COSMIDICM 



243 



COTONEASTER 



COSMI DIUM FILJFO LIUM. See THELESPERMA HLI- 

 FOLIUM. 



CO'SMOS. (From Cosmos, beautiful ; in reference to 

 the ornamental flowers. Nat. ord. Composites [Composite]. 

 Linn. ig-Syngenesia, 2-Superfl.ua. Allied to Bidens.) 



Cosmea is united to this. Both the annual and perennial 

 species are all readily increased from seeds, sown early 

 in spring, and treated as tender annuals ; planted out 

 in the open borders in the summer months. 



PERENNIALS. 



C. diversifo'lius (various-leaved). 3. Lilac. September. 



Mexico. 1835. Hardy tuber. 



scabiosoi'dts (scabious-like). 4. Scarlet. Sep- 

 tember. Mexico. Greenhouse tuber. 



ANNUALS. 



C. alrosangui'ncus (dark blood-red). 3. Deep purple- 

 red. Mexico. 1861. 



bipinna'tus (doubly-leafleted). 3. Purple. July. 

 Mexico. 1799. 



albiflo'rus (white-flowered). White. 1890. 



,, chrysanthemifo'lius (chrysanthemum- leaved). 2. 

 Yellow. July. S. Amer. 1826. 



critkmifo'lius (samphire-leaved). 2. Yellow. Sep- 

 tember. Mexico. 1826. 



hy'bridus (hybrid). White or pale rose. Mexico. 1888. 



,, lu'teus( yellow). 2. Yellow. October. Mexico. 1811. 



parviflo'rus (small-flowered). 2. White. July. 

 Mexico. 1800. Hardy. 



,, sulphu'reus (sulphur). 2. Yellow. July. Mexico. 

 1799. Hardy. 



tene'llus (delicate). 2. Yellow. October. Mexico. 

 1824. 



ttnuifo'lius (slender-leaved). 2. Purple. September. 

 Mexico. 1836. Hardy. 



COSSINIA. (Named after Cossigny, a French natu- 

 ralist. Nat. ord. Soapworts [Sapindaceae]. Linn. 6- 

 Hexandria, 2-Digynia. Allied to Kcelreuteria.) 



Admired for its golden-veined leaves. Stove evergreen 

 shrub. Soil, peat and loam. Cuttings root readily 

 under glass, in bottom-heat. 

 C. borbo'nica (Bourbon). See C. PINNATA. 

 ,, pinna'ta (pinnate). 10. Mauritius. 1824. 



COSSUS LIGNIPERDA. Goat Moth. The caterpillar 

 of the Goat Moth is most destructive to the wood of 

 fruit-trees, though the elm, oak, willow, poplar, and 

 walnut, also, are liable to its attacks. It is the Cossus 

 ligniperda of some naturalists, and the Bombyx and 

 Xyleutes cossus of others. The caterpillar measures more 

 than four inches in length, is smooth and shining, beset 

 only here and there with single short hairs. It is dark 

 red on the back, and the breathing-holes situated at 

 both sides are of the same colour. The sides and lower 

 part of the body are flesh-coloured ; the head is black ; 

 the first segment, also, marked with black above. After 

 remaining more than two years in the larva state, and 

 casting its skin eight times, the caterpillar becomes of a 

 light ochrish- yellow hue shortly before becoming a 

 chrysalis, which usually takes place in spring, when it 

 makes a strong cocoon of chips of wood and small pieces 

 of bark, which it has gnawed off. The chrysalis is yellow, 

 and the segments are deeply indented and capable of 

 much extension ; its back is furnished with strong, 

 pointed spines, sometimes of a reddish-brown colour. 

 The cocoon is situated immediately within the opening 

 in the tree, so that the pupa, when arrived at maturity, 

 can press itself half out of the hole when the shell bursts, 

 and the moth comes forth usually in the month of June 

 or July, after having reposed in the pupa state for an 

 indefinite time. When at rest the wings are folded 

 together over the back in the form of a roof ; it sits 

 quietly in the daytime on the stems of trees, and is 

 difficult to be distinguished on account of its grey colour. 

 Its wings measure, from one tip to the other, nearly 

 three inches, and many specimens more than this ; the 

 female is usually larger than the male. The fore-wings 

 are ashy-white, clouded with brown, especially across the 

 middle, and marked with very numerous streaks, like 

 net-work ; the hind-wings are brown ; thorax ochrish 

 in front, pale in the middle, with a black bar behind. 

 The female is provided with a strong egg-depositor, with 



| which she introduces her eggs into the bark of the tree 

 often 1000 in number ; the young caterpillars living, 

 at first, in and between the outer and inner bark, and 

 afterwards, when they are stronger, penetrating into the 

 wood. When the existence of one of these creatures is 

 detected in a trunk, by its excrement, relief comes too 

 late for the tree, even if we are able to kill the caterpillar, 

 the mischief being already done. Notwithstanding this, 

 the caterpillar should never be left undisturbed ; and an 

 attempt should be made to reach it by enlarging the 

 opening with a garden-knife, or endeavouring to kill it 

 by thrusting a piece of garden-wire up the hole. It is 

 called the Goat Moth from the peculiar smell both of 

 the insect and its larva. The Cottase Gardener, iii. 137. 



COSTMARY. See CHRYSANTHEMUM BALSAMITA. 



CO'STUS. (An ancient name, adopted from Pliny. 

 Nat. ord. Gingerworts [Scitaminaceae]. Linn. i-A/<wum- 

 dria, i-Monogynia.) 



The roots are very bitter, and without the aromatic 

 pungent odour peculiar to the Costus of the continental 

 shops, which is the root of a very different plant, a native 

 of Arabia, and allied to Cardopatum. The Costus of 

 Cashmere, employed to protect bales of shawls from 

 moths, is the root of Aukla'ndia co'stus. Stove herba- 

 ceous perennials of easy growth, and readily increased 

 by root division ; sandy loam, with a little peat. 

 C. a'fer (African). 2. White. June. Sierra Leone. 



1822. 



albe'scens (whitish). Central Amer. 1868. 

 ara'bicus (Arabian). See C. SPECIOSUS. 

 ,, cine'reus (grey). Central Amer. 1868. 

 ,, como'sus (tufted). 4. Yellow. S. Amer. 1752. 

 cyli'ndricus (cylindrical). 5. Yellow. Trinidad. . 

 ,, di'scolor (two-coloured-/av2). 4. White. June. 



Brazil. 1823. 



e'leg ans (elegant). Yellow, orange. Costa Rica. 1862. 

 engleria'nus (Englerian). White and yellow. W. 



Trop. Africa. 1892. 

 Friedrichse'nii (Friedrichsen's). 6. Bright yellow. 



Central Amer. (?) 1903. 



i'gneus (fiery), i. Bright orange. Brazil. 1884. 

 ,, lana'tus (woolly). 3. May. S. Amer. 1820. 

 lucanusia'nus (Lucanusian). Purple, yellow. Came- 



roons. 



lu'cidus (shining). Central Amer. 1868. 

 ,, macula' tus (spotted). 2. White. July. Sierra 



Leone. 1822. 



,, malortiea'nus (Malortiean). See E. ELEGANS. 

 ,, mevica'nus (Mexican). Mexico. 



,, micra'nthus (small-flowered). 5 to 6. Red, orange- 

 red, yellow. Martinique. 1903. 



,, musa'icus (mosaic). Leaves variegated. Congo. 1887. 

 nepale'nsis (Nepaul). See C. SPECIOSUS. 

 ,, pi'ctus (painted-flowered). 2. Yellow, purple. July. 



Mexico. 1832. 



,, Piso'nis (Pison's). See C. SPIRALIS. 

 ,, specio'sus (showy). 3. White. August. E. Ind. 



1752. 



,, spica'tus (spiked), i. Yellow. June. W. Ind. 1793. 

 ,, spira'lis (spiral). 4. Scarlet. November. Venezuela. 



1823. 

 verschaffeltia'nus (Verschaffeltian). 3. Pale yellow. 



Brazil. 



villosi' ssimus (most hairy). 6. Yellow. November. 

 St. Vincent. 1822. 



COTONEA'STER. (From cotonea, Pliny's name for 

 the quince, and aster, a corruption of ad instar, generally 

 used to express likeness ; literally, quince-like. Nat. 

 ord. Appleworts [Rosaceae]. Linn. i2-Icosandria, 2- 

 Digynia.) 



Hardy shrubs, easily increased by layers or seed. 

 Common soil. 

 C. acumina' la (pointed-leaved). 4. Pink. April. Nepaul. 



1820. 

 ,, acutifo'lia (acute-leaved). Pale rose. Berries red. 



China ; Mongolia. 1910. 



adpre'ssa (adpressed). White. China. 1904. 

 affi'nis (similar). 4. Pink. April. Nepaul. 1820. 

 angustifo'lia (narrow-leaved). 6 to 7. White. Yunnan, 



China. 1902. 



,. applana'ta (flattened). White. Fruit scarlet. 

 China (?). 1907. 



