CYRTAN THUS DAFFODIL. 



2,15 



numerous, minute, suspended, naked or connate ; albu- 

 men none ; embryo straight cylindrical ; radicle next 

 tlio hilurn. 



The plants belonging to the order are either terres- 

 trial or parasitic, and usually herbaceous and stemless. 

 They are sometimes shrubby ; their leaves are gene- 

 rally opposite and radical, while their flowers are 

 umbellate and often of a purple or pink colour. 



They are found chiefly in the tropical regions of 

 the Old World. Their properties have not as yet 

 been determined. 



The chief genera are Cyrtandra, Didymocarpus, 

 Chirita, and Incarvillea. 



CYRTA1NTHUS (Hortus Kewensis). A genus 

 of Cape bulbs, belonging to Hexandria Moiwgynia, 

 and to the natural order AmaryUidctB. Generic 

 character : spatha few, or many-flowered on an 

 umbel ; corolla tubular, curved, enlarged above, limb 

 erect and six-cleft ; stamens inserted in the tube ; 

 filaments like threads ; anthers incumbent ; style 

 protruding ; stigma trifid ; seed-vessel three-celled. 

 This genus, like many other bulbous plants from the 

 same country, do well when grown in a pit or frame. 

 While dormant, very little water should be given, 

 but a large share when in full growth. Tnrfy loam 

 and sand, or moor earth, is a suitable soil, and it is well 

 to shift them just before they commence the summer 

 growth. They are increased by seeds or offsets. 



CYTHEH1A (Lamarck), VENUS (Gmelin). This 

 genus, notwithstanding the number of its species, was 

 blended by Linnceus with the genus Venns, contri- 

 buting to render that an overgrown and badly denned 

 family. Lamarck observes that a great difficulty 

 exists in discovering the characters of some of the 

 species, the shades of difference between them being 

 so slightly defined ; he has, however, pointed out i\a 

 a general guide to distinguish them from the genus 

 Venus, that they have all of them four primary teeth 

 on one valve, and only three united on the other, with 

 an isolated cavity, oval, and parallel to the margin, 

 the lateral teeth divergent to the summit. They are 

 all marine shells, solid, regular, equivalve, inequi- 

 lateral, apices equal, recurved, and slightly project- 

 ing. We are not positively determined upon the 

 propriety of adopting this genus in its present form, 

 but give Lamarck's definition until other reasons can 

 be adduced for changing his arrangement. Our ob- 

 ject being rather to illustrate the genera of modern 

 authors than to introduce new ones of our own creation, 

 which would lead to endless controversy, we never- 

 theless shall always freely express our opinion where 

 it is founded upon our own experience, or the well 

 authenticated observation of intelligent naturalists. 



CYTINE^E. A natural order of dicotyledonous 

 plants, containing only a few genera and species. 

 This order exhibits, in some degree, the structure of 

 both the vascular or flowering, and the cellular, or 

 flowerless class of vegetables agreeing with the 

 former in having a distinct floral envelope, and 

 obvious sexual organs, and with the latter in the 

 absence of spiral vessels, and the peculiar structure of 

 its seeds, in which no appearance of radicle or 

 cotyledons can be detected. Among the phsenogatnic 

 tribe of plants, this order bears the closest affinity to 

 Aristolochio;. Its essential characters are : flowers 

 dioecious, monoecious, or hermaphrodite ; perianth 

 adherent with the ovary, the limb in several divisions, 

 which are imbricated in asstivation ; stamens adhering 

 ia a solid central column, from the apex of which 



sometimes arise horned processes ; anthers adnate. 

 either bursting longitudinally and externally, or 

 having their inside cellular, and discharging their 

 pollen by orifices at the apex ; ovary adnate, with the 

 tube of the perianth one or many-celled, with broad 

 parietal placentas, which are covered with an inde- 

 finite number of minute ovules ; fruit an inferior 

 pulpy berry ; seeds extremely minute. 



The species belonging to this order are curious 

 parasitical brown or colourless plants, having simple 

 stems, which are covered with a few scales in place 

 of leaves, and bearing flowers which grow in spikes 

 or heads, and are sometimes solitary. They are 

 found in the south of Europe, and also in the eastern 

 Archipelago. 



In general, the properties of the order may be said 

 to be astringent. 



The chief genera are Cytinus and Rofflesia. 



Cytinus hypocistis, rape of cistus, is a fleshy pale 

 yellowish plant, found parasitic on the roots of several 

 species of Cistus in the south of Europe. The astrin- 

 gency of the plant is owing to the presence of gallic 

 acid. An infusion of it is said to precipitate gelatin. 



Rafflcsia Arnoldi, or Titan, a native of Sumatra and 

 Java, where it was first discovered in 1818, is perhaps 

 the most extraordinary vegetable production in the 

 world. It has neither stem nor leaves, and consists 

 only of an enormous flower, three feet and a half in 

 diameter, and fifteen pounds in weight, which grows 

 as a parasite on the stem of a kind of vine. The 

 flower consists of five petals, of a brick-red colour, 

 and from a quarter to three quarters of an inch in 

 thickness. In Java it is used as a powerful as- 

 tringent. 



A minute botanical description, and an accurate 

 figure of the plant, are given in the thirteenth volume 

 of the Transactions of the Linnaean Society. 



CZACKI A (Andrews). An herbaceous perennial, 

 a native of the south of Europe. It belongs to Hcx- 

 andria Monogynia, and to the order Aspkodelece. This 

 plant was formerly known by the names ofAntkericum 

 liliastrum, and Hemerocallis liliastrum ; but is now as 

 above, C. liliastrum. It is a good border flower, likes 

 a rich soil, and is propagated by dividing at the root, 

 or by seeds. 



DACRYDIUM (Solander). A New Zealand 

 genus, belonging to the class and order Monaecia 

 Monadelphia, and to the natural order ConifercE. 

 This tree is nearly allied to the genus Cypress, and 

 has been, since its introduction into our greenhouses, 

 called the New Zealand Spruce. It grows well in 

 loam and moor earth, and may be propagated by 

 cuttings planted in a pot of sand covered with a hand- 

 glass. It was called Thalaima cupressina by Sprengel. 



DACTYLIS (Linnaeus), is the generic name of 

 the common British grass, called COCKSFOOT (which 

 see). 



DAFFODIL, is the ordinary name of a very 

 common British plant, and which is one of the earliest 

 ornaments of our cottage gardens, as well as of many 

 of our woods and meadows. It is one of the most 

 conspicuous species of the Narcissus family, and of 

 course ranks among the Amaryllidece. Many varieties 

 of the daffodil are in cultivation, differing from each 

 other chiefly in bulk, and in the structure of the 

 flower. But no change has yet taken place in the 

 original colour of the flower, it still retaining its deer> 

 vcllow hue. 



