C R I 



C R I 



bed. When the plants have attained two or three 

 inches in growth, they should be removed into 

 separate pots of a small size, replunging them 

 in the hot-bed. They should be kept in the 

 hot-bed of the stove, and have the management 

 of other tender plants of similar growth. 



In this climate these plants have only a shrub- 

 by growth; but in their native situations they 

 become large trees, producing fruit. 



They are chiefly introduced for the purpose of 

 variety among stove plants. 



CRESS, GARDEN. See Lepidiom. 



CRINUM, a genus affording plants of the 

 flowery, tuberous, and bulbous-rooted perennial 

 kinds for the stove. Asphodel Lily. 



It belongs to the class and order of Hexandria 

 Mcmogynia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Spathaceee. 



The characters are : that the calyx has the in- 

 volucre spathe-form, two-leaved, oblong, um- 

 belluliferous, after gaping reflected : the corolla 

 one-petalled, funnel-form; tube oblong, cylin- 

 dric, inflected : border six-parted : divisions lan- 

 ceolate-linear, obtuse, concave, reflected, of 

 which the three alternate ones are distinguished 

 by a hooked appendicle : the stamina consist of 

 six subulate filaments, from the base of the bor- 

 der, of the length of the border, converging: 

 anthers oblong, linear, rising upwards, incum- 

 bent : the pistillum is an inferior germ : style 

 filiform, length of the flower: stigma three-cleft, 

 very small: (simple or three-cleft:) the pericar- 

 pium is a subovate capsule, three-celled : (covered 

 with the calyx:) the seeds several. 



The species cultivated are : 1. C. Asiaticum, 

 Keel-leaved Asiatic Crinum; 2. C. Americanum, 

 Great American Crinum ; 3 . C. erulescens, Small 

 American Crinum. 



The first has a solid turbinate root, surrounded 

 with long branching fibres : the stem is short, 

 thick coated, white, single : the leaves are three 

 feet long, three inches wide, subulate-linear, 

 erect, striated, thick and imbricate : scapes 

 axillary, round, equal to the leaves : the flowers 

 are white, large, in a simple flat umbel. It is a 

 native of Malabar. 



The second species has the flowering stem 

 a foot and half in height, the thickness of a 

 finger, slightly compressed, coming out, not 

 from the centre of the leaves, but on one side : 

 the leaves are two feet and more in length, and 

 a hand broad, furrowed on the upper surface, and 

 keeled on the lower, smooth, stiff", light green, 

 slightly waved on the edge, thickish, sharp- 

 pointed, pierced with many largish pores : the 

 flowers before they open are pale yellow, but 

 when open of a milky whiteness, and not dis- 

 agreeable in smell. It is a native of South 

 America ; flowering in July and August. 



In the third the flower-stem rises immediately 

 from the root, on the outside of the leaves, and 

 is about two feet high ; on the top are eight or 

 ten flowers, in form of an umbel, closely joined 

 at their base, but spreading above. They ara 

 of a beautiful white colour, and smell very sweet. 

 After the flowers are past, the germ swells, and 

 becomes an oblong bulb. The plants generally 

 flower three or four times in a year, but at no 

 regular season ; as the petals are of a very ten- 

 der texture, they do not continue in beauty 

 longer than four or five days. It is a native of the 

 Spanish West Indies. 



Culture. — All these sorts are capable of being 

 increased, by planting the off-sets of their roots, 

 in pots filled with good fresh earth, plunging 

 them in the bark-bed of the stove; where they 

 should be continued until they begin to show 

 flowers. After this they may be removed when 

 necessary, to the shelves or other parts of the 

 hot-house. 



The roots of all the different sorts should be 

 shifted every two years, at the period when the 

 stems decay, in order to separate the off-sets fer- 

 tile purpose of increase, and to refresh the plants 

 with fresh mould. 



Their succulent stalks and beautiful flowers 

 afford a good effect among other stove plants. 



CRITHMUM, a genus affording a plant of 

 the hardy herbaceous succulent perennial escu- 

 lent kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Pentandria 

 Digipiia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 UmbellatcE . 



The characters are : that the calyx is an uni- 

 versal umbel manifold, hemispheric; partial si- 

 milar: involucre universal many-leaved : leaflets 

 lanceolate, obtuse, reflex ; partial lanceolate-li- 

 near, length of the umbellule : perianth proper 

 scarce observable : the corolla universal uniform : 

 florets all fertile : proper petals five, ovate, infiex, 

 equal : the stamina have five simple filaments, 

 longer than the corolla: anthers roundish: the 

 pistillum is an inferior germ : styles two, reflex : 

 stigmas obtuse : there is no pericarpium : fruit 

 oval, compressed, bipartite: the seeds two, ellip- 

 tic, compressed-flat, striated on one side. 



The species cultivated is C. maritimum, Sea 

 or Rock Sampire. 



It has a root composed of many strong fibres, 

 which penetrate deep into the crevices of the 

 rocks, sending up several fleshy succulent stalks, 

 which rise about two feet high, with winged 

 leaves, composed of three or five divisions, each 

 of which has three or five thick, succulent leaf- 

 lets, near half an inch long ; the foot-stalks of 

 the leaves embrace the stalks at their base : the 

 flowers are produced in circular umbels at the top 

 of the stalks; areof ayellow colour, and succeed- 



