110 



HENDERSONS HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



CEY 



hence been called Scurvy Gi'ass. The seeds 

 of many species yield an oil, such as oil of 

 Mustard, Eape oil, and Camelina oil, and the 

 cake left after pressing the oil from Rape 

 seed is used as food for cattle. There are 

 about 170 known genera, and 1,200 species. 

 Brassica, Cheiranthiis, Erysimum, Arabis, 

 Jjunaria, Draba, TeendaUa, HesperiH, IhoJUs, 

 Capsella, etc., are illustrative genera. 

 Crypta'nthus. A genus of Bromeliads, closely 

 allied to Billbergia and Tillandsia, and requir- 

 ing the same general treatment. 



Cryptochi'lus. From kryx>to», hidden, and chei- 

 los, a lip ; the lip or labellum being partly 

 hidden by the sepals. Nat. Ord. Orchidacece. 



An interesting genus of terrestrial Orchids 

 from the cooler parts of India. There are but 

 two species, one producing brilliant scarlet 

 flowers on a one-sided spike, while the other 

 has smaller yellow flowers produced in the 

 same manner. They require the same treat- 

 ment as Stunhopea. 



Cryptoco'ryne. From kryptos, hidden, and 

 koryne, a club ; the club-shaped spadix or 

 spike in the center of the flower is hidden by 

 the hooded spathe. Nat. Ord. Aroidece. Allied 

 to Arum. 



Herbaceous perennial marsh plants with 

 tuberous creeping roots. They produce the 

 same peculiar-looking flowers as the Arums, 

 but are sweet-scented, and require the same 

 treatment as the tropical species of Arum. 

 Propagated by division. Introduced from the 

 East Indies in 1824. 



Cryptoga'mia. Cryptogams. Many names 

 have been applied to the vast class of plants 

 comprehended under this name, such as 

 Asexual, or Flowerless Plants, Acrogens, 

 Agamte, Anandrae, Acotyledons, Cryptogams, 

 Crj^ptophyta, Cellulares, Exembryonata, etc. 

 Of these the term, Cnjptogamia, has been 

 adopted by Berkeley and others as being the 

 least objectionable in our present state of 

 knowledge. Under this name are included all 

 those plants called by Linnaeus Cryptogamia, 

 because he was unable to discover their organs 

 of fertilization, if they had any. They compre- 

 hend Sea-weeds, Fungi, Lichens, Mosses, 

 Ferns and their allies. It is now known 

 that all are multiplied by a sexual apparatus 

 in structure wholly different from that of 

 Phsenogamous plants, but in function the 

 same. In the higher orders, that is to say, 

 in Ferns, Lycopods, and Horsetails, the plant, 

 properly so called, does not proceed directly 

 from the spore or seed, but from a rudiment- 

 ary intermediate organ, called prothallium, on 

 which the organs of fertilization are formed, 

 these organs not producing a spore or seed, 

 but the very plant itself. 



Cryptogra'mme. A genus of hardy ferns 

 synonymous with Allosorus, which see. 



Cryptome'ria. Japan Cedar. From kryptos, 

 hidden, and meris, a part ; the structure of 

 all the parts of the flower being hidden, or not 

 easily understood. Nat. Ord. Coniferm. 



C. Japonica, of which there are many forms, 

 is a splendid evergreen tree, from sixty to 

 one hundred feet high, from the north of 

 Japan, where it is found in moist situations. 

 It is hardy in this country, south of Philadel- 

 phia, and requires a rich deep soil, with 

 plenty of moisture and protection from cutting 



cue 



winds to fully develop its beauty. It was 

 introduced in 1846, and is increased by seeds 

 or by cuttings. 

 Cryptoste'gia. From kryptofi, hidden, and 

 stego, to cover ; alluding to the corona being 

 concealed within the tube of the corolla. Nat. 

 Ord. AscUpiudacem. 



A small genus of pretty twining green-house 

 shrubs, consisting of two species (J. grandiflora 

 and C. Madagascariensis, the one from India, 

 the other from Madagascar. They are interest- 

 ing plants, having opposite leaves, and produce 

 large, reddish-white flowers in terminal cymes. 

 Propagated by cuttings. Introduced in 1818. 



Cryptoste'mma. From kryptos, hidden, and 

 stemma, a crown ; the crown of tlie flower 

 being hidden. Nat. Ord. CompositcB. 



A small genus of tender annuals from the 

 Cape of Good Hope. The flowers are bright 

 golden yellow, borne on hairy stems, and are 

 very showy. They were at one time very 

 common, but have now fallen out of cultiva- 

 tion. The seed should be started in a hot-bed, 

 and the young plants pricked out the latter 

 part of May. They require a warm situation, 

 and a light and rather sandy soil. C. calendu- 

 laceum has flowers yellow inside and a very 

 dark purple outside, Avhich gives it a very 

 showy appearance. Introduced in 1731. 



Crypto'stylis. From kryptos, hidden, and stylos, 

 a style. Nat. Ord. Orchidacem. 



A small genus of brown-flowered terrestrial 

 Orchids from New Holland, Java, and Ceylon. 

 The species are more curious than beautiful. 

 They should be grown in turfy loam and sand, 

 in equal proportions, in an ordinary green- 

 house temperature. Introduced in 1822. 



Cte'nium. Toothache -Grass. From Ctenium, 

 a small comb ; from tlie pectinate appearance 

 of the spike. Nat. Ord. GruminacecB. 



C. Americanum, the only species, is a strong- 

 growing grass, from three to four feet in 

 height Avith rough narrow flat leaves. The 

 root has a very pungent taste, and in domestic 

 medicine was used as a remedy for the tooth- 

 ache, hence its popular name. It is common 

 in wet pine barrens from Virginia, southward, 

 and has no agricultural value. 



Cuba Bast. The fibrous inner bark of ParUium 

 (Hibiscus) elatum. 



Cube'ba. Uninteresting shrubs, indigenous to 

 tropical Asia and Africa. C. officinalis, a 

 native of Java, furnishes the cubeb fruits of 

 commerce, which are like Black Pepper, but 

 stalked. Nat. Ord. PiperacecB. 



Cubebs. See Cubeba. 



Cuckoo-Flov^er. See Cardamine. 



Cuckoo Pint. Arum maculatum. 



Cucullate. When the apex or sides of anything 

 are curved inward, so as to resemble the 

 point of a slipper or a hood, as in the lip of 

 Cypripedium, the spathe of an Arum, etc. 



Cucumber. See Cucumis. 



Cucumber Tree. The popular name of the 

 Magnolia acuminata, the young fruit of which 

 resembles a small cucumber. 



Cu'cumis. Cucumber. From Cucumis, the Latin 

 for Cucumber. Nat. Ord. Cucurbitacem. 



Of the several species included in this gerus, 

 C. sativis, the common Cucumber, is the best 

 known and of the most importance. It is an 



