HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OP PLANTS. 



CHE 



This is a small genus from the Aukland and 

 Campbell Islands, New Zealand, closely allied 

 to Anlhericum. They are found growing in marshy 

 places, and will only succeed well with pot cul- 

 ture. The soil should be a fibrous loam. The 

 pots in which they are grown should be partly 

 immersed in water. The flowers are bright 

 yellow, produced in racemes, and are very beau- 

 tiful. Propagated by division of roots. Intro- 

 duced in 1848. 



Chrysurus. From chri/sos, gold, and oura, a tail ; 

 alluding to the compact heads of flowers. Linn. 

 Triandria-Digynia. Nat. Ord. GraminacecK. 



A small genus of annual grasses, natives of 

 the south of Europe and north of Africa. C. 

 aurea is the only species of interest. This is 

 very ornamental in the border, and is also use- 

 ful in the green-house. It grows readily from 

 seed. 



Chysis. From chysis, melting ; in reference to 

 the fused appearance of the pollen masses. 

 Linn. Gynandria-Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Orchid- 

 acece. 



A genus of very handsome Orchids, natives of 

 Central America. The flowers are mostly white, 

 or creamy white, heavily tipped with pink, the 

 lip being beautifully marked with carmine and 

 yellow. C. aurea, inaculaia has golden yellow 

 flowers, with a lurge orange spot ; lip white, 

 with violet rays. When, in a growing state they 

 require liberal heat and moisture, and a cool, 

 dry house when at rest. They are increased by 

 division just as they commence a new growth. 

 Introduced in 1830. 



Cibotium. From kibotion, a small box ; referring 

 to the form of the spore vessels. Linn. Crypto- 

 gamia-Filices. Nat. Ord. Polypodiacea;. 



A small genus of very interesting Ferns re- 

 lated to Dicksonia. They are large and very 

 handsome, and in some cases arborescent. The 

 fronds are bi-pinnate, and often glaucus be- 

 neath. C. Barometz is believed to be the Tarta- 

 rian Lamb, about which travelers have told so 

 wonderful a tale. This "Lamb" consists merely 

 of the decumbent, shaggy caudex of a kind of 

 Fern, which is unquestionably this species. 

 The "traveler's tale " is, that on an uncultivated 

 salt plain of vast extent, west of the Volga, 

 grows a wonderful plant, with the appearance 

 of a lamb, having feet, head, and tail distinctly 

 formed, and its skin covered with soft down. 

 The lamb grows upon a stalk about three feet 

 high, the part by which it is sustained being a 

 kind of navel. It turns about and bends to the 

 herbage, which serves for its food, and pines 

 away when the grass dries up and fails. The 

 fact on which this tale is based appears to be, 

 that the caudex of this plant may be made to 

 present a rude appearance of an animal covered 

 with silky, hair-like scales, and if cut into is 

 found to have a soft inside of a reddish, flesh- 

 colored appearance. When the herbage of its 

 native haunts fails through drought, its leaves 

 no doubt die, and both perish from the same 

 cause, and independently of each other. From 

 these appearances, the common people believe 

 that in the deserts of Scythia there exist crea- 

 tures half animal and half plant. The species 

 are very interesting plants for the green-house, 

 but are seldom seen. They are propagated by 

 division. Introduced in 1824. 



Cichorium. Chicory or Succory. An ancient 

 Egyptian noine. Linn. Synfjenesia-jEqualiii. 

 Nat. Ord. Asteracev. 



This plant, so extensively cultivated in Eu- 



CIN 



rope as a substitute for coffee, or for its adultera- 

 tion, is commonly known as Wild Endive, and 

 is found growing wild ii* most parts of Europe, 

 being by far the most common in England. It 

 is also naturalized in this country, and is com- 

 mon in neglected fields and along roadsides in 

 neighborhoods long settled. Its flowers are 

 bright blue, produced in great profusion in Au- 

 gust and September. The plant grows in its 

 wild state from one to three feet high, but un- 

 der cultivation it often reaches six feet. The 

 roots are fleshy, not unlike the Dandelion, to 

 which family it belongs. For the adulteration 

 of coffee, the root is dried and ground, in which 

 state it closely resembles ground coffee. The 

 use of Chicory is common and undisguised, and 

 many consider a mixture preferable to pure cof- 

 fee, and buy the two, and mix to suit their own 

 tastes. So great is the demand for it for this 

 purpose, that, notwithstanding its cheapness 

 and ease of culture, it is often adulterated by 

 roasted wheat, rye, acorns, carrots, and other 

 articles of a similar nature. 



Cicuta. Cowbane, Water Hemlock. The ancient 

 Latin name of the Hemlock. Linn. Peniandria- 

 Digynia. Nat. Ord. Apiacece. 



A small genus of biennial plants, very com- 

 mon in moist waste places. C. maculata, com- 

 monly known as Spotted Cowbane, somewhat re- 

 sembles Sweet Cicely, and is often mistaken for 

 it. The root is an active poison in its green 

 state, but loses its virulent qualities when dried. 

 It is a dangerous pest to the farmer, the herbage 

 often proving destructive to cattle, when eaten 

 by them, and many children have lost their 

 lives by eating the roots, which they have mis- 

 taken for Cicely. C. virosa, a species common 

 throughout Europe, furnished the poison given 

 to Phocion and Socrates. 



Cinchona. Named after the Countess of Cindum, 

 Vice-Queen of Peru, who was cured of a fever in 

 1638 by this remedy. Linn. Pentandria-Mono- 

 ijynia. Nat. Ord. Cinchonacecu. 



This genus yields the well-known Peruvian 

 bark of commerce. It requires the protection of 

 a warm green-house to preserve it in even mod- 

 erate vigor. It is the type of an extensive and 

 highly interesting order. 



Cineraria. From cineres, ashes , in reference to 

 the gray down covering the surface of the leaves. 

 Linn. Synr/enesia-Superflua. Nat. Ord. Asteracea;. 

 There are upward of fifty species of this genus 

 enumerated, varying in habit from the dwarf 

 herbaceous plant, not rising more than half a 

 foot, to the tall, soft-wooded, suffruticose species 

 with a stature of five or six feet. The flowers of 

 most of them are of a pale greenish yellow, 

 though some have white, red, or purple flowers. 

 The whole of the true species are so thoroughly 

 eclipsed by the modern hybrid varieties as to be 

 entirely excluded from any but purely botanical 

 collections, and are of so little interest as to war- 

 rant our passing on to the culture of those beau- 

 tiful ornaments of the green-house in early 

 spring. The first recorded variety is Waler- 

 housiana, obtained from C. tussUayinoides ; but 

 we very much doubt so coarse a parentage hav- 

 ing any connection with such neat, handsome, 

 highly-colored, and free-flowering subjects as 

 those cultivated now. The seed of these plants 

 should be sown in autumn, (September or Octo- 

 ber,) as soon as ripe. The young plants should 

 be potted separately in a soil composed of loam. 

 leaf mould, and sand, in about equal proportions. 

 The young plants are preserved best in a green- 



