of his examination of their natural 

 habit, that out of 8,523. 1,229 were annuals, 

 243 biennials, 2,491 perennials, 2,264 under- 

 shrubs from one to three feet high, 366 shrubs 

 from four to fifteen feet high, 72 small trees, 

 4 lai'ge trees above twenty-five feet higli, 81 

 woody plants, 126 twiners or climbers, and 

 1,201 about which noticing certain could be as- 

 certained. According to Mr. Bentham, the spe- 

 cies are nearly equally divided between the 

 New and the Old World, there being known 

 about 430 genera with 4,700 species in the 

 former, and 410 genera containing 4,400 spe- 

 cies in the latter. There are about 75 genera 

 common to the two divisions ; but the identi- 

 cal species in the two, and those chiefly arc- 

 tic or high northern, are not more than 70 out 

 of at least 9,100. 



The uses of the order, real or imaginary, 

 are very numerous and conflicting. Some are 

 tonic and aromatic, like Wormwood {Artemisia 

 absinthium), and others, or vermifuges, like 

 those other Artemisias, known in foreign 

 pharmacy as Semencontra, or Semencine. A 

 few are powerful irritants, as the Pellitory of 

 Spain {Anacyclus Pyrethrum), and various kinds 

 of Spila7ithes, which excite salivation. Arnica 

 Tiiontana is powerfully narcotic and acrid. 

 Similar evil qualities belong to Crepis lacera, 

 a most venomous species, said to be no infre- 

 quent cause of fatal consequences to those 

 who, in the south of Europe, incautiously use 

 it as a salad ; nor are Hieracium virosum and 

 H. sabandum altogether free from suspicion. 

 Some species of Pyrethrum have the power of 

 driving away fleas, and are largely used as 

 insecticides, the Dalmatian and Persian In- 

 sect Powders being from this genus. Many 

 yield in abundance a bland oil when their 

 seeds are crushed ; such are the Sunflower 

 (Helianthus annuus), the Til or Rhamtil {Verbe- 

 sinia sativa), largely cultivated in India, and 

 Madia sativa. A purgative resin is obtained 

 from some allies of the Thistles ; others, as 

 Aucklandia Costits, now referred to Aplotaxis 

 Lappa, have aromatic roots. Finally, under 

 the name of Artichoke, Succory, Scorzonera, 

 Endive, Salsify, and Lettuce, we have some 

 of our most nutritious and useful esculents. 

 Botanists adopt various modes of classifying 

 this immense mass of species; but all are 

 subordinate to the four following groups, viz. : 

 Cichoraceoe, florets all ligulate (strap shaped) ; 

 CorymbifercB, florets tubular in the disk ; 

 C ynaracecB, florets all tubular, with an articu- 

 lation beneath the stigma; and Labiatijlorce, 

 florets bilabate (two-lipped). 

 Composts. This term is applied to any mix- 

 ture of soils and manures, either for potting 

 purposes, or for top dressing plants in pots, 

 or in the open ground. It may consist of dif- 

 ferent ingredients according to the habit, or 

 suitable to the requirement of the plants for 

 which it is intended. Manures that by their 

 strength would prove destructive, if applied 

 directly to any plant, may prove beneflcial 

 when mixed to form a certain proportion of 

 the compost. In all gardens the accumulating 



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refuse of all kinds may be advantageously 

 composted with soil and a liberal admixture 

 of lime, which, when turned over several 

 times during winter, and thoroughly amalga- 

 mated, will prove a valuable top-dressing in 

 spring for lawns or other purposes. 



Compound, Composite. Formed of several 

 parts united in one common whole ; as pin- 

 nated leaves, and all kinds of inflorescence 

 beyond that of the solitary flower. A com 

 pound umbel is formed of several simple 

 umbels, etc. 



Compto'nia. Sweet Fern. Named after Bishop 

 Compton, an ardent cultivator of exotics and a 

 great patron of botany. Nat. Ord. Myri- 

 cacecB. 



C. asplenifolia is a hardy deciduous shrub, 

 common throughout the Northern States on 

 poor soils. It is popularly known as Sweet 

 Fern from its aromatic scent and the resem- 

 blance of the leaves to the fronds of the Aspleni- 

 ums. A decoction or tea made of the leaves 

 is useful, applied externally, in cases of 

 poisoning by the Poison Ivy. 



Conandron. From konos, a cone, and aner, 

 andron, a male, an anther; the appendages to 

 the anthers are united in a cone around the 

 style. Nat. Ord. GesneracecB. 



C. ramondioides, the only described species, 

 is a very pretty half-hardy herbaceous peren- 

 nial, introduced from Japan in 1879. The 

 flowers are white or pink, with a purple eye, 

 and are borne on leafless scapes in a forked or 

 corymbose cyme, which is at first drooping. 

 It is closely allied to Ramondia, and may be 

 increased by seeds or division. 



Cona'nthera. From konos, a cone, and anthera, 

 an anther, or pollen bag ; in reference to the 

 six anthers forming a cone in the early stage 

 of the flower. Nat. Ord. Liliacece. 



This is a small genus of Chilian bulbs, but 

 little known because of the difficulty of pre- 

 serving them. They produce beautiful blue 

 flowers in panicles on a stalk about one foot 

 high, and require, like all Chilian bulbs, a 

 light, diy soil. They will endure our climate 

 with but little protection, if kept nearly dry 

 during winter. They are rapidly increased by 

 offsets. Introduced in 1823. 



Concave. Hollow. 



Concentric. Points or lines at equal distances 

 from a common center. 



Condor-Vine. A common name for Gonoholua 

 Cundurango. 



Cone. A dense aggregation of scale-like car- 

 pels, arranged symmetrically round an axis, 

 as in the Pine tribe. 



Cone Flo"wer. See Rudbeckia. 



Couferva'ceae. A division of the green-spored 

 Algm. Found in all parts of the world, 

 but most numerous in temperate regions. 

 They are sometimes so abundant that, after 

 floods, they form a thick coat like paper on 

 the ground, to which the name meteoric paper 

 has been given. 



Confluent. The fastening together of homo- 

 geneous parts ; gradually uniting organically. 



Congo Pea. See Cajanus. 



Coni'ferae. A large and important natural 

 order consisting of trees or shrubs, mostly 

 with i-csinous secretions. The leaves are 



