398 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



CRISTARIA (from crista, a crest ; in reference to the 

 carpels having two crest-like rings in the centre of each). 

 OBD. Malvaceae, A genus of about twenty species of 

 generally prostrate, tomentose herbs, all natives of extra- 

 tropical South America. Probably there are none in culti- 

 vation in this country, although most of the species are 

 well worth growing. 

 C. oocdnea. See Malvastrnm oocdnenm. 



CRITHMUM (from krithe, Barley ; in allusion to the 

 similarity existing in the seed). Samphire. OBD. Um- 

 bettiferce. A suffruticose, glabrous, fleshy herb. Umbels 

 compound; involucre and involucels of many leaves. 

 Leaves bipinnate; leaflets oblong, linear; petioles sheath- 

 ing at the base. Samphire grows best in a warm, dry 

 position, near the sea coast. When grown inland, it 

 requires a sunny situation, and protection during the 

 winter. It may be propagated by divisions, or by seeds; 

 the latter should be sown as soon as ripe, as, if kept 

 till spring, they are longer in germinating. 

 C. maritimum (maritime). /. white, with yellowish anthers. 

 August. A. 1ft. Britain. (Sy. En. B. 606.) 



CROCKING. A term applied to the placing of a piece 

 of potsherd over the hole at the bottom of a pot. 



CROCOSMIA (from crocus, saffron, and osme, smell ; in 

 allusion to the very pronounced odour of saffron exhaled 

 by the dried flowers of this plant when immersed in warm 

 water). OBD. Irideae. A monotypic genus, generally 

 known as Tritonia. The species is a very handsome hardy, 

 or nearly hardy, bulbous perennial, and thrives best in a 

 light, rich, sandy soil. It is often grown in pots for the 

 greenhouse ; but, with a little care, it will be found to 

 thrive remarkably well in the open. In cold, northerly 

 situations, the better plan will be to lift the roots in 

 November, and store in frost-proof quarters until the 

 following spring ; but they must not be kept so dry as to 

 cause them to shrivel. Propagated by offsets, or by seeds ; 

 the hitter should be sown in pans, in a cold house, as 

 soon as possible after maturity ; but where the Crocosmia 

 does well, the corms increase pretty freely. 



C. aurea (golden).* fl. brilliant orange-red, few ; perianth with a 

 longish curved slender tube, and a nearly regular six-parted limb 

 of oblong segments spreading in a star-like form ; spike terminal, 

 branched. Summer and autumn. I. narrowly sword-shaped, 

 1ft. long, Jin. broad, sheathing at the base of the stem for about 

 1ft. Stem slightly winged, h. 2ft. South Africa, 1846. SYN. 

 Tritonia aurea. (B. M. 4335.) 



CROCUS (a Chaldean name, applied by Theophrastus). 

 OBD. IridecB. A well-known genus of hardy bulbous plants. 

 Scapes enveloped in a thin tubular sheath; perianth 

 regular, consisting of six (generally) nearly equal seg- 

 ments, and with a long slender tube. Leaves slender, 

 narrow, linear, channelled, with recurved margins; de- 

 veloping after the blossoms have faded, or simultaneously 

 with them. Corms fleshy, with sheathing fibrous coats. 

 This genus contains about seventy species, and is con- 

 fined to Europe, North Africa, and North and West Asia. 

 It is generally represented in our gardens by about a 

 dozen species, and the innumerable varieties of C. vernus. 

 As a great many that enjoy undisputed claims to specific 

 rank are by no means distinct enough in general appear- 

 ance to arrest the attention of any but specialists, the 

 enumeration of species is confined to those which are in 

 more general cultivation. For full account and descrip- 

 tions of all the known species, the reader should consult 

 Mr. Maw's " Synopsis," published in the " Gardeners' 

 Chronicle," n. s., vol. rvi. 



Some of the species flower in the autumn as freely as, 

 and in a similar way to what, the majority of other 

 species and nearly all the numerous cultivated varieties 

 flower in spring. C. speciosus may be mentioned as one 

 of the best. Those, however, which flower from December 

 to January, are so very liable to be injured by severe 

 frosts, that it is better to afford them the shelter of a 

 sold frame. 



Croons continued. 



PBOPAQATION. This is effected by seed, for raising new 

 varieties ; and the increase of the corms perpetuates 

 established species and forms. Each year, one, or in some 

 cases, several young corms are formed, either on the top 

 or by the side of the old one, the latter annually dying 

 away. For increasing stock, these may be lifted and re- 

 planted singly, allowing sufficient room for each in its turn 

 to develop new corms the following year. More would be 

 obtained of varieties that increase rapidly, by this method, 

 than if they were left crowded together. Some species 

 increase very slowly, and these, with many that are scarce 

 and valuable, are best left undisturbed, so long as they 

 grow satisfactorily. 



Seed. The seed of the Crocus should be sown as soon 

 as ripe, or early in spring, the choicer strains in pots or 

 boxes, using a light sandy soil, and afterwards placing 

 them in a cold pit or frame, while the commoner 

 varieties may be placed in a warm position outside, in a 

 seed-bed. The seed germinates freely, and must be sown 

 thinly, so as to allow the plants space to grow for two 

 seasons in the seed-pan or bed, without lifting. They will 

 need but little attention beyond being occasionally weeded 

 and watered. After the second year, when the corms die 

 down, they should be shaken out, and replanted. In the 

 third or fourth year, most of them will flower, and any 

 good ones may then be selected. It is an excellent plan 

 to top-dress the seed-beds or pans, after the first season, 

 with an inch or two of rich compost. 



CULTIVATION. Many of the species thrive on rock- 

 work, in soil that has a good proportion of small stones 

 intermixed, thereby insuring thorough drainage. If planted 

 deeply and permanently in such a position, dwarf- 

 growing plants, such as mossy Saxifrages, may be placed 

 above, and the Crocuses allowed to grow through, when 

 flowering. It is difficult to keep a collection separate and 

 distinct, if planted near each other. The corms, by their 

 mode of propagation underground, gradually become re- 

 moved to a considerable distance from where they were 

 first placed ; and, if other species are near, the whole soon 

 become mixed. The remedy is to lift and replant, or 

 make a limited inclosnre for each with slates, placed on 

 edge in the ground. It is not necessary to lift often for 

 any other purpose. As soon as the leaves are ripened, and 

 die away, is the best time for lifting, if it is required. 

 Sandy loam, with the addition of some leaf soil and sharp 

 grit or crushed stones, is a good compost ; and it is pre- 

 ferable to prepare this and replant at once. The ordinary 

 varieties of spring-flowering Crocuses, so much cultivated, 

 will grow and flower freely in almost any soil or position. 

 They are very largely imported from Holland, in the autumn 

 of each year ; and the quicker planting is taken in hand, 

 after their arrival, the better. The margins of flower-beds, 

 planted with other bulbs, or of borders running parallel 

 with a walk, are positions, among innumerable others, 

 that may be rendered attractive by a mass of differently- 

 coloured Crocuses. The corms can be inserted most 

 regularly in a small trench, about Sin. deep, placing them 

 a similar distance apart. The leaves should be left alone 

 after flowering is over until they ripen, and the corms need 

 not be lifted unless the place is required for other plants 

 in summer. In this case, they may be transplanted, and 

 allowed to ripen elsewhere. 



Cultivation tn Pots. Spring Crocuses are useful and 

 very ornamental when flowering in pots. The imported 

 roots may be bought cheaply in autumn, and their cultiva- 

 tion is within the reach of all. Place five or six corms in 

 a 5in. pot, or four in a smaller one, and bury them in ashes 

 outside for a time until filled with roots, when they should 

 be very gradually brought on in a cool pit or house. The 

 Crocus will not flower if exposed to fire heat, nor must 

 severe forcing be attempted. If placed in a light position, 

 with a little higher temperature than that outside, each 

 corm will produce several flowers earlier than those planted 



