COMPOSIT.E. 



CONCHACEA. 



lot 



the arms either distinct or grown together, and downy externally. The true 

 itum* not prominent, reaching the apex of the arms, and then becoming 

 confluent All the CynaneejAaUt. (Pig. 6.) 



Lab\al(fora ; namely, with the hermaphrodite florets usually 2-lipped. 



Tribe 6, .Vaiitiatta. Style of the hermaphrodite flowers cylindrical at the 

 upper end, or rather knobby, the arms usually obtuse or truncated, very convex 

 on th outnde, and at the upper part covered with minute even down, or naked. 

 (Fy. ft.) 



Tribe 7, \<utatiacfa. Style of the hermaphrodite flowers never knobby and 

 thickened; the arms linear, rather long, truncated, and pencilled at the poiut 

 only. (Pfg.7.) 



' ' * l*y*lijlora ; namely, with all the flowers hermaphrodite and ligulate. 

 Tribe 8, Cickoneta. Style cylindrical at the upper end, with rather long arms, 

 which are somewhat obtuse and equally hairy ; the true stigma terminating short 

 of the middle of the anus. (Pig. 8.) 



DeOaadotU 

 Tl-,ar.in 



one-tenth of the whole vegetable kingdom 

 Be, M lettuce and succory ; in others they are 



dioratic, M various eoaraw ; some are tonic and stomachic, as wormwood and 

 Common attichnke* with their succulent receptacles, and Jerusalem 

 ith thir MOoaUoi tubers, are the only esculent*. Many are beautifn 

 upon, and are amongst our choicest garden flowers, M dahlias 

 aanguia*. oonopais, aster*. 4r. 



For further information on this order we ACUIU.FA ; Airrauiu; ARNICA 

 A*TUOMA; ASTER; BARKRAIMA; BELLI*; BIDEVS; CAI.ENDCLA; CEKTAUREA 

 (T*A*niciirK CICIIURACEJE; CICHORIUM; CIDERARIA; COXTSA; CORTMBIFKR*; 







CREPU; CTXARA; CVHARACE.K; DAHLIA; UIOTIS; 



'AKI.INA ; KHIUKROX ; I M ; FII.AIIU ; HKI.MIN- 



TIIIA ; HIKRACIUM; HVPOCIKEKI- LACTOCA; 



PSANA; LEONTODOH ; LIHOSTKI 

 U EDI UK ; PETA81TE8; PlCRlS ; PRENANTIIEB; PTRKTII i 

 iENECio; SOLIDAUO; OPORINIA; TANACETUM; THKINCIA; 

 ["RAOOPOUON ; Trs.Mi.Auo. 



COMPOUND FLOWERS are the flower-heads of 

 .'umpotitir ; they are masses of small flowers collected 

 upon a depressed axis, or receptacle, and surrounded by 

 an involucre of floral leaves or bracts. 



COMPT'ONIA, a genus of Plants belonging to the 

 natural order Myricacttr, named after Henry Com] 



li'-p of London, by whom the fine collection of plants 

 attached to the episcopal palace at Fulham was formed. 

 The male flowers have cylindrical loosely imbricated 

 catkins, with deciduous 1 -flowered bracts; 2 sepals; 

 6 stamens, adhering in pairs : the female flowers have 

 ovate densely imbricated catkins, with 1 -flowered bracts ; 

 6 sepals, larger than the bract* ; 2 capillary styles, and 

 a 1 -seeded nut. There is only one species, the C. tupltni- 

 'ulia. Sweet Fern. It is a small bush from 3 to 4 feet in 

 leight, yielding a powerful aromatic fragrance wln-u 

 rubbed between the fingers. It has long linear pinnatifid 

 eaves, brown and rather downy on the under side, shining 

 on the upper. It is a native of the woods and mountains 

 of the United States, where it is a favourite domestic 

 remedy for the cure of diarrhoea. It possesses tonic and 

 astringent properties. It is a handsome shrub, and will 

 thrive in a peat soil or sandy loam, and may be propa- 

 gated by layers or suckers. It was called MJVMMsMr 

 ilenifolium by Linntcus, but differs very much from 

 that genus in its characters and properties. (Lindley, 

 Flora Afedica ; London, Encyctujxrdia of Plant*.) 



COMPTONITE, a Mineral, also called Thomtonile. 

 Trimetric. In right rectangular prisms. Usually in 

 masses having a radiated structure within, and consist- 

 ing of long fibres or acicular crystals. Also amorphous. 

 Cleavage parallel to the diagonal planes of the primary 

 form. Fracture uneven, convhoidaL Hardness, scratches 

 fluor-spar. Colour snow-white ; lustre vitreous, in- 

 clining to pearly ; transparent to translucent. Specific 

 gravity, 2 to 4'7. Composition : 



Silica 38-3 



Alumina 307 



Lime 13'5 



Soda 4-5 



Water 13.0 



It intumesces and becomes opaque, but the edges merely 

 are rounded at a high heat. When pulverised it gelatinise* 

 with nitric or muriatic acids. It is distinguished from 

 Natrolite and other Zeolites by its difficult fusibility. It 

 occurs in Amygdaloid near Kilpatrick, Scotland ; in 

 Lavas at Vesuvius ; in Clinkstone in Bohemia ; also at 

 Pelter's Point in Nova Scotia, in Trap. 



CONCHA'CEA, a family of Stollutca in M. De Blain- 

 ville's arrangement of the Animal Kingdom. The fol- 

 lowing is his definition of the family : " Mantle closed 

 before (en avant), above, and behind, where it is pro- 

 longed by two tubes more or less long, extensile, and 

 either separated or united ; abdomen constantly provid.d 

 with a foot of slightly variable form, serving for loco- 

 motion. Shell nearly always regular, entirely closed, 

 equivalve; umbones curved forward; hinge dorsal, 

 plete that is to say, with teeth und a ligament; this lost 

 cither external or internal, short, and swollen (bomlx') ; 

 two distinct muscular impressions united below by a 

 ligulo more or less large, and very often inflected or 

 returning backwards (rentree en arriere). 



" All the animals of this family live plunged more or 

 less deeply in the sand or in the mud, but they nrc still 

 able to come out of it sometimes." 



M. Rang thus modifies De Blainville's definition. 

 principally for the introduction of Iridina (which in- 

 ing to the observations of M. Deshayea could no longer 

 be retained among the Submytilacra) and d'rattlupia, a 

 fniwil speciea. 



" Mantle closed, furnished with a considerable antero- 

 inferior opening, for the passage of a foot, and presenting 

 two posterior tubes more or less elongated, ext< 

 united or separated longitudinally, the lower one serving 

 for respiration, and the upper one for dejections. SliHI 

 equivalve, generally regular, rarely gaping ; umbone* 

 more or less curved forwards; hinge almost always with 

 teeth ; ligament short and swollen, internal or external ; 

 imif oiler impressions very distinct ; united by a pallia! 

 impression more or less excavated posteriorly. 

 " Animals marine, rarely fresh-water." 



