HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



ORE 



of anthers. It also belongs to bracts 

 which form with their edges an appear- 

 ance like that of a crest. The term is 

 often applied to the Moss Rose. 



Cretaceous. A very dull white, with a little 

 touch of gray; chalky. 



Cretaceously^pruinose. Covered with white 

 glittering spots or pustules. 



Cribrose, Cribriform. Pierced like a sieve 

 with numerous close, small apertures. 



Grinite, Crinitus. Having tufts of long, 

 weak hairs, growing from different parts 

 of the surface. 



Crispate, (adj. Crispus.} When the edge is 

 excessively and irregularly divided and 

 puckered; also when the surface is much 

 puckered and crumpled. Well-known 

 examples are afforded by Curled Parsley, 

 Curled Endive, Curled Kale, etc. Crisp- 

 ate is also a diminutive of Bullate, which 

 see. 



Cristate. The same as Crested, which see. 



Cristato-rugose. When the wrinkles of a ! 

 surface are deep and sharp-edged. 



Croceus, Crocatus. Saffron-colored. 



Crops, Eotation of. See Rotation. 



Crowded. When subordinate parts thickly 

 surround a common support or axis. 



Cruciate, Cruciform. Having the form of a 

 cross with equal arms, as the flowers of 

 the Radish or the Wallflower. 



Cruciferce, (Brassicacece, Crucifers, the Cru- 

 ciferous family.) A natural order of 

 Thalamifloral Dicotyledons belonging to 

 Lindley's Cistal Alliance. They are herbs 

 with alternate leaves having no stipules, 

 and flowers, usually yellow or white, ar- 

 ranged in racemes or corymbs without i 

 bracts; sepals four, falling off; petals 

 four, arranged like a cross; stamens six, 

 of which four are long and two short. 

 Fruit a siliqua or silicula, that is, a long 

 or short pod opening by two valves, with 



CRU 



a partition (septum) in the center; seeds 

 without albumen; embryo with its radicle 

 folded on the cotyledons. The plants of 

 this very natural order were included by 

 Linnaeus in his class Tetradynamia. They 

 are very generally distributed, but abound 

 most in cold and temperate regions, es- 

 pecially in Europe. This order has been 

 divided into sub-orders and tribes, ac- 

 cording to the nature of the fruit or the 

 embryo. Considering the fruit, we have 

 these six divisions: 1. Siliquosce,& siliqua 

 or long pod opening by two valves from 

 below upward. 2. Siliculosce latiseptce, a 

 silicula or short pod opening with two 

 flat or convex valves, the septum (parti- 

 tion) being in the broadest diameter. 3. 

 Siliculosce angustiseptce, a silicula with 

 folded or keeled valves, the septum in the 

 narrow diameter. 4. Nucumentacece, a 

 silicula whose valves do not open, one- 

 celled, having no septum. 5. Septulatce, 

 valves with transverse partitions on their 

 inside. 6. Lomentacece, a pod dividing 

 transversely into single-seeded portions, 

 the beak sometimes containing one or 

 two seeds, while the true pod is abortive. 

 The nature of the embryo gives rise to 

 five subdivisions, viz.: 1. Pleurorhizece, 

 the radicle folded on the edge of the 

 cotyledons. 2. Notorhizece, the radicle 

 folded on the back of the cotyledons. 3. 

 Orthoploceae, the cotyledons folded on 

 the radicle. 4. Spirolobece, cotyledons 

 twice folded. 5. Diplecolobece, cotyledons 

 thrice folded. Crucifers are pungent, and 

 occasionally acrid in their properties. 

 Not one of them is poisonous, but many 

 are culinary vegetables. They contain 

 much nitrogen and sulphur, and conse- 

 quently give out a fetid odor while de- 

 caying. 



The order contains some well-known 



