224 



CALYPTROGTNE 



CAMBIUM 



recurved at the base ; nerves numerous : petiole very 

 short : sheath short, open ; spadices simple or branched 

 at the base, long-pedunculate ; spathes 2, narrow, the 

 lower much shorter than the peduncle, split at the apex, 

 the upper deciduous, elongated, split its entire length ; 

 bracts connate, bordering the lower lip of the flower- 

 bearing cavity ; bractlets minute : fr. small, oblong or 

 obovoid. Species 8. Trop. Amer. 



(jtuesbrechtiiua, H. Wendl. (Geonbma Ghiesbreghti- 

 (ina, Lindl. A: H. Wendl.). Stem short or almost none : 

 petiole ."» t't. long : Ivs. elongate-oval ; segments in ti 

 pairs, unequal, almost opposite, rather remote, lanceo- 

 late, very long-acuminate, falcate, the two uppermost 

 on each side very wide. Chiapas, Mex. 



C. spicigera, K. Wendl. Stem evident : Ivs. irregularly pin- 

 nate, 3 ft. or less long, the stalks flat on upper side. Guate- 

 mala.— (7. SwArtzii. Hort., is a Geonoma. 



Calyptrogynes are handsome palms, seldom seen out- 

 side of large collections. Special care must be given to 

 the soil so that it will be sweet and porous, especially 

 after the plants leave the seed-pan. Well-drained pots 

 and a little charcoal mixed wirti the soil, and the plants 

 kept in a uniformly mui^t st;iTr. are conditions essential 

 to the healthy growtli of tlie plants. 



In this genus, C Ghicsbni/litimia is the most widely 

 known species, another garden name for which is 

 Geonoma Verschaffelti. These are shade-loving palms, 

 having leaves of comparatively thin texture, and con- 

 sequently are subject to attacks of red spider unless 

 properly cared for in regard to moisture. Calyptrogynes 

 are most useful in a small state, old plants in general 

 being rather leggy and poorly furnished. 



Jared G. Smith, G. W. Oliver and W. H. Taplin. 



CALYSTfiGIA. See ConvoJvuliis. 



CALYX. The outer floral envelope. See Floiver. 



327. Camassia esculenta. 



CAMASSIA (yHumasA or Camass is the Indian name). 

 Liliacea. Fls. blue, purple, or whitish, with 6 spread- 

 ing, y-7-nerved sepals, and 6 filiform stamens, filiform 

 style, and 3-angled, 3-valved, several-seeded capsule. 



The Camassias are bulbous plants, found only in the 

 temperate regions of N. Amer., and closely allied to 

 Scilia. Bulb, as in Scilla ; the many lance-shaped Ivs. 

 sheathing at base : st. erect, many-fld., bracted below 

 each flower, and flowering in long succession from the 

 bottom. The genus has not been carefully studied, and 

 many forms are confused under the same names. 

 Monogr. bv J. G. Baker, Jour. Linn. Soc. 13:256 ; S. 

 Watson, Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts and Sci. 14:240. On 

 questions of nomenclature, consult Coville, Proc. Biol. 

 Soc. Wash. 11: 61. 



Camassias are natives of rich meadows, very wet in 

 winter and spring but dry in summer. They do well in 

 any good loam, avoiding too rank manures. They are 

 perfectly hardy. Bulbs should be set in early fall, at a 

 depth of 4-6 inches, and left undisturbed. As cut-flowers, 

 they open in long succession. The bulbs produce off- 

 sets very sparingly. Seeds grow readily, and seedlings 

 bloom in three to four years. 



A. Plant 2 ft. or more high, robust: fls. very many 

 (30 or more). 

 Ciisickii, Wats. Bulb very large (weighing 4-8 oz.): 

 Ivs, numerous, broad, glaucous, somewhat undulate (15 

 in. long, often 1}4 in. wide): St. often 3 ft. high : fls. 

 30-100, very pale, delicate blue ; segments spreading, 

 crinkledatthebase, faintly3-5-nerved. Ore. G.F. 1:174. 

 — One of the best of the genus. Differs from C escu- 

 lenta in its larger bulb, more numerous Ivs. and stouter 

 and more clustered habit. Grows on drier land. Hardy 

 in New Eng., and grows well in good garden soil. 



AA. Plant usually less than S ft. high, with shorter 

 spikes : fls. fewer. 



esoul6nta, Lindl. Camass. Pig. 327. Not very stout, 

 1-2 ft.: Ivs. -Ain. or less broad : fls. 10-40, dark blue or 

 purple, the perianth irregular (5 segments on one side 

 and 1 on the other, and deflexed); segments 3-5-nerved 

 and a little longer than the stamens, narrow and chan- 

 neled at the base : pedicel not exceeding the fls.: cap- 

 sule ovate to oblong, obtuse, transversely veined. Calif, 

 to Utah and N. B.R. 18:1486. F.S. 3:275. Gn. 46, p. 339, 

 983. — Bulb cooked and eaten by the Indians. The fls. 

 vary to white. 



LelchtUnii, Wats. Stout, often 3 ft, high: fls. cream- 

 colored, ranging to white, nearly regular, the stamens 

 and style ascending; segments broad and flattened at the 

 base, usually 5-7-nerved ; capsule oblong-ovate, emar- 

 ginate, obliquely veined. Mts., Calif., N. B.M. 6287, 

 as 0. esculenta, var. Leichtlinii, Baker. — Purple-fld. 

 Camassias are sometimes referred to this species, but 

 it is doubtful if they belong with it. 



Hdwellii, Wats. Bulb rather small : Ivs. few, 1 ft. 

 long and less than }^in. wide : St. often 2 ft. high, many- 

 fld., with spreading pedicels twice or more longer than 

 the linear bracts : fls. pale purple, opening in the after- 

 noon, the segments 3^in. long, 3-5-nerved : capsule 

 small, broadly triangular-ovate and very obtuse. Ore. 

 -Int. 1892 by Pilkington & Co. 



Friseri, Torr. Scape 12-18 in. high : Ivs. keeled : fls. 

 light blue, smaller than in C. esculenta ; segments 3- 

 nerved : pedicels mostly longer than the fls. Penn., 

 W. and S. B.M. 1574, as Scilla esculenta. 



Var. angiista, Torr. (C. angxista, Hort.). Very slen- 

 der, and Ivs. narrower (Hin. wide): fls. smaller, % or 

 Hin. long. La. and Ark. to Tex. 



L. H. B. and Carl Purdy. 



CAMBIUM is a nascent layer of tissue between the 

 wood and bark of trees and shrubs. From it is developed 

 secondary wood and bast. The thickening of stems and 

 roots is mainly due to activity of the cambium. It is 

 most evident in June and July, when tissues are rapidly 

 forming. Woodsmen take advantage of this to peel bark. 

 Boys also take advantage of the readiness with which 

 bark and wood separate at the cambium to make whistles 

 of basswood or willow. Trees are more easily bruised at 

 this time in the year than at any other. The cambium 

 plays an important part in the healing of wounds upon 

 steins. It is the union of the cambium layers of cion and 

 stock that makes grafting possible. Yf. W. Rowlee. 



