COLUMBINE COM BRETACE^. 



Valuta, from which they are, however, very distinct, 

 having the interior part of the right lip or margin 

 gibbous or thickened, rendering the aperture narrow 

 and waved, and by having also a very small thin ellip- 

 tical operculum, which latter circumstance, Sowerby 

 observes, allies this genus to that of Ricinula. The 

 shells of this genus are short, small, rather thick, often 

 striated transversely, and much varied in colour ; in 

 some respects they appear allied to the genus Mitra. 

 There are plaits on the columbella, it is more or less 

 notched, and without a canal. The animal is not 

 completely known, it is of the second class Parace- 

 phalophora, first order Siphonobranchiata, first family 

 Siphonottamata. These shells inhabit the seas of hot 

 countries ; about eighteen species are enumerated by 

 Lamarck, and one fossil by De France. 



COLUMBINE is the Aqttilegia vulgaris of Lin- 

 naeus. It is a native of Britain, but has a good many 

 foreign associates. Their flowers are of very re- 

 markable structure and bright colours, for which they 

 have (bund their way into every flower garden. 



COLUMELLI ACE.E. A natural order of dico- 

 tyledonous plants, which has been formed by Mr. Don, 

 and which contains only a few genera as species. It 

 is allied to Jasminea, and corresponds with that order 

 in the structure and aestivation of its corolla, in its 

 bilocular ovary, and in the structure and dehiscence 

 of its capsule ; but it differs in having an adherent 

 ovary, a perigynous disk, an undivided stigma, and 

 an inferior capsule with many-seeded cells. The 

 essential characters, as given by Don, are : calyx 

 turbinate, superior, many toothed ; corolla rotate, five 

 to eight partite, with a convolute aestivation ; stamens 

 two ; anthers linear, one to two celled ; ovary inferior 

 two celled, with an indefinite number of ovules ; style 

 simple, declinate ; stigma capitate ; disk perigynous 

 fruit, a two celled, many seeded capsule ; seeds 

 ascending. 



The plants belonging to this order are shrubs, trees 

 or herbs, with opposite entire leaves, and solitary 

 yellow flowers. They grow in Mexico and Peru 

 Their properties are as yet unknown. The chie 

 genera of the order are, Columellia and Menodora. 



COLUMNEA (Limweus). A genus of under- 



shrubs and climbers, natives of the West Indies 



Linnaean class and order Didynamia Angiospcrmia, am 



natural order Scrophularince. Generic character 



calyx in five parts ; corolla tubular, limb erect, am 



two lipped ; upper lip hollow, elongated, and gibbou 



above the base, with acute reflexed segments on eacl 



side ; lower lip spreading, and entire ; stamens unde 



i the upper lip ; anthers two celled, and placed clos 



together ; fruit a two celled, many seeded, berry 



I These are pretty flowering plants, and easily propa 



I gated by cuttings struck in sand ; they are, however 



I easily lost if over watered or kept in a damp part o 



the stove. 



COLUTEA (Linnaeus). A genus of ornamenta 



' shrubs, natives of the south of Europe. They belon 



to Diadclphia Dccandria, and natural order Legum 



\ nosee. Generic character : calyx of five teeth ; stan 



dard furnished with two callosities at the base ; kee 



obtuse ; stigma on the side and under the apex of 



crooked style ; pod on a footstalk, inflated, mem 



branaceous. This plant is called bladder-senna i 



English lists, and is a favourite shrubbery genus, < 



they flower abundantly, and ripen seeds, by whic 



.j they are propagated. 





COL YMBETES (Clairville). An extensive genus 

 coleopterous insects belonging to the section 

 'entamera subsection Adephaga, and family of the 

 ater beetles, Dytiscidce. The species are of an inter- 

 icdiate size, and oval form. They frequent ponds, 

 rooks, and other standing as well as running water ; 

 ley are found throughout the year, but are most 

 bundant in the spring and summer months ; they 

 wim with great agility, and may often be seen in hot 

 r eather to quit their native element and rise to a 

 onsiderable height in the air with the assistance of 

 leir large wings. There are upwards of thirty British 

 pecies, including the type Dytiscus striatus, Linnaeus ; 

 tiey are generally distinguished by having the tarsi 

 omposed of fivejoints, the four anterior in the males are 

 iilated into an oblong plate, the antennae are as long 

 s the head and thorax, and the scutellum is distinct. 

 COM ARUM (Linnaeus). A British plant found 

 m most bogs, commonly called marsh-cinquefoil. It 

 elongs to Icosandria Polygynia, and to the natural 

 )rder Rosacea. This plant was called Potentilla 

 vmarum bv Scopoli, an Italian botanist. 



COMBRETACE^E, the myrobalanse family. A 

 natural order of dicotyledonous plants, containing eigh- 

 een genera, and upwards of one hundred species. It 

 s allied to Myrtacea and Onagrarice, agreeing with 

 .hose orders in the structure of the embryo and flower- 

 It also bears a strong affinity to Santalaceae and El<sa- 

 gnecB among the monochlamydeous plants. 



The essential characters of the order are : Flowers 

 hermaphrodite, rarely polygamous ; tube of the calyx 

 adherent to the ovary, limb four or five-lobed, decid- 

 uous ; petals either wanting, or from four to five in 

 number, arising from the orifice of the calyx and alter- 

 nate with its lobes ; stamens inserted into tlie top of 

 the tube of the calyx, double in number to its lobes, 

 rarely equal or triple ; filaments distinct, awl-shaped ; 

 anthers two-celled, bursting longitudinally ; ovary one 

 celled, with from two to four ovules, hanging from the 

 extremity of the cell ; style one, slender ; stigma 

 simple ; fruit, a drupe, berry, or nut, one-celled, one- 

 seeded, indehiscent, and often winged ; seed pendu- 

 lous, without albumen ; cotyledons leafy. 



The plants belonging to this order are trees or 

 shrubs, with alternate or opposite stipuled leaves, and 

 terminal or axillary spikes of flowers. They are found 

 solely in tropical regions, and grow in various parts 

 of India, Africa, and America. They possess in 

 general astringent properties. 



The order has been divided into two sections : 

 1 . Terminaliea:, corresponding to the Myrobalanece of 

 Jussieu, in which the cotyledons are rolled spirally, 

 calyx five cleft, petals wanting, and stamens ten in 

 number. This division includes the genera Termin- 

 alia, Bucida, Conocarpus, &c. 2. Combretece, the true 

 combretum tribe, in which the cotyledons are thick, 

 plaited longitudinally, calyx from four to five cleft, 

 petals from four to five in number, and stamens varying 

 from eight to ten. This section comprehends the 

 genera Combretum, Quisqualis, &c. 



The genus Terminalia contains thirty-six known 

 species, many of which are important in a medical and 

 economical point of view. Terminalia vcrnix furnishes 

 a caustic poisonous juice, which is used in China as a 

 varnish. The fruit of Terminalia bellerica, is rather 

 larger than a gall-nut when dried, and is administered 

 as a tonic and astringent. Terminalia chcbula grows 

 in the Malabar woods, and attains the height of eigh- 



