COFFEA 



BB. Segments of corolla wide: Ivs. ovate. 

 Bengalfensis, Roxb. Bengal Coffee. Lvs. ovate, 

 barely twice as long as broad, acute, but not having a 

 long, abrupt point : fls. in 2's or 3's ; segments of co- 

 rolla barely twice as long as wide. E. Ind., Malaya. 

 B.M. 4917. -This has much showier fls. than C. Arabica. 

 A small shrub with glabrous, dichotomous branches. A 

 native of the mountains of northeastern India, whence 

 it was brought to Calcutta and much cult, there for a 

 time. It is now neglected, the berries being of inferior 

 quality and the plants not productive enough. 

 AA. Corolla 0-, 7-, or 8-parted. 



B. Fls. in dense clusters or glomes : lvs. short-pointed, 



6-12 in. long. 

 Lib^rica, Hiern. Liberian Coffee. Lvs. longer than 

 in C. Arabica. and wider above the middle, with a pro- 

 portionately shorter and less abruptly contracted point: 

 fls. 15 or more in a dense cluster; corolla segments usu- 

 ally 7. Trop. Afr. Trans. Linn. Soc. II. 1:171 (1876). 

 G.C. II. 6:105. R.H. 1890, pp. 104, 105. -Said to be more 

 robust and productive than C. Arabica, with berries 

 larger and of finer flavor. It is a more tropical plant 

 than the common Coffee, and can be grown at much 

 lower levels. "It is a small tree, similar in general to 



C. Arabica, but of more vigorous and upright habit, and 

 larger in all its parts. Lvs. 6-12 in. long: corolla 6-8- 

 parted: berries dull crimson, larger, more numerous, 

 and more nearly spherical than those of most forms of 

 C. Arabica. In its native forests in W. Afr. it attains 

 a height of 30 ft. or more, and flourishes near sea level. 

 Owing to its greater size, vigor and productiveness, it 

 is now being extensively planted in coffee-growing re- 

 gions, particularly in the E. Ind., where it has been 

 found resistant to a rust fungus, Hemileia vastatrix, 

 which had destroyed the plantations of C. Arabica. In 

 cultivation, both species are pruned low to facilitate 

 the picking of the berries."— 0. F. Cook. 



BB. Fls. solitary or in 3's ; lvs. long-pointed, S%-S in. 

 long. 

 stenophJUa, G. Don. Lvs. 4-6 in. long, 1-lK in. broad, 

 narrower than in C. Arabica, with a relatively longer 

 and more tapering point : corolla segments usually 9. 

 W. Afr. B.M. 7475. -This is said to yield berries of 

 even finer flavor than the Liberian Coffee, and quite as 

 freely, but the bush is longer in coming into bearing. 

 This is a promising rival to the C. Arabica of com- 

 merce. Seeds have been distributed by British botani- 

 cal gardens, but are not known to be for sale at present 

 in America. \y, jj, 



COFFEE. SeeCoffea. 



COHOSH. See Actcea. The Blue Cohosh is a Caulo- 

 phyllum. 



CdIX (old Greek name). Gramlnea. A genus some- 

 what closely related to Indian Corn, and similar to it in 

 leaf structure. A hardy annual, 2-3 ft. high, with broad 

 lvs. and a curious nodding inflorescence. The female 

 fls. are inclosed in a nearly globular, capsule-like cover- 

 ing, which is very hard. This capsule (or involucre) is 

 at first green, then a jet black, becoming nearly white 

 with age. Southern Asia. 



Ldcryma-J6bi, Linn. .Job's Tears. Tear-gkass. 

 Corn-beads. Pig. 515. So called from the resemblance of 

 the inflorescence to a tear-drop. In cult, as an ornament 

 or as a curiosity. In India it is cultivated for food by some 

 of the hill tribes of that country. Var. ailrea zebrlna, 



COLAX 



349 



Hort., has yello 



lvs. 



P. B. Kennedy. 



COLA (native name). Stercnlidcea. Cola. Also 

 called Kola, Korra, Gorra. This genus of perhaps 

 14 species of tropical African trees is chiefly interesting 

 for the Cola nuts, which are said to sustain the natives 

 in great feats of endurance. The tree grows on the east 



coast of Africa, but is very abundant on the west coast, 

 and is now cultivated in the West Indies. Within the 

 tropics the trade in this nut is said to be immense. It 

 has lately become famous in the U. S. through many 

 preparations for medicinal purposes and summer drinks. 

 The seeds are about the size and appearance of a horse 

 chestnut, and have a bitter taste. Although repeatedly 

 introduced to Kew, England, the plant never flowered 

 there until 1868. Consult Stewart's Monograph on Kola. 

 Colas are tropical African trees, requiring a rich, well- 

 drained soil. Those introduced into West Indies and 

 other parts of America, especially C. acuminata, thrive 

 best on a sandy loam. The trees are grown from seeds, 

 which are large and fleshy, keeping well for some weeks 

 after ripening. As the tree is difiicult to transplant, the 

 seeds may be planted singly in small pots, and the young 



trees kept growing thus until wanted for permanent 

 planting. Propagation may also be effected by cuttings 

 of ripe wood, which should be placed in bottom heat, and 

 treated in the usual way. 



acuminata, Schott and Endl. About 40 ft. high in 

 Africa, resembling an apple tree : lvs. alternate; petiole 

 %-6 in. long; blade 4-6 in. long, leathery, with promi- 

 nent ribs below ; older lvs. entire, obovate, acute ; 

 younger lvs. often once or twice cut near the base about 

 half way to the midrib: fls. yellow, 15 or more in a clus- 

 ter, about 1 in. across, with a slender green tube and a 

 showy yellow, 6- or 5-cut limb, which is a part of the 

 calyx, as the petals are absent in the tribe Sterculiffi. 

 BM. 5699. E. N. Reasoner and W. M. 



COLAX, Now referred to Lycaste. 



