CKYPTOGRAMM K 



CRYPTOGEAMMA (Greek, a concealed line, alluding 

 to the sub-iuarf;inal sori). Polypodid,cece. A small genus 

 of subalpine Perns of Ijoth hemispheres. Lvs. of two 

 sorts, the sporophylls contracted and the sori covered 

 by the infolded margin of the segments, forming pod- 

 like bodies. Besides our native species, a second one, 

 C. crispa, is found in Europe, and a third in the Hima- 

 layas. Name often incorrectly written Cryptogramma. 

 Culture easy. 



aorosticholdes, R. Br. Rock-Brake. Height about 

 8 in. : lvs. 4-6 in. long, on tufted straw-colored stalks, 

 tri-quadripinnatifid, with toothed or incised segments, 

 the sporophylls with longer stalks, less divided and with 

 pod-like segments. Canada to Colorado, California and 

 northward. L. M. Underwood. 



CBYPT6LEPIS (Greek, hidden scale}. . 

 ce(e. Glabrous shrubs, erect or twining, of tropical 

 Asia and Africa. Lvs. opposite. Pis. in a loosely fork- 

 ing, few-fld. cyme. Calyx deeply 5-parted, with 5 scales 

 at base. Corolla with spreading limb, the tube short- 

 cylindrical or campanulate, the lobes 5 and linear, 

 spreading or deflexed and twisted ; corona of 5 scales 

 attached at or near the middle of the tube. Pollicles 

 terete and smooth, spreading. Only cult, in S. Calif, and 

 S. Pla. C. Buchanani, Room. & Scliult. A twining 

 slinili Willi yi'llcw lis., r.-sriiililiii- tli.-.- of an Echites. 

 C. longi£16ra, i{ri,'rl. Dwarf :ith1 .ciniKirt, growing with 



CUCUMBER 



405 



. tiiitf.l with red: tul.nla 



will 



Us 



yBoii 



iflv 



Both species are from India. 



CRYPTOMfiRIA (Greek, fcri/p^s, hidden, mcro.5, part; 

 meaning doubtful). Coniferw. Large pyramidal tree, 

 with a straight slender trunk, covered with reddish 

 brown bark and with verticillate spreading branches, 

 ascending at the extremities : lvs. spirally arranged, 

 linear-subulate, acute, slightly curved, decurrent at the 

 base: fls. monoecious; starainate oblong, yellow, forming 

 short racemes at the end of the branches, pistilKte 

 globular, solitary, at the end of short branchlets cone 

 globular, with thick, wedge-shaped scales, 

 furnished with a recurved point on the back 

 and with pointed lobes at the apex, each scale 

 with 3-5 narrow-winged, erect seeds. One spe 

 cies in China and Japan, extensively planted 

 for avenues, and as timber trees in the latter 

 country, where the light and easily worked 1 ut 

 durable wood is much used. It is hardy as fai 

 north as New York, and thrives in sheltered 

 positions even in New England. It seems how 

 ever, in cultivation, not to assume the beauty 

 it possesses in its native country. With us it 

 looks best as a young plant, when it much re 

 sembles the Arauearia excelsa. It is therefore 

 sometimes grown in pots. It thrives best m a 

 rich, loamy and moist soil and sheltered posi 

 tion. Prop, by seeds or by cuttings of growing 

 wood, especially var. eUfjans, which grows ver> 

 readily. The horticultural varieties are also 

 sometimes increased by grafting. 



Japdnica, Don. Tree, attaining 125 ft. lvs 

 linear-subulate, compressed and slightly 4 or ^ 

 angled, bluish green, K-1 in. long: cone brown 

 ish red, %-l in. across. S.Z. 124. R. H ISbT, 

 p. 392. Gng. 4:197. P.E.10:510. G.F. 6:44b - 

 Of the garden forms, the most desirable is var 

 ^legans, Beissn.(C. ^;f!/aHs,Veitch). Low, dense 

 tree, with horizontal branches and pendulous branchlets 

 lvs. linear, fl.ittened, soft, spreading, longer than in the 

 type, briglit grcfii, changing to bronzy red in fall and 

 winter. V.i y liiiiidsome when young, but short-living. 

 Var. araucaroides, Carr. Of regular pyramidal habit, 

 with short, thick falcate lvs., resembling Arancuria 

 excelsa. Var. comp&cta, Hort. Of very compact habit, 

 with bluish green foliage. Var. L6bbi, Carr. Of com- 

 pact habit, with shorter and more appressed bright and 

 deep green lvs. Var. nina, Knight. Dwarf and pro- 

 cumbent, densely branched form; adapted for rockeries. 

 Var. spiralis, Veitch. Slender shrub, with strongly 

 falcate lvs., twisted spirally around the branchlets. 

 S.Z. 124, Fig. 4. Alfred Rehder. 



CRYPTOPYEUM (Greek, hidden whnt). Graminem. 

 This genus includes a plant sometimes catalogued with 

 ornamental grasses, but it is no more ornamental than 

 a long-awned form of quack-grass would be. C. Richard- 

 soni, Schrad. {Agropf/rxm Ulchardsoni, Schrad. ) , is simi- 

 lar to Agropyron caninuin, but has longer awns. It is 

 leafy, and grows 1-lK ft. high. p. g. Kennedy. 



CRYPTOSTfiGIA (Greek, krupto, conceal, and stego, 

 cover; referring to the5-scaled crown in the corolla tube, 

 which is not exposed to view). Asclepiaddceo'. A genus of 

 only two species of tropical climbers, one from tropical 

 Africa and one from Madagascar. The juice of C gran- 

 di flora , when exposed to the sunshine, produces caout- 

 chouc. The plant is cultivated in India for this pur- 

 pose. It is rarely cultivated in Old World greenhouse-; 

 for ornament. It is said to be of easy culture in a warm 

 house and propagated by cuttings. 



^andifldra, R. Br. Stem erect, woody, branches twin- 

 ing : lvs. opposite, short-stalked, oblong, entire, 3 in. 

 long, 1% in. wide : fls in a forked raceme, reddish pur- 

 ple, becoming lilac or pale pink, about 2 in. across, 

 twisted in the bud. Trop. Afr. B. R. 5: 435. — Once cul- 

 tivated at Oneco, Pla., by Reasoner. 



CUCKOO FLOWER. Cardamine pratensis. 



CUCKOO PINT. See Arum. 



CUCUMBER. Plate VIII. The common Cucumbers are 

 derived from a South Asian species, Ciicumis sativus ( see 

 Cucamis), which has long been known in cultivation. 

 The so-called West India Gherkin, which is commonly 

 classed with the Cucumbers, is C'ucnmis Anguria. The 

 Snake, or Serpent Cucumber is more properly a niusk- 

 raelon, and should be designated botanically as Cucnmis 

 Melo, var. flexuosus (cf. Am. Gar. xiv. 206). The "Musk 

 Cucumber" is Cucutnis moschata, Hort. Probably this 

 is identical with Concombre musqu^, referred to Sicana 

 odorifera by Le Potager d'un Curieux known in this 

 country as Cassabanana The Mand^ra Cucumber is 



House of English Cu 



Cucumis Sacleuxii, Paill et Bois (Pot d un Curieux), 

 but it is not in cultivation in this country. None of these 

 is of any particular importance except the common types 

 of Cucumis sativus. These are extensively cultivated 

 in all civilized countries as field and as garden crops. 

 They come into commerce as pickles packed in bottles 

 and barrels, and are very extensively used in this 

 form. Of late, the forcing of Cucumbers under glass 

 has come to be an important industry in the eastern 

 states ; and this industry seems to be rapidly in- 

 creasing. 



Cucumbers will thrive in any good soil not extremely 

 heavy nor sandy. Good corn or wheat land, if in garden- 

 ing condition with respect to tilth and drainage, will 



