914 



CUPHEA 



CUPRESSUS 



1145. Cuphea ignea. 



<xx> 



unequal, dilute violet; stamens 11, included; filaments 

 villous; ovary 5-6-seeded. Mex. This is the least 

 attractive of the species here described, and is no longer 

 advertised, but it probably still lingers in conserva- 

 tories. It is readily distinguished from its showier rela- 

 tives by its much smaller Ivs. 

 (less than J^in. long) and much- 

 branched and woody appearance. 



AAAA. Petals normally 2, the other 

 4 abortive. 



B. Size of petals very small, less 

 than half as long as the calyx. 

 6. cyanea, Moc.. & Sesse (C. 

 strigulosa, Hort., not HBK. C. 

 Galleottidna, Hort.). St. her- 

 baceous, erect : branchlets hispid : 

 Ivs. opposite, stalked, ovate, cor- 

 date, acuminate, villous on both 

 sides: peduncles alternate, race- 

 mose; calyx slightly hispid, scar- 

 let at the base, yellow at the 

 top; petals 2, clawed, spatulate; 

 anthers and petals violet-blue. 

 Mex. B.R. 32:14 (as C. strigillosa, Lindl.) F.S. 1:15 

 and P.M. 11:241 as C. strigulosa, but neither of these 

 plates is the C. strigulosa, HBK., which is a different 

 species, with a shrubby st. : branches and calyx clammy- 

 hispid: Ivs. ovate-oblong, acute at both ends, clammy, 

 glabrous above, strigose-scabrous below: petals nearly 

 equal; ovary about 8-ovuled. 



BB. Size of petals larger, half as long as the calyx or longer, 

 c. Calyx 6-toothed. 



7. Llavea, Lindl. RED- WHITE- AND-BLUE FLOWER. 

 Fig. 1144. Sts. numerous, herbaceous, hispid : branches 

 ascending: Ivs. almost sessile, especially near the top, 

 ovate-lanceolate, strigose: racemes short, few-fld.; 

 calyx green on the ventral side, purple on the back 

 and at the oblique-6-toothed mouth; petals 2, large, 

 scarlet, obovate, the other 4 abortive; stamens 11. 

 Guatemala. B.R. 1386. J.H. III. 31:305. It is 

 doubtful whether the plant described by Lindley is 

 the same as the Mexican plant originally described 

 by Lexarza, which was said to have petals of 

 "dilute scarlet." Lindley's plant had a green calyx, 

 but the plant in the trade is colored. Used for 

 baskets and bedding. Often misspelled Llavse. 



cc. Calyx 12-toothed. 



8. miniata, Brongn. St. shrubby, erect : branches 

 few, hispid: Ivs. opposite, the upper ones not quite 

 opposite, with a very short petiole, ovate, acute, 

 entire, with white, silky hairs which are denser 

 beneath: fls. solitary, subsessile, axillary, the pe- 

 duncle adnate to the branch in such a way as to 

 appear between and below the petioles; raceme few- 

 fld., 1-sided. F.S. 2:73. P.M. 14:101. R.H. 1845: 

 225. R.B. 22:85. Var. alba, Hort. A white-fld. 

 variety. Var. compficta, Hort. S.H. 2:43. Gt. 46, 

 p. 637. This is referred to C. Llavea of Lexarza, by 

 Index Kewensis. The above description is from the 

 original in F.S. 2:73. Van Houtte describes sev- 

 eral hybrid varieties in F.S. 5, p. 487, which differ 

 chiefly in size, color, and marking of petals. Calyx 

 1 in. long, hispid, green at the base, purple above, 

 12-toothed at the tip; petals 2, scarlet, wavy. The 

 specific name miniata means cinnabar-red, and 

 refers to the petals. 



AAAAA. Petals 0. 



9. ignea, DC. (C. platycentra, Hort., not Benth.). 

 Fig. 1145. Branches somewhat angled: Ivs. petioled, 

 ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, narrowed at the base, 

 lightly scabrous: fl. -stalks 2-4 times longer than the 

 If .-stalks; calyx glabrous, shortly 6-toothed, bright 



red except at the tip, which has a dark ring and a white 

 mouth; petals 0; stamens 11 or 12, glabrous. Mex. 

 F.S. 2:180. P.M. 13:267. This is still sold as C. platy- 

 centra, although De Candolle corrected the error in 

 1849 (F.S. 5:500 c). This is a remarkable instance of 

 the persistence of erroneous trade names. 



WILHELM MILLER. 

 N. TAYLOR, f 



CUPRESSUS (ancient Latin name from Greek, 

 Kuparissos). CYPRESS. Pindcese. Evergreens, culti- 

 vated for their graceful habit and the, dark green or 

 glaucous foliage; some are timber trees. 



Trees, rarely shrubs, with aromatic evergreen foliage: 

 branchlets quadrangular or nearly so: Ivs. opposite, 

 small, scale-like, appressed, minutely denticulate-ciliate, 

 on young seedling plants linear-subulate and spreading: 

 fls. monoecious, minute, solitary on short branchlets; 

 staminate ovate or oblong, yellow; pistillate subglobose: 

 cones globular or nearly so, consisting of 3-7 pairs of 

 ligneous, peltate scales, with a mucro or boss on the 

 flattened apex, each bearing many or numerous seeds, 

 but the lower scales usually sterile and smaller; they 

 ripen the second year. About 12 species in Cent. 

 Amer., north to Calif, and Ariz., and from S. Eu. to S. 

 E.'Asia. Monogr. by M. T. Masters in Journ. of Linn. 

 Soc. 31:312-51 (1895). By some botanists, the allied 

 genus Chamsecyparis is included. 



The cypresses are highly ornamental evergreen trees, 

 greatly varying in habit, hardy only in California and 

 the Gulf states. The hardiest seems to be C. Macnab- 

 iana and C. arizonica, which will stand many degrees of 

 frost in a sheltered position; also C. macrocarpa, C. 

 sempervirens, C. funebris and C. torulosa are of greater 

 hardiness than the others. They stand pruning well, 

 and some species are valuable for hedges, C. macrocarpa 

 being especially extensively planted for this purpose 

 in California. C. arizonica yields excellent timber. 

 The cypresses seem not to be very particular in regard 



1146. Cupressus sempervirens. Verona. 



