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CALLISTA 



CALLfSTA: Dendrobium. 



CALLISTEMON (Greek, kallos, beauty; stemon, a 

 stamen; in most of the species the stamens are of a 

 beautiful scarlet or crimson color). Myrtacese. BOTTLE- 

 BRUSH. Ornamental shrubs, thriving without irriga- 

 tion in California, where they are hardy and much 

 used; also planted to some extent elsewhere in warm 

 climates and occasionally seen under glass. Page 3566. 



Leaves alternate, entire, lanceolate or linear, mostly 

 with oil- or resin-dots and fragrant when crushed : fls. in 

 dense cylindric spikes, at first terminal but the axis 

 growing out as a leafy shoot; calyx-teeth 5; petals 5, 

 deciduous; stamens indefinite in number, not united; 

 anthers versatile, 

 the cells parallel 

 and bursting longi- 

 tudinally; ovary 

 inferior, maturing 

 into a caps, which 

 persists for several 

 years. About 25 

 species, natives of 

 Austral., where 

 they inhabit arid 

 districts. Distin- 

 guished from Mela- 

 leuca only by the 

 stamens, which in 

 that genus are 

 united into bundles. 

 Hall, Univ. Calif. 

 Pub. Bot. 4:22. 



The showy 

 flower-clusters, re- 

 sembling bottle- 

 brushes in shape, 

 and so giving the 

 common name to 

 the genus, are 

 highly colored and 

 render these shrubs 

 very ornamental. 

 The quantity of 

 bloom may be much 

 increased by judi- 

 cious autumn prun- 

 ing. The various 

 species are recom- 

 mended for parks, 

 depot-grounds, 

 school - yards, and 

 also for smaller 

 yards if kept well 

 pruned. Hardy only 



in warm-temperate districts but endur- 

 ing temperatures less than 20 F. 



Propagation from seeds is satisfactory: these are 

 gathered during the summer months by allowing the 

 capsules to open in boxes or on sheets of paper kept in a 

 warm place; sow in early spring in finely sifted mixture 

 of sand, leaf-mold, and loam, and cover very lightly; 

 the ordinary cool greenhouse is warm enough. 'Some 

 nurserymen state that plants from cuttings of ripened 

 wood or of wood which is getting firm at the base will 

 blossom earlier than seedlings; others find no advantage 

 in this method. Although adapted to nearly every 

 variety of soil, these plants make but slow growth in 

 heavy clay. 



A. Stamens %-l in. long. 



lanceolatus, DC. (Metrosideros semper fibr ens, Lodd.). 

 Fig. 745. Height 6-12 ft.: Ivs. lanceolate, 1^-2^ in. 

 long, about ym.. wide, acute, reddish when young; 

 midrib and lateral veins prominent: spikes 2-4 in. long, 

 bright red, less dense than in the following species: fr. 

 ovoid, contracted at summit. Jan.- June. B.M. 260 



745. Callistemon 

 lanceolatus. (X?i) 



CALLISTEPHUS 



(as M. citrina). Maiden, Fl. PI. and Ferns of New S. 

 Wales, 8. Attains 30 ft. in Austral, where the hard and 

 heavy wood is used for wheelwrights' work and for 

 mallets. Garden hybrids between this and other species 

 have been developed, especially in Eu. 



speciosus, DC. Large shrub: Ivs. narrowly lanceo- 

 late, obtuse or acute, 13/2-4 in. long, about 34 m - broad; 

 midrib prominent but lateral veins obscure: spikes 2-6 

 in. long, bright red, very dense: fr. nearly globose, the 

 summit scarcely contracted. March- June. B.M. 1761. 

 The most highly colored callistemon, the golden an- 

 thers contrasting well with the dark red filaments. 

 There are many garden forms varying in color, habit, 

 and size. 



viminalis, Cheel. Tall slender tree of pendulous habit: 

 Ivs. linear-oblong: stamens slightly shorter: rim of fr. 

 thinner. A handsome, graceful tree, very showy when 

 in full bloom. Grown at Santa Barbara, Calif. (For- 

 merly referred to C. speciosus, of which this may be a 

 form.) 



rigidus, R. Br. (C. linearifolius, DC.). Lvs. narrowly 

 linear, rigid, sharp-pointed, 2-5 in. long, about K m - 

 wide; midrib and marginal ribs prominent; cross-nerves 

 often hidden by oil-dots: spikes deep red, large, dense. 

 March- July. B.R. 393. Stiffly branched shrub, the 

 branches inclined to become rangy; best form and 

 bloom secured by means of autumn pruning. In order 

 to have fine specimen plants, cult, well and now and 

 then give an application of commercial fertilizer. 



linearis, DC. Scarcely more than an extreme form 

 of C. rigidus with very narrow Ivs. channeled above, 

 the midvein quite obscure: fr. more globular and con- 

 tracted at opening. 



AA. Stamens %in. or less long. 



salignus, DC. Tall shrub or small tree: Ivs. lanceo- 

 late, acute, 13/2-3 in. long, M~/4in. wide 

 (much narrower in one variety), very 

 distinctly permi veined : spikes yellow or 

 light pink, 1-2 in. long: fr. nearly 

 globular, with rather large opening. 

 Apr., May. B.M. 1821. Var. viridifldrus, 

 F. y. M. Lvs. only 1-2 in. long, thicker, 

 rigid; veins obscure: fls. greenish yellow. 

 B.M. 2602. 



brachyandrus, Lindl. Slender shrub, 

 young shoots soft-hairy or whole plant 

 gray with a soft pubescence: Ivs. rigid, 

 nearly terete, %-13/ in. long: spike 2-3 

 in. long, the filaments dark red but 

 nearly obscured by the golden yellow anthers. The 

 slender habit, gray foliage, and golden bloom render 

 this shrub very desirable for ornamental planting. 

 HARVEY MONROE HALL. 



CALLISTEPHUS (Greek words for beautiful 

 crown, said to be in allusion to character of fruit) . Com- 

 posite. CHINA ASTER. (See page 419, Vol. 1.) One 

 species in China and Japan. The genus Callistemma, 

 also erected by Cassini, is older than Callistephus, but 

 the latter is one of the "nomina conservanda" of the 

 Vienna code, retained because accepted and in general 

 use for fifty years following its publication. Under 

 both these generic names, Cassini described the China 

 aster as C. hortensis. It was first named by Linnaeus, 

 however, as Aster chinensis, and Nees subsequently 

 transferred this name to Callistephus, so that the plant 

 now would better bear the name Callistephus chinensis, 

 Nees. 



Callistephus is closely allied to Aster, from which it 

 differs, among other things, in its pappus, which is 

 minute and forming a crown in the outer series, and 

 of slender longer barbellate and caducous bristles in 

 the inner series: annual, erect, hispid-hairy branching 

 herbs, with showy terminal fl.-heads: Ivs. alternate, 



