ties, much as the highest bred single Dahlias always 

 have 8 rays all exactly alike, while it is a mark of Dah- 

 lias of low degree to have more than 8 rays or an unsym- 

 metricr\l arraiisement of them. A new feature, too, is 

 tin- ;i'iv(iit of :i ilistinct ring of color formed by a dash 

 of . riiii-.iii iit ilir base of eachray. The wild Cosmos 

 isiii.t tiMiililrd liy a spot of yellow at the base of each 

 ray. a^ i^ ih. wild Dahlia. In the case of the single 

 Dalilia. til.- \ ( IImh- i-olor at the base of the ray never be- 

 c.Mii. s ill liiiih ; I 111 I conspicuous enough to form an addi- 

 timial attraitivi- feature, as it does in Chrysanthemum 

 cirinalniii. Imt it often spoils the unity of eSfect and 

 fails to harmonize with the chief color of the flower, 

 especially when the latter is magenta, crimson, rose, 

 or any allied shade. There are no full double forms of 

 Cosmos as yet, and, as regards strongly marked types 

 of doubling, the Cosmos may be decades behind the 

 China Asters. In the single forms, flat, incurred or 

 cupping, and reflexed flowers are to be looked for, and 

 can be ttxed if there is sufficient demand for mainte- 

 nance of the three types. 



It is a mistake to grow Cosmos in too rich soil, as one 

 gets too vigorous growth and too few flowers, which are 

 also lute. A saudy soil is to be preferred as being earlier, 

 and not too rich. It is well to pinch out the leading 

 shoots of youn^' plants in onbi- tn make them bushy and 

 symmetrical, inst.ail of tall ami straggling. -v^r. M. 



Cosmos hi'j.hiii.rius has many varieties as to shapes, 

 and its colors run thruuKii wiiite.'' washed" or faded 

 pinks, and reds. The plants grow 7-10 ft., and bloom 

 in fall only. A dwarf variety of this species, and start- 

 ing out with Dawn (white shaded to pink at center) has 

 developed colors until it now includes white, pink and 

 crimson. The plants are some 4}4 ft. high, and bloom in 

 July. The seed is only one-half the length of the typical 

 C. bipinnatus. This selection was continued until double 

 blooms were secured, but double blooms perfected^ no 

 seed. 



C. sulphureus is entirely distinct from the above, the 

 foliage being broad and handsonnly cut. whilst the 

 flowers vary from sulfur-yellnw of tin- typical species, 

 to the rich orange-yellow uf Kli.n.lyki . and a tall, 

 late variety. Cosmos siilr'" " ■ ii v- an inferior 

 bloom IJ^in. in diameter, im i, i ' i I'.liage, and 



grows about 3 ft. high. 'I'li. i- ty has fine, 



rich orange fls. 2%-Mi in. in ilinu. ii i . » nh very heavy, 

 coarse and dense foliage, grows 7-rj ft. high, and 

 blooms in Georgia after October 15. The Klondyke, a 

 hybrid of my own from Cosmos sulphureus, and the tall, 

 late-blooming variety, has rich orange-yellow blooms, 

 2ii-3}4 in. in diameter, with foliage a happy medium be- 

 tween its two parents, grows 3}^-4 ft. high, begins to 

 bloom in Georgia from fleld-grown seed April 1.5. and by 

 May 15 is a plant 2Kft. tall, covered with blooms from 

 base to top, which continue without cessation until 

 killed by frost, when plant is 3 J^ ft. high and of the same 

 spread. The culture of all varieties is simple, and only 

 requires well-prepared soil, not too rich, early planting 

 of seed, and the keeping of young plants free of weeds 

 until they shade the ground. C. bipinnatus and the tall, 

 late variety should be planted in rows 6 ft. apart and 4 

 ft. in a row. 



The variety Dawn and its companions in white, pink 

 and crimson, and Klondyke should be planted in 3-foot 

 rows, 3 ft. apart. Neither of the above yellow varieties 

 should be confounded with the worthless Bidens offered 

 as Cosmos sulphureus. The earlier Cosmos seed is 

 planted after danger of frost the better, as it germinates 

 unsatisfactorily when the weather is warm. When cab- 

 bage seed can be sown in the field with safety. Cosmos 

 can also be sown. Cult. by A. W. Smith. 



A. Bays white, pink or crimson : disk yellow. 



bipinnatus, Cav. Pig. 564. Glabrous annual V-10 ft. 

 high: Ivs. bipinnately cut, lobes linear, remote, entire: 

 involucral scales ovate-lanceolate, acuminate: fls. white, 

 pink or crimson : seeds smooth, with an abrupt beak 

 much shorter than the body. Mex. B.M.1535. Gn. 41:838. 

 R.H. 1SU2 :372. -The older and commoner species. C. hy- 

 bridus, Hort., is presumtibly a trade name for mixed 

 ■ ■ ; of C. bipinnatus, but see G.F. 1:475. 



25 



COTONEASTER 385 



AA. Bays yellow: disk yellow. 

 sulphtireus, Cav. Pubescent, 4-7 ft. high, much 

 branched: Ivs. often 1 ft. or more long, 2- or 3-pinnately 

 cut, lobes lanceolate, mucronate, with rachis and midrib 

 ciliate or hispid; pinnae alternate, entire or 2-3-toothed: 

 peduncles 7-10 in. long, naked: outer involucral bracts 

 8, linear, acuminate, green, 2 lines long ; Inner ones 

 8, oblong, obtuse, scarious, 5 lines long : fls. 2-3 in. 

 across, pale, pure or golden yellow: rays 8, broadly obo- 

 vate, strongly 3-toothed at the apex, ribbed beneath: 

 anthers of the disk exserted, black, with orange tips: 

 seeds linear, 1 in. long, including the slender beak. 

 Mex. G.F. 8:485. — Int. 1896: parent of all yellow forms. 



AAA. Bai/x '1-rl- r.'lr ,T ! ^1; ,;.,1 . 



diversifdlius, Otto I /. .n/.drtg. B. 



dahlioides, S-WslU. /' ,l,n./li. Black 



Cosmos. Tenderannual, u : ■. .. i, -Mih luht-rsmore 

 slender, and rerinirin- 11, 1. ...i. ,i. ,, int. r, than those of 

 common Dahlias: I\-s. jm; ii;iii i\ jiaii.d; Ifts. 5-7, entire 

 or sli^'htly s, rrai.', iln- iirmiual Ifis. largest: peduncles 

 each 111 nrin:; I lnatl ii in. urninri' almve foliage: rays 

 dark vi-lvi-tv rnl. snmi-iimi-s tinirial dark purple. Mex. 

 -B.M. .illJT. Gt. 1861:347. P. C. 2:47. J. H. III. 33: 403. 

 Var. sup^rba, Hort., is sold. — Prop, almost exclusively 

 by seeds. ■^. jf. 



COSTTJS (old classical name). Scitaminclcem. Spibal 

 Flag. About 30 perennial thick-rooted herbs, in the 

 tropics of America, Africa, Asia and Australia, cult, for 

 their flowing-limbed showy fls., which are in termi- 

 nal, bracteate spikes. Corolla tubular, equally cleft, not 

 showy: one staminodium, enlarged and bell-shaped, usu- 

 ally with a crispy limb, and forming the showy part of 

 the flower (called the lip), cleft down the back: ovary 

 3-loculed : filaments petaloid. More or less fleshy plants, 

 prized in warinhousfs, and grown in the open in S. Fla. 



This interostiiiL- ■j-imis "f trMjiii-al liPi-bs tlirivps in any- 

 rich, moist s'lii '■!' 1-!^ iiriit, , in ii-.t ,,1 , L' ta\'elly or 

 sandy chararti I ^ I In- plants 



are readily pr. i , I . m- stalks, 



into short pin'. - -i -in im li '-r : .1 '. Ill l.'ii^! h. and plant- 

 ing in sifted peat, or fine moss and sand, covering but 

 lightly. The roots may also be divided, but this is a slow 

 means of propagation. Specimen plants require rather 

 high temperature to bring out the rich colors of the 

 leaves, which in some species are prettily marked with a 

 purplish tint, and are usually arranged spirally on the as- 

 cendingstem. This gives rise to the name, "Spiral Flag." 

 A. Leaves green and plain. 

 B. Flower white. 



specidsus, Smith. Four-5 ft., stout, erect: Ivs. ovate or 

 lance-ovate, nearly 1 ft. long, silky beneath: bracts red: 

 fl. large, with a flowing white limb and pink center, 

 3-4 in. across, not lasting. E. Ind. I.H.43:56. Gn. 

 47:1004. 



BB. Flower red. 



ignens, N. E. Brown. One-3 ft. : Ivs. elliptic-lanceo- 

 late, 4-6 in. long: bracts not colored nor conspicuous: 

 fls. clustered, orange-red. Brazil. I. H. 31:511. B.M.6821. 



.III. 



:11. 



AA. Leaves party-colored. 

 mtlsMcus, Hort. Lvs. obliquely lanceolate, 4-5 in. long, 

 dark green, marked and tessellated with silvery gray. 

 W. Africa. — C zebrina is very likely the same. 



E. N. Reasoner and L. H. B. 

 CCTINUS. a section of Bhus. 



COTONEASTEB (cotoneum, quince, and aster, simi- 

 lar; the lvs. of some species resemble those of the 

 Quince). Bos&eew, subfamily Pdmeos. Shrubs, rarely 

 small trees: lvs. alternate, deciduous or persistent, short- 

 petioled, entire, stipulate: fls. solitary or in cymes, ter- 

 minal, on short lateral branchlets, white or pinkish ; 

 petals 5 ; stamens about 20 : fr. a black or red pomaceous 

 drupe, with 2-5 stones. About 25 species, in the tem- 

 perate regions of Europe and Asia, also in N. Africa, but 

 none in Japan. Ornamental shrubs, many of them with 

 decorative frs., remaining usually through the whole 



