C E L 



C E L 



a light ash-coloured bark, and full of joints, 

 armed with long spines, upon which grew many 

 small leaves : the branches are slender, armed 

 also with spines at every joint; but the whole 

 plant is so weak as to require support: the 

 leaves come out in clusters without order, are 

 shaped somewhat like those of the narrow-leaved 

 box-tree, but longer and of a loose texture; are 

 obovate and acutely serrate: both thebranchesand 

 branchiets are angular : the flowers are on pe- 

 duncled cymes from the axils, and the fruit 

 globular. It is a native of the Cape, flowering 

 in May and June, 



Culture. — The two first species are capable of 

 being raised either by seeds or layers, but the 

 latter is the more ready method. 



In the first mode, the seeds should be sown 

 UjSSS light fresh earth, either in beds or pots, as 

 soon as they are procured from abroad, keeping 

 them perfectly free from weeds till the plants are 

 of sufficient growth to be planted out in nursery- 

 beds, watering them occasionally when the 

 weather is dry. They are mostly lit for this in 

 the course of about two years. 



In the latter method, layers from the young 

 shoots should be laid down in the autumn, slit- 

 ting them at a joint on the under sides. They 

 are mostly sufficiently rooted to be taken off and 

 planted out in the nursery in rows by the suc- 

 ceeding autumn. 



The latter species should have a rather moist 

 loamy soil. 



The two last sorts are likewise capable of be- 

 ing increased in the same methods ; but they 

 should be in pots, in order to their being placed 

 under the protection of frames or other contri- 

 vances when the weather is severe. After they 

 have had a twelvemonth's growth they may be 

 removed into other pots separately. 



Cuttings made from the young shoots in all 

 the sorts may likewise be stricken in the early 

 spring months in pots exposed to a hotbed heat. 

 These may be planted out in the following 

 autumn, either in pots separately, or where they 

 are to remain, according to their kinds. 



These sorts should not be treated too tenderly, 

 as they are apt to be rendered weak in their 

 branches and less verdant. 



The two first species are of a hardy nature, 

 being well adapted to the borders and clumps of 

 pleasure-grounds in mixture with other shrubs 

 of the. more tall growths. The first should, how- 

 ever, have a warm aspect and rather dry soil. The 

 latter also succeeds in wilderness quarters under 

 the shade of tall trees, where it winds itself about 

 them to a great height, producing a fine effect 

 in the autumn by its fruit. 



The last two sorts are more tender, requiring, 



as just observed, to be kept in pots to have the 

 protection of the greenhouse in winter, where 

 they allbrd variety in assemblage with others 

 of the more hardy kinds. 



CELERY. SeeApiUM. 



CELOSIA, a genus containing plants of the 

 flowery ornamental annual kind. The Amaranth, 

 or Cock's Comb. 



It belongs to the class and order Pentandria 

 Monogytiiu, and ranks in the natural order of 

 MiscelLuieoe. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a three- 

 leaved perianthium : leaflets lanceolate, dry, acute, 

 and permanent, similar to the corolla: the co- 

 rolla has five petals, lanceolate, acuminate, erect, 

 permanent, stiffish, calyciform: the nectary a 

 margin surrounding the germ, very small, five- 

 cleft : the stamina consist of five subulate fila- 

 ments, conjoined at the base to the plaited nec- 

 tary, the length of the corolla: the anthers ver- 

 satile: thepistillum is a globular germ : the style 

 subulate, straight, the length of the stamens : the 

 stigma simple : the pericarpium is a globular cap- 

 sule, surrounded by the corolla, one-celled, cir- 

 cumcised : the seeds few, roundish, and emar- 

 ginate. 



The species commonly cultivated are: 1. C.crh- 

 tata, Crested Amaranth, or Cock's Comb; 2. C. 

 uiargaritacea, Pearly Spiked Celosia, or Cock's 

 Comb ; 3. C. coccinea, Scarlet Celosia, or Chinese 

 Cock's Comb; 4. C. lanata, Woolly Celosia. 



The first has an upright, stiff, single stem, 

 from one to five feet in height : the leaves are 

 large, oval, spear-shaped, on angular foot-stalks : 

 the principal stem is crowned with a large crested 

 head composed of numerous small florets pla- 

 ced closely together, resembling the comb of a 

 cock. It is a native of Asia. 



There are many varieties, differing in form, 



magr 



itude, and colour, from the same seed. In 



the Dwarf kinds, with large purple heads of 

 flowers, with red heads, with scarlet heads, and 

 with yellowish heads: in the Giant kinds, with 

 very large purple heads, with red heads, with 

 scarlet heads, with yellowish heads, with white 

 heads, and with variegated heads: in the Branch- 

 ing kinds, with purple, with red, and with buff- 

 coloured flowers. 



The editor of Miller's Dictionary has raised 

 great varieties from seeds from China and other 

 countries, but generally found them alter in a 

 few years, notwithstanding great care was taken 

 in saving the seeds. The principal colours of 

 their heads were red, purple, yellow, and white ; 

 but he has had some whose heads have been va- 

 riegated with two or three colours. He also 

 raised some from seeds from Persia, whose heads 

 were divided like a plume of feathers, and were 



