C E N 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



C E N 



275 



phrodite, very many in the disk ; females fewer, larger, lax in 

 the ray. Proper of the hermaphrodite monopetalous ; tube 

 filiform ; border ventricose, oblong, erect, terminated by five 

 divisions, which are linear, erect. Of the females mono- 

 petalous, funnel form ; tube slender, gradually enlarged, 

 recurved ; border oblong, oblique, unequally divided. Sta- 

 mina : in the hermaphrodites : filamenta five, capillary, very 

 short ; antherse cylindric, tubular, length of the corollule. 

 Pistil : in the hermaphrodites : germen small ; style filiform, 

 length of the stamina ; stigma very obtuse, projecting in a 

 point which in many is bifid : in the females ; germen very 

 small ; style scarcely any ; stigma none. Pericarp : none ; 

 calix unchanged, converging. Seeds : in the hermaphrodites 

 solitary ; down or egret, in most plumose or pilose ; in the 

 females none. Receptacle: bristly. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. 

 Receptacle : bristly. Down : simple. Corolla : of the ray 

 funnel-form, longer, irregular. The numerous species of 

 this genus may be increased without great difficult)' : those 

 which are annual, by seeds; and such as are perennial, both 

 that way and by parting the roots. The seeds of the greater 

 part may be sown either in spring or autumn in a bed of light 

 earth, either to remain where they are ; and in that case only 

 to be thinned and kept clean from weeds ; or to be pricked 

 out when of a proper size, into a bed of fresh earth, about six 

 inches asunder, there to remain till autumn, when they should 

 , be planted where they are to continue : most of them are 

 j hardy, and none of them very tender, although some require 



a little protection in this climate. The species are, 



* Jaceas : Calices even, unarmed. 



1. Centaurea Crupina ; Black-seeded Centaury, or Bearded 

 Creeper. Scales lanceolate ; leaves pinnate, serrate, subciliate. 

 Stem striated, three feet high, almost quite simple. Native 

 of the south of France, Tuscany, the Levant, &c. Annual. 



2. Centaurea Moschata ; Purple Sweet Centaury, or Sweet 

 Sultan. Calices roundish, smooth ; scales ovate ; leaves 

 lyrate-toothed. This is annual; and has long been propagated 

 in the English gardens, under the name of Sultan-flower, or 

 Sweet-Sultan. It was brought from the Levant, where it 

 grows naturally in arable land among the corn. It sends up 

 a round channelled stalk nearly three feet high, which divides 

 into many branches, with jagged leaves, of a pale green, 

 smooth, and close to the branches ; from the side of the 

 branches come out long naked peduncles, each sustaining a 

 single head of flowers,which are purple, white, or flesh-colour- 

 ed, and have a very strong odour, which is as offensive to 

 some as it is agreeable to others. The seeds of this species 

 are commonly sown upon a hot-bed in the spring, to bring the 

 plants forward, and in May they are transplanted in the bor- 

 ders of the flower-garden ; but if the seeds be sown in a warm 

 border in autumn, they will live through the winter; and these 

 plants may be removed in the spring into the flower-garden, 

 and will be stronger and come earlier to flower than thosewhich 

 are raised in the spring. The seeds may also be sown in the 

 spring on a common warm border, where the plants will rise 

 very well, but will be later in flowering than any of the rest. 

 The autumnal plants will begin to flower in the middle of 

 June, and will continue flowering till September. The spring 

 plants will flower a month later, until the frost stops them. 

 The seeds ripen in autumn. The yellow Sweet Sultan is much 

 tenderer than the former ; its seeds must be sown upon a 

 hot-bed in the spring; and when the plants are fit to remove, 



tthey should be transplanted into a fresh hot-bed to bring 

 them forward ; and when they have taken root in this bed, 

 they must have air admitted to them every day, to prevent 

 their drawing up weak, and be sparingly refreshed with 

 water, because they are very apt to rot with much wet. 



3. Centaurea Crucifolia. Scales lanceolate ; leaves lanceo- 

 late, somewhat toothed. Root annual ; stem a foot high, 

 rough with hairs ; corolla bright purple ; calices pubescent. 



4. Centaurea Lippii ; Egyptian Centaury. Scales mucro- 

 nate; leaves subdecurrent,lyrate-toothed;corollas purple,with 

 a large ray .--Native of Egypt, betweenAlexandriaandRosetta. 



5. Centaurea Alpina ; Alpine Centaury. Scales ovate-ob- 

 tuse ; leaves pinnated, smooth, quite entire, the odd leaflet 

 serrated. Root perennial, striking deep into the ground. 

 It grows naturally upon the Alps and in Italy. 



6. Centaurea Centaurium ; Great Centaury. Scales ovate; 

 leaves pinnated ; leaflets serrated, decurrent. The flowers 

 are purple, and come out in June. This has a strong peren- 

 nial root, and grows naturally on the mountains of Italy, 

 Spain, and Tartary. It is supposed to be the tristia cen- 

 taurea of Lucretius, and the graveolentia centaurea of Virgil, 

 recommended by the latter in disorders of the bees. It may 

 be propagated by parting the roots : as it requires much 

 room, it is not proper for small gardens ; but in large open 

 borders, or on the edges of plantations, with other tall 

 growing plants, it makes a good figure. 



'* Cyani : With Scales of the Calix serrate- ciliated. 



7. Centaurea Phrygia ; Austrian Centaury. Calices re- 

 curve-plumose ; leaves undivided, oblong, scabrous. Stem 

 somewhat shrubby, upright, from eight or ten inches to a 

 cubit in height, often branched, furrowed, hispid, but not to- 

 mentose ; corolla a fine red. Native of Germany, Austria, 

 and Switzerland. 



8. Centaurea Capillata ; Featliered Centaury. Calices re- 

 curved, plumose; bottom leaves pinnated, toothed; upper 

 lanceolate. Stem four or five feet high, angular, hard, 

 branching. Native of Spain and Siberia. 



9. Centaurea Uniflora ; One-Jlowered Centaury. Calices 

 recurve-plumose ; leaves lanceolate, somewhat toothed, to- 

 mentose. This is a palm or foot in height ; corolla purple ; 

 leaves very narrow, lanceolate, quite entire, covered with a 

 very white pile. Native of the south of Europe. 



10. Centaurea Linifolia ; Flax-leaved Centaury. Calices 

 recurve-plumose ; leaves linear, scattered. Stem a palm in 

 height, often decumbent, branching from the bottom, fur- 

 rowed, angular, rough with stiff hairs ; corolla purple. 

 Perennial ; and a native of Spain and Italy. 



11. Centaurea Pectinata. Calices recurve-plumose; leaves 

 lyrate, toothletted ; branch-leaves lanceolate, quite entire ; 

 corollets pale purple, or white, all equal. Native of Spain, 

 south of France, and Silesia. 



12. Centaurea Nigra ; Black Centaury, or Knapweed. 

 Calices ciliate, with the little scale ovate ; cilias capillary, 

 erect; leaves lyrate, angular ; flowers floscular. Stem from 

 two to three feet in height ; florets all alike ; tube whitish, 

 long, and narrow ; border purple. This plant has many 

 provincial names, as knap-weed, knop-weed, knob-weed, 

 horse-knops ; all from knob or nob, a head ; also hard-heuds, 

 hard-irons, and matfellon ; in Scotland, horse-knot. It is 

 found in Germany, Austria, and France. It is a bad weed 

 in the English meadows and pastures, being a harsh stub- 

 born plant, seldom touched by cattle either green or in hay, 

 and being very difficult to extirpate. 



13. Centaurea Pullata. Calices ciliate, vertical, leafy ; 

 leaves lyrate, toothed, obtuse. It is a low plant; corolla 

 purplish, with a large ray. It flowers in June and July, 

 and the seeds ripen in autumn. Native of the south of 

 France, Spain, and the Levant. 



14. Centaurea Montana; Mountain Centaury, Perennial 

 Blue Bottle, or Batchelors Buttons. Calices serrate ; leaves 

 lanceolate, decurrent; stem quite simple. Root perennial, 



