CAP 



CAP 



stamina consist of numerous filltonu p:iliiloiis 

 filamuiits : the anthers arc oblong, versatile, 

 ini'Iincd: tlie pistillum is a peilicelled trerni : 

 there is no style : the stigma is obt'ise and sessile : 

 the pericarpium is a eorticosc, one-celled, pcdi- 

 celled berry : the seeds numerous, reniform, ami 

 nestling. 



The species chiefly cultivated is C. sphiosa, 

 Priektv Caper-Shrub. 



It is a low shrul), generally growing out of the 

 joints of old wails, the tis^ures of roeks, and 

 among rubbish, in its native situations: the 

 stems are woody, and covered with a w bite bark ; 

 they are trailing, round, smooth, and branching; 

 branches aliemate, spreading, often downy and 

 leafy : the leaves are alternate, on short foot- 

 stalks, spreading, oval or roundish, in the wild 

 plant often terminated by a little sharp point, 

 which di,>-apiicars by culture, entire, veinv, suc- 

 culent, bright-green, and deciduous ; according 

 to some, four times as long as the foot-stalks : 

 the flowers are white slightly tinged with red, 

 numerous, axillary, solitary, large, and hand- 

 some, but inodorous. It grows wild in the 

 southern parts of Europe ; and Dr. Smith re- 

 marks it as extraordinary, that this beautiful 

 shrub, so common in the south of France, and 

 which grows so luxuriantly in the open air, 

 trained against walls even at Paris, should 

 scarce be capable of being made to flow-er, ex- 

 cept with great care, in the stove with us. 



The flower-buds, produced in great plenty on 

 the wild plant, arc used as a pickle. 



There is a variety, in w hich the leaves are 

 sharper at the ends. 



Culiiire. — These plants are raised with some 

 difficulty iu this climate, as in their native situa- 

 tions they grow in horizontal directions from the 

 fissures of roeks or other places. 



They are increased either by seeds or layers, 

 but the first is the method mostly employed, the 

 seeds being procured from abroad. In the seed 

 method they should be sown in the earlv spring 

 in pots filled with a compost of sand, fresh 

 mould, and rubbish, plunging them in a tan 

 hotbed; and, when the plants are of suflficicnt 

 growth, removin<r them into separate pots. 



In the latter mode the voung branches should 

 be laid down in the early spring or summer bv 

 slightly slittinp tl.cm; and when thev have taken 

 good root, which is often a considerable length 

 of time bell re it is efl'ecled, they should be 

 removed into sejiarate pots, and placed in the 

 tan hotbed. The roots obtained from the im- 

 porters are likewise planted for the purpose of 

 raising these shrub.-, in the spring or earlv smn- 

 rner months. 



These plants fliwcr best when placed in the 



stove during the winter season, though they will 

 succeed imdcr the protection of the greenhouse. 

 They re<|uire a pnttv free admission of air and 

 sun when the weather is line; but the walerin'j;s 

 should be sparing, especially in the winter 

 months. 



The plants are very ornamental and curious in 

 the stove or greenhouse. 



CAPSICUM, a genus aflording plants of the 

 herbaceous animal and shrubby perennial e.\otic 

 kind. Guinea Pepper. 



It belongs to the class and order Pew/onrfr/Vi 

 ]\Io>ii)gi/iiiu, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Luiidce. 



The characters are; that the caly.x is a onc- 

 leai'ed, five-cleft, erect, permanent perianthium: 

 the corolla is monopetalous, rotated; tube very 

 short: border balf-five-elefi, spreading, plaited; 

 divisions bioad and acute: the stannna consist 

 of five subulate lilaments, verv small: the an- 

 thers are oblong and converging: the pistillum 

 is a superior ovate germ: the style filiform, 

 longer than the stamens: the stisima obtuse: 

 the pericarpium is a berry without pulj), ap- 

 proaching to an ovate form, bilocular, hollow, 

 and coloured: the receptacles growing to the 

 dissepiment, exsuecous : the seeds arc very many, 

 reniform, and compressed. 



The species cultivated are: I. C.aiiTinum,Her- 

 baeeous Annual Capsicum, or Guinea Pepper. 

 2. C. grossu7ii. Heart-shaped Capsicum, or Jjeli 

 Pejiper. 3. C. buccutum. Small-fruited Capsi- 

 cum, or Bird Pepper. 4. C. J)uiesccns,Shn\hhy 

 Capsicum, 



In the first the stem is herbaceous, annual, 

 two feet high, upright, and branched ; the 

 branches short and ascending; the leaves are 

 ovate-lanceolate, quite entire, smooth, dark- 

 green ; the flowers white, lateral, and solitary; 

 the fruit is a berry or pod, varvinc; much in size 

 and shape, extremely smooth and shining on the 

 outside, beautiful scarlet or \ ellow, inflated or 

 hollow, two-celled, sometimes three-celled; the 

 partitions at top commonlv failing towards the 

 axis. It is a native of the West Inilies. 



It varies extremely in its fruit, as in the Lone- 

 podded annual kind, with oblong, pcnduloiis or 

 hanging scarlet pods; with oblong, penilulous, 

 yellow pods; with upright, oblong, scarlet pods; 

 with short upright pods; with divided pods; 

 and with long very taper pods; all which often 

 rise from the same seed of the Connnon l^ng- 

 podded, Hed or 'bellow Capsicum, rarely alter- 

 ing from one to the other iu coloin-, onlv in the 

 si/e and position of their growth. 



In the Heart-shaped kind, with both red and 

 yellow fruit; with roundish, heart-shaped, hang- 

 ing pods; with oblong, heart-shaped, hanging 

 '} H 



