HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



cm 



bottom heat, with abundance of water every day. 

 and an additional soaking of liquid manure 

 about once a week. In winter, of course, this 

 must be discontinued, and the plants placed 

 where they may receive all the light possible, in 

 order to mature the new growth, and induce 

 them to flower freely the following season. C. am- 

 alrile is a noble species, requiring to be grown in 

 a strong heat. The bulbs sometimes grow six 

 to eight inches in diameter, and two feet long, 

 and sometimes produce, both spring and fall, 

 immense spikes of dark purple flowers, of de- 

 licious fragrance. This species is a native of 

 the East Indies, and was introduced in 1810. 

 The genus is very large, and the species are 

 found in nearly all tropical and sub-tropical 

 countries. Propagated by offsets. 



Cristaria. From crista, a crest; in reference to i 

 the form of the seed vessel. Linn. Monadelplna- 

 Polyandrla. Nat. Ord. Malvacea.'. 



A pretty hardy herbaceous perennial from 

 the Southwestern States, producing quite showy 

 scarlet flowers in terminal racemes or clusters. ; 

 Propagated by division of roots or from seeds, ! 

 that require some time to produce flowering 

 plants. 



Crocus. A Chaldean name, applied by Theo- j 

 phrastus. Linn. Triandrla-Mono<jynia. Nat. Ord. 

 Irulacem. 



Of this well-known genus there are many spe- 

 cies, mostly found in the southern and eastern ' 

 parts of Europe , and in Asia Minor. As a gar- 

 den flower the species are almost entirely lost 

 sight of in the large number of varieties that 

 have been produced by hybridizing. They are 

 divided into two classes: the first, those that 

 flower in early spring, too well known to need 

 description; the second, the autumnal flower- 

 ing or naked Crocus, so called because the flow- 

 ers are produced in the absence of leaves, which, 

 with the seeds, are thrown up in the spring. 

 The spring Crocus is of the easiest culture, and 

 we need only remark, that it is a mistake to put 

 them into poor ground, since no plants in our 

 gardens delight more in, or make greater re- 

 turns for, rich soil. They require a dry situa- 

 tion, and in such a place and soil they flower 

 profusely. The bulbs or corms should be 

 planted at least three inches deep; for, as the 

 new conn forms above the old one, they will in 

 three or four years push themselves out of the 

 ground if planted too near the surface. As 

 often as once in three years the corms should be 

 taken up, separated, and planted out as quickly 

 as possible; the longer they are left out of 

 ground the weaker they become, and the later 

 they will come into bloom. In starting a new 

 bed the corms should be planted as soon as they 

 can be obtained, which is usually about the first 

 of September. If left until November, as is the 

 too common practice, very few will flower strong- 

 ly the coming season, and none satisfactorily. 

 When left in the ground, they commence new 

 life about the first of September, and before 

 winter they have their preparations for spring 

 work complete; the flower buds will be nearly 

 their full length above the bulb, ready for the 

 first sunny days in March to break forth into 

 bloom. One of the peculiarities of the Crocus 

 is, that when they are in flower, the germen or 

 seed vessel is still under ground, almost close 

 to the bulb; and it is not till some weeks ul'tcr 

 the flower has decayed that it emerges on a 

 white peduncle, and ripens its seeds above the 

 ground . The situation for the Crocus bed should 



CRO 



be a warm one, and before hard frosts it may be 

 mulched two or three inches with leaves or 

 coarse litter, which is to be taken off as soon in 

 spring as the season will warrant. The mulch- 

 ing, however, may be omitted where it is not 

 convenient to apply it. C. salivus, which is the 

 type of the autumnal flowering species, should 

 be planted in midsummer, and it will come into 

 flower in September. All the species and vari- 

 eties are increased by offsets. Their introduc- 

 tion into British gardens dates back as far as 

 1600. The new named varieties introduced 

 recently bear very large flowers, and are, in all 

 respects, very great improvements upon the 

 older kinds. 



Crotalaria. From fcrotoZon, a castanet ; the seeds 

 are inflated pods, and rattle when shaken. Linn. 

 M&nadelphia-Decandria. Nat. Ord. Fabacece. 



This is an extensive genus, and a few of i's 

 species are particularly beautiful. The green- 

 house kinds are to be preferred. All of them 

 grow readily in loamy soil, the chief point in their 

 culture being to observe that the young shoots 

 are stopped once or twice in the early part of 

 their growth, in order to counteract their natural 

 tendency to grow upright, and become what is 

 technically expressed as "long-legged." One of 

 the principal discouragements in growing these 

 plants is the difficulty of preserving them from 

 the attacks of the red spider. The annuals are 

 grown from seed, and the perennial kinds are in- 

 creased from cuttings. The species are pretty 

 generally found from the West to the East In- 

 dies. Some of the annuals are found in the 

 Southern States. 



Croton. From kroion, a tick ; in reference to the 

 resemblance of the seeds. Linn. MonoeciarMan- 

 adelplda. Nat. Ord. Euphorbiacea'. 



A genus of green-house evergreen shrubs of 

 great beauty, grown for their variegated foliage, 

 being among the most strongly marked plants 

 in cultivation, (yellow and green, sometimes red 

 with the other colors. ) They are readily propa- 

 gated by cuttings, with a bottom heat of not less 

 than 75, and require a high temperature and 

 full sunlight to develop their markings. Leaf 

 mould is an essential element in the com post for 

 potting. Water should be sparingly used, par- 

 ticularly in winter. They do best in small pots. 

 As ornamental plants for decoration, they nave 

 no superior. Notwithstanding their great beauty, 

 they are also classed with the economic or use- 

 ful plants. C. Tifjlium furnishes the Croton oil, 

 a most powerful purgative. C. tinctc-rum is used 

 to dye both silk and wool of an elegant blue 

 color. The substance for this purpose is called 

 Turnsol, and is made of the juice which is 

 lodged between the calyx and the seeds. C. 

 Eleuteria furnishes the Cascarilla bark, which has 

 a pleasant, spicy odor, and a bitter, warm, aro- 

 matic taste, and it is considered a valuable med- 

 icine. The species are nearly all natives of the 

 East Indies, and were first introduced in 1748. 



Crowea. Named after J. Crow, a British bota- 

 nist. Linn. Decandria-Monogynia. Nat. Ord. 

 Kutaceo'. 



A genus of beautiful green-house shrubs, con- 

 sisting of but two species, ('. MifoLia and (7. .sa- 

 lirjna, both lovely objects when in flower, which 

 is nearly two-thirds of the year. They are in 

 the greatest perfection during the winter months. 

 The flowers are lily-shaped, of a beautiful pur- 

 ple, and borne at the axil of the leaves. They 

 are easily propagated from cuttings, and should 

 be grown in a mixture of leaf mould and loam. 



