C R E 



C R E 



Culture. — These plants may be increased by 

 sowing the seeds obtained t'roni the places ot 

 their native growth, as soon as they are procured, 

 in pots of light rich earth, plunging them in 

 the bark-bed of the stove. When the plants 

 have obtained about three inches growth, they 

 should be removed into separate pots, a little 

 water being given at the time, replunglng them 

 iu the hot-bed. They require to be kept constantly 

 in this situation, and to have the management 

 of other plants of the tender woody exotic kind 

 that are of similar growth. 



They may be made use of for the purpose of 

 variety among other stove plants. 



CREPIS, a genus comprising plants of the 

 herbaceous ornamental annual kind. Bastard 

 Hawk-weed. 



It belongs to the class and order Syngenes'm 

 Polygainia yEqualis, and ranks in the natural 

 order of Compositce Semijlosculosce. 



The characters are : that the calyx is conmion 

 double : exterior, very short, spreading, decidu- 

 ous: interior ovate, simple, farrowed, perma- 

 nent : scales linear, converging : the corolla is 

 compound imbricate, uniform : corollets herma- 

 phrodite, very many, equal : proper one-petal- 

 led ; ligulate, linear, truncate, tive-toothed : the 

 stamina consist of live capillary filaments, very 

 short : anther cylindric, tubular : the pistlllum 

 a somewhat ovate germ : style filiform, length of 

 the stamens : stigmas two, reflex : there is no 

 pericarplinn : calyx roundish : the seed solitary, 

 oblong, fusiform, sometimes colunmar: down 

 hairy, generally stipitate ; the receptacle naked, 

 with cells or pits. 



The species cultivated arc : I. C. larlaia, 

 Spanish Bearded Crepis, or Purple-eyed Succory 

 Hawk-weed ; 2. C. ruhra, Purple Crepis. 



The first is an annual plant, putting out leaves 

 next the root, nine inches in length, and almost 

 two broad in the middle, of a light green colour : 

 the stems are a foot and half high, dividing into 

 manv branches, having leaves of the same form 

 with the others, but smaller and sessile : the 

 flowers are produced at the ends of the branches, 

 and of a yellow colour, with a purplish base. It 

 flowers in June ; and is a native of the South of 

 Europe. 



There are varieties, with deep yellow flowers, 

 and with sulphur-coloured flowers inclining to 

 white, each liavini; a dark purple base. 



The second species has also an annual root ; 

 the root-leaves manv, lanceolate, and deeply jag- 

 ged. From these the stalks arise, which are a 

 loot and half high, dividing mto many slender 

 branches, each terminated by one large flower 

 of a red colour. It is a native of Italy. 



Culture. — These, like pther annuals of the 



hardy kind, must be raised by sowing the seeds in 

 either the autumn or spring ; or at both periods, 

 where they are required to flower for a great 

 length of time, ii) patjches. in the clumps, bor- 

 ders, or other parts, where they are to remain, 

 six or seven in each, covering them in lightly. 

 When the plants have attained six or seven 

 inches in growth, they should be thinned out to 

 three or four in each patch, and be kept free 

 from weeds. 



They succeed in most soils and situations, 

 having a pleasing effect in their flowers, in the 

 fronts and other parts of the borders and clumps 

 of ornamented grounds. 



CKESCENTJA, a genus comprehending a 

 plant of the exotic tree kind. Calabash-Tree. 



It belongs to the class and order Didynamla 

 Angiospermia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Pulaminece. 



The characters are: ihat the calyx is a one- 

 leafed perianth, two-parted, short, deciduous ; 

 cii\'isions roundish, concave, obtuse, equal: the 

 corulla is one-petalled, unequal : tube gibbous, 

 crookeJ, torulose : border erect, five-cleft ; di- 

 visions uiiL-qual toolh-sinuated : the stamina con- 

 sist of four Giibulate filaments, length of the co- 

 rolla, spreading •. of which two are a little shorter : 

 anthers incumbent, obtuse, twin : the pistillum 

 is apedicelledjOvalegerm : style filiform, length of 

 the corolla : stigma headed : 'be pericarpium is 

 an oval berry, hard, one- eel led : the seeds very 

 many, sub-cordate, nestling, two-celled. 



The species cultivated is : \, C Cujefe, Nar- 

 row-leaved Calabash-Tree. 



It is a tree that in its native situation 

 grows to the height of about twenty feet. It 

 divides at top into very long, thick, scarcely 

 subdivided branches, stretching out almost ho- 

 rizontally, adorned wuh leaves disposed in bun-, 

 dies or tufts scatteringly at irregular distances. 

 These are uncertain in their number from the 

 same knot or tubercle ; oblonsi, attenuated at 

 the base, on very short petioles, bright green, 

 four or five inches long ; the flowei large, some- 

 times entirely green, but often diheieqtlv varie- 

 gated with purple, red, and yellow, not wither-, 

 ing, but becoming putrid. The form of i'lw fruit 

 varies on dift'erent trees, being spherical, spbe^ 

 roidal, or shaped like a bottle ; and also in size 

 from two inches to a foot in diameter. It is a 

 native of Jamaica. 



The Broad-leaved species may likewise be 

 cultivated. 



Culture. — ^This species and variety are ca* 



pal 



)le 



of being increased 



by 



sowing the seeds. 



procured from the places of their native growth, 

 as soon as th^y are obtained, in pots of light 

 fresh rich e^rlh, plunging them in a bark hot- 



