C E R 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONAR* . 



C E R 



279 



linear; axillas one-flowered, and one terminal flower. 

 Height eighteen inches ; stem round ; flower blue. Annual. 

 Found by Dana in the vineyards of Unelia. 



77. Centaurea Aurea ; Great Golden Centaury. Calices 

 most simply thorned ; thorns spreading; floscules equal; leaves 

 hirsute, the lower pinnatifid. Native of the south of Europe. 



Centaury. See Centaurea, Chlora, and Gentiana. 



Centunculus ; a genus of the class Tetandria, order Mono- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calii .- perianth four-cleft, 

 spreading, permanent ; divisions acute, lanceolate, longer 

 than the corolla. Corolla : monopetalous, rotated ; tube 

 subglobular; border four-cleft, flat; divisions subovate. 

 Stamina: filamenta four, almost the length of the corolla; 

 antherse simple. Pistil: germen roundish, within the tube of 

 the corolla ; style filiform, length of the corolla, permanent ; 

 stigma simple. Pericarp: capsule globular, unilocular, 

 opening horizontally. Seeds : very many, very small. ES- 

 SENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix : four-cleft. Corolla: four- 

 cleft, spreading. Stamina : short. Capsule : one-celled, 

 opening horizontally. The only known species is, 



1. Centunculus Minimus ; Bastard Pimpernel. Root 

 annual, fibrous ; stem one or two inches high ; leaves alter- 

 nate, egg-shaped, quite entire, smooth ; flowers very minute, 

 white, solitary, axillary, sessile. Native of Italy, France, 

 Germany, Britain, Denmark, Scania; in sandy or gravelly 

 moist places. It is found on Hounslow Heath, on Ashford 

 Common, near Hampton Court, Chislehurst, &c. flowering 

 from June till August. 



Ceplialanthus ; a genus of the class Tetrandria, order Mo- 

 nogynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix : perianth common 

 none, but the receptacle collecting many floscules into a 

 globose head ; perianth proper one-leafed, funnel- form, 

 angular ; border quadrifid. Corolla .- universal, equal ; proper 

 monopetalous, funnel-form, acute, quadrifid. Stamina .- fila- 

 menta four, inserted into the corolla, shorter than the bor- 

 der ; antheree globose. Pistil: germen inferior; style 

 longer than the corolla; stigma globose. Pericarp: none. 

 Seeds : solitary, long, attenuated at the base, pyramidal and 

 lanuginous. Receptacle: common globular, villose. ESSEN- 

 TIAL CHARACTER. Calix: common none; proper superior, 

 funnel-form. Receptacle: globular, naked. Seed: one, 

 lanuginous. The species are, 



1. Cephalanthus Occidentalis ; American Button Wood. 

 Leaves in pairs or threes ; heads terminal, forminga kind of 

 raceme. This shrub seldom rises higher than six or seven 

 feet in this country ; flowers whitish.-^Native of swamps in 

 Carolina. A decoction of the wood or root is used for the 

 bite of venomous animals, and is reported to be efficacious 

 in venereal complaints. 



2. Cephalanthus Angustifolius. Leaves lanceolate-linear, 

 opposite. This is a middle-sized tree, with ascending 

 branches. Native of Cochin-china. 



3. Cephalanthus Procumbens. Stem procumbent ; leaves 

 ovate-lanceolate, .alternate. This is a thick shrub, with many 

 long funicular branches; flowers violet-coloured; leaves large, 

 quite entire, tomentose, petioled. Native of Cochin-china. 



4. Cephalanthus Montanus. Leaves ovate, crenate, alter- 

 nate. A large tree, with hempen bark, and spreading 

 branches. Native of China. 



5. Cephalanthus Stellatus. Leaves stellate, lanceolate- 

 linear. A middle-sized tree, with ascending branches. 

 Native of Cochin-china. 



Cerastium ; a genus of the class Decandria, order Penta- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-leaved ; 

 leaflets ovate-lanceolate, acute, spreading, permanent. 

 Corolla: petals five, bifid, obtuse, erect-expanding, length 



of the calix. Stamina: filamenta ten, filiform, shorter than 

 the corolla, the alternate ones shorter; antherae roundish. 

 Pistil : germen ovate ; styles five, capillary, erect, length of 

 the stamina; stigmas obtuse. Pericarp: capsule ovate, 

 cylindric, or globular, obtuse, unilocular, gaping with a 

 five-toothed tip. Seeds : very many, roundish. ESSENTIAL 

 CHARACTER. Calix : five-leaved. Petals : bifid. Capsule : 

 unilocular, gaping at the tip. None of these plants make 

 much appearance, and they are therefore only cultivated in 

 botanic-gardens ; some of them are common weeds in most 

 parts of Europe : the smoother sorts are not disagreeable to 

 cattle, and the seeds are useful to small birds. They are all 

 raised from seeds which should be sown in autumn. They 

 require no other care than to keep them clean from weeds. 



The species are, 



* With oblong Capsules. 



1 . Cerastium Perfoliatum ; Perfoliate Mouse-Ear. Leaves 

 connate, quite smooth, glaucous ; petals smaller than the 

 calix. Root annual ; stem about a foot high, cylindrical, 

 leafy, upright, weak ; flowers terminal and axillary, white, 

 on short peduncles; calix bell-shaped. Native of Greece. 



2. Cerastium Vulgatum ; Common or Narrow-leaved Mouse- 

 Ear. Leaves ovate; petals equal to the calix; stems diffused. 

 It flowers during the whole summer, from May, on walls, by 

 road-sides, among rubbish, and in meadows. Annual. 

 Native of England, and other parts of Europe. 



3. Cerastium Viscosum; Clammy or Broad-leaved Mouse- 

 Ear. Erect, villose, viscous. This plant is annual ; stem 

 branched at bottom, covered with hairs, each of which is 

 terminated by a gland exuding a viscid juice. It is found in 

 meadows, oh walls, dry banks, and ant-hills, varying in size 

 from three inches to a foot ; and flowers in April and May. 



4. Cerastium 'Semidecandrium ; Least Mouse-Ear. Flowers 

 five-stamined; petals emarginate. Stems from two to six 

 inched high, purplish, covered with glandulous hairs. It is 

 annual; flowering early, and soon disappearing. Found 

 upon walls and heaths. 



5. Cerastium Pentandrium ; Five-stamined Mouse-Ear. 

 Flowers five-stamined ; petals entire. Very small. Native 

 of Spain. 



6. Cerastium Arvense ; Corn Mouse-Ear. Leaves linear- 

 lahceolate or obtuse, smooth ; corollas larger than the calix : 

 root perennial, creeping. Thewhole plant is often very hairy. 

 -It 'is found flowering from May and June till September, in 

 corn-fields, dry pastures, heaths, and banks. It has been ob- 

 served near Croydon in Surry, about Newmarket, Bury, and 

 Norwich, arid frequently in Cambridgeshire. 



7- Cerastium Dichotomum ; Forked Mouse-Ear. Leaves 

 lanceolate ; stem dichotomous, about six inches high, very 

 much branched; capsules erect. The whole plant is clammy. 

 It grows upon arable land in Spain : is annual ; flowering 

 in May, and ripening seeds in July. 



8. Cerastium Alpinum ; Alpine Mouse- Ear. Leaves ovate- 

 lanceolate; stem divided ; capsules oblong; root creeping. 

 Found upon high mountains in many parts of Europe ; 

 Snowden, and other parts of Wales. 



9. Cerastium Dioicum ; Spanish Mouse-Ear. Hairy, 

 viscid : leaves lanceolate ; flowers dicecous ; petals three 

 times larger than the calix: perennial. Native of Spain. 



** With roundish Capsules. 



10. Cerastium Repens ; Creeping Mouse-Ear, or Sea Pink. 

 Leaves lanceolate ; peduncles branching; capsules roundish. 

 It sends out many weak, trailing stalks, which put out roots 

 at their joints; the leaves are two inches long, and less than 

 half an inch broad, very hoary; flowers from the sides of the 

 stalks upon slender peduncles, white. It grows naturally in 



