COMFREY 



233 



COMPOST 



COMFREY. Sy'mphytum. 



COMMELI'NA. (Named after /. and G. Commclin, 

 Dutch botanists. Nat. ord. Spiderworts [Commelinaceae]. 

 Linn. s-Triandria, i-Monogynia.) 



The fleshy roots, or rhizomes, of most of the species 

 of Commelina are eatable when cooked. Hardy kinds, 

 by sowing in the open ground, whether annual or 

 perennial, and by dividing the roots of the latter. Ever- 

 green trailing kinds, whether greenhouse or stove, chiefly 

 by cuttings in sandy soil, under a hand-light, in a gentle 

 hotbed. All the herbaceous species, whether from tropi- 

 cal regions or New Holland, &c., by seeds, sown in a 

 hotbed, early in spring, pricked off, and potted and 

 planted out towards the end of May, will flourish in the 

 flower-garden, and constitute a pleasing feature until 

 the end of autumn. Before frost, the tuberous kinds 

 should be taken up and kept like dahlias, but not over 

 dry ; started a little in spring, in heat, and then trans- 

 planted at the end of May, will bloom stronger than the 

 seedlings. The soil should be light and rich, using either 

 rotten dung or leaf-mould, with sandy loam. Summer 

 temp, for stove species, 50 to 75 ; winter, 40 to 45. 



ANNUALS. 



C. commu'nis (common). 2. Purple, blue. June. 



China. 1732. Hardy. 

 ,, cuciilla'ta (hooded). See C. BENGHALEXSIS. 



HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS. 



C. caripe'nsis (Caripe). See C. VIRGINICA. 

 ,, cale'xiis (sky-blue). Blue. June. Mexico. 1813. 

 a'lba (vrhite-flowered) . 3. White. June. 

 defi'cicns (deficient), of Hooker. See C. VIRGINICA. 

 deficient (deficient), of Van Houtte. See C. NUDI- 



FLORA. 



eUi'ptica (elliptic). Blue. Trop. Amer. 

 ere'cta (upright), i. Blue. August. Virginia. 1732. 



Hardy. 

 fascicula' ta (fascicled), i. Blue. July. Lima. 1817. 



Hardy. 



., gla'bra (smooth), of Baker. See C. FASCICULATA. 

 gra'cilis (slender). See C. NUDIFLORA. 

 ,, graminifo 'lia (grass-leaved). Mexico. 

 At>fc'tfa(hairyish). x. Blue. June. N.Amer. 1820. 



Hardy. 



hi'spida (coarsely hairy). Rich blue. Peru. 1845. 

 prostra'ta (prostrate). See C. BENGHALENSIS. 

 sca'bra (rough). Purple. July. Mexico. 1852. 

 sellowia'na (Sellowian). Cobalt-blue. Argentina. 



1897. Greenhouse. 



,, ro'sea (rosy). Rose variety. 1901. 

 tubero'sa (tuberous), i. Blue. June. Mexico. 1732. 



Stove. 



HARDY EVERGREEN TRAILERS. 



C. carolinia'na (Carolina). See C. NUDIFLORA. 

 virgi'nica (Virginian), i. Blue. June. Virginia. 

 1779- 



GREENHOUSE EVERGREEN TRAILERS. 



C. africa'na (African), i. Blue. July. Cape of Good 



Hope. 1759. 

 angusli/p'lia (narrow-leaved). x. Blue. June. 



Carolina. 1827. Half-hardy. 

 cya'nea (bright blue), i. Blue. July. Australia. 



1820. 



STOVE EVERGREEN TRAILERS. 

 C. benghale'nsis (Bengal). 3. Blue. June. Bengal. 



1794. 



cayenne'nsis (Cayenne). See C. NUDIFLORA. 

 defi'ciens (deficient). 6. Blue. August. Brazil. 



1823. 

 dianthifo'lia (pink-leaved), i. Blue. July. Mexico. 



1816. Twiner. 



,, du'bia (doubtful). See C. CCTLESTIS. 

 longicav'lis (long-stalked). See C. NUDIFLORA. 

 ,, mo'lUs (soft). See C. BESGHALESSIS. 

 ,, nudiflo'ra (naked-flowered). 2 to 3. Blue. August. 



Tropical Regions. 

 obli'qua (twisted-teat^), i. Blue. June. India. 



1820. 



C. pa'Uida (pale), i. Blue. June. Mexico. 1820. 

 parviflo'ra (small-flowered). See C. GRAMINIFOLIA. 

 poly'gama (various-flowered). See C. BENGHALENSIS. 

 ,, Zcino'nia (Zanonia). See CAMPELIA ZANONIA. 



COMMERSO NIA. (Commemorative of Philibert Com- 

 merson. Nat. ord. Sterculiaceae.) 



Stove shrub. Cuttings of half-ripe wood in sand, in 

 a close case with bottom-heat ; also imported seeds. 

 Fibrous loam, a little peat and sand. 

 C. dasyphy'lla (thick-leaved). See RULINGIA PANNOSA. 

 platyphy'lla (broad-leaved). White. June. Malaya. 

 1816. 



COMOCLA DIA. Maiden Plum. (From home, hair, 

 and klados, a branch ; in reference to the dense, silky 

 covering on the young branches. Nat. oid. Anacards or 

 Terebinths [Anacardiaceae]. Linn. $-Triandria, i-Mono- 

 gynia. Allied to Pistacia.) 



Stove evergreen trees. For cultivation, see BARRING- 

 TO'NIA. 

 C. denta'ta (tootb-leaved) . 30. Red. July. W. Ind. 



1790. 

 ilicifo'lia (hoUy-leaved). 15. Red. Caribbee Isles. 



1789. 



integrifo'lia (whole-leaved). 15. Red. Jamaica. 

 1778. 



COMPARE TTIA. ( Named after Cpmparetii, an I talian 

 botanist. Nat. ord. Orchids [Orchidaceae], Linn. 20- 

 Gynandria, i-Monandria. Allied to Inopsis and Tricho- 

 centron.) 



Stove orchids. Divisions and offsets ; fibrous peat, 

 sphagnum, and broken potsherds. Plants raised above 

 the surface of the pot, or fastened in a very shallow, well- 

 drained basket. Summer temp., 60 to 90 ; winter, 

 50 to 55. 



C. cocci'nea (scarlet), x. Scarlet. August. Brazil. 1838. 

 crypto' cera (hidden-spurred). Pink, crimson. 1851. 

 falca' ta (sickle-shaped), $. Rose. May. Peru. 1836. 

 macrople'ctron (large-spurred). White, spotted rose- 

 red. Colombia. 1879. 

 ro'sea (rosy). See C. FALCATA. 



specio'sa (showy). Ochre yellow, orange. Ecuador. 

 1878. 



COMPOST is a mixture of manures, or of earths and 

 manures, in such proportions and of such qualities as 

 are considered particularly applicable to the- plant or 

 crops to which the composition is to be applied. If 

 leaves are required to be largely developed, the compost 

 can be scarcely too rich ; for the greater the quantity 

 of food imbibed by the roots, the greater will be the 

 surface of leaves requisite for its elaboration. But if 

 flowers and fruit, as well as leaves, are desired, the com- 

 posts, if excessively rich, will cause these to diminish in 

 number and size, the flower buds passing into leaf-buds, 

 for the reason already alleged. 



Composts must also duly regulate the amount of 

 moisture supplied to the roots, totally independent of 

 drainage, as compost retains to them moisture by its 

 chemical and capillary powers. The richer in decom- 

 posing animal and vegetable matter, and the looser its 

 texture, the better does a compost retain moisture. And 

 this power is diminished in proportion as siliceous sand, 

 or calcareous (chalky) matters preponderate. 



Gardeners prepare their composts from strong, tena- 

 cious loam, half-rotten leaf-mould, heath-soil, horse- 

 manure, cow-manure, charcoal and wood-ashes, bone- 

 dust, sharp sand, burnt turf, and moss, well-scalded ; 

 and, from these materials, there is no doubt that a com- 

 post could be prepared, embracing any desired degree of 

 fertility. See MANURES and POTTING. 



COMPOST-GROUND. This should be an enclosure 

 concealed from sight, but in the vicinity of the hotbeds, 

 hothouses, and other similar structures, for the con- 

 venience of moving the pots to it in the potting season, 

 conveyance of manures, &c. AH the earths and manures 

 should be under a shed ; and the dungs, being liable to 

 lose much of their fertile components in drainage, should 

 be in water-tight tanks ; and if these are covered, all 

 the better. All composts are improved by being frosted, 

 but for potting, great care should be taken that it is at 

 least as warm as the temperature of the house when 

 using for potting. 



