COTTON 



The carpels or cells of the pod are 3-5. These carpels 

 break oiK-n. and the cotton covering of the seeds makes 

 a Rlnl.ular mass. -the Cotton boll (Fig. 505). Cotton is 

 not a liortiiultm-al crop, and is therefore not considered 

 iu this wcik. Tho reader will find "The Cotton Plant" 

 (pulilishid by the Dept. of Agr., Bull. 33), a useful 

 monograph. 



COTTONWOOD. Species of Populus. 



COTYLEDON (a name used by Pliny). CrassulAcem. 

 Includes I/cJieveriti . Sticculent herbs or shrubs, rarely 

 annual: branches and leaves thick and fleshy : Ivs. oppo- 

 site or alternate, petiolate or sessile: calyx o-parted, as 

 long as or shorter than the corolla tube; petals 5, erect 

 or spreading, connate to the middle, longer than the 10 

 stamens. Differs from Sedum in the connate petals. 

 Species CO or more. Calif, and Mex., Afr., As. and Eu. 

 See I.H. 10:70 for an account of many of the species. 



Large-growing Cotyledons, such as C. gibbiflora,Y&v. 

 melaUieii, should be increased by cuttings taken after 

 the bedding season is over. The best method is to cut 

 off the top of the plant, dress the l>ottoni part, and place 

 the cuttings in empty 4-iuch ]>uts, t!ir liuttom leaves 

 resting on the rim of the pot unt il lin rui li,.als over and 

 a few small roots are formed. I'lirv inay tlirn be potted 

 off into suitably sized pots, usiiiir samly loam. No water 

 will be needed for several days, and when given it must 

 be only sparingly. The old stems should be placed rather 

 close together in shallow boxes and kept in a warm, dry 

 place, where they will form small growths along the 

 stems; these, when larL'C enough, may be put into boxes 

 of dry sand, and pottrd in tlminb- or 3-inch pots 

 when they have nia.lo a sullii-iout quantity of roots. 

 When it is desired to imroaso tlio low-growing bedding 

 kinds on a larger scale, thu i>lauts should be lifted before 

 the ground gets too wet and cold. They may either be 

 boxed in dry soil and kept in a cool, dry house, or placed 

 thickly together in a frame, taking care that no drip is 

 allowed on the plants, and giving no water. The most 

 convenient time for propagation by leaves is during the 

 months of November and December, when the fall work 

 of rooting soft-wooded plants is over. Leaves rooted at 

 this time will make plants large enough for planting out 

 the following season. They will take from three to four 

 weeks to root, according to the kind. The leaves must 

 be taken from the plant as follows : Grasp each leaf be- 

 tween the thumb and forefinger, give a gentle twist first 

 to one side then to the other until the leaf comes off, 

 taking care that the dormant bud in the axil of the leaf 

 accompanies it, otherwise the leaf will root but a plant 

 will not form from it. Make a depression about two 

 inches deep in the center and four inches wide across 

 the sand bed, in this lay two rows of leaves with their 

 bases touching each at the bottom of the depression ; 

 give no water until the small roots make their appear- 

 ance, and only slightly afterwards. When the little 

 plants are large enough they should be boxed, using 

 sandy loam, and kept in a temperature of not less than 

 00°F at night. 



For bedding purposes the following have been em- 

 plo\-,..l very siieopssfully: C.atropurpurea, Californica, 

 cl'i r,f,,i;., _ ,,,,,,i,(i, fascicularis, gibbiflora var. metal- 

 /' /■ III, Peacockii, rosea, jecnnda, secunda 



var 'I nnta, Mexicana, eximia, globosa, glo- 



'" - ' ^ ■■•'■■ ■ ' .' '/. Scheideckerii, mucronata, mirabilis, 

 parrifi'liii. Some of these are not offered in the Ameri- 

 can trade. Several of the kinds make ver. ornamental 

 winter flowering plants ; among them are C. gihbiflora 

 and its forms, C. fulgeus and C cnccinea. For this pur- 

 pose the large plants should be lifted from the beds and 

 carefully potted, as they make a much finer growth in 

 the open ground than when grown iu pots. 



Cult, by G. W. Oliver. 



A. Zms. crowded in a rosette at the base of the stem. 

 B. Fls. white, tinged with green. 



Mulis, Brewer {Sidum Mule, Nutt.). Stems cespi- 

 pitose, very short and thick: Ivs. cylindrical or obtusely 

 3-sided, 3-4 in. long, erect, whitish or glaucous-green, 

 not mealy: fls. white, resembling those of Sedum, M in. 

 in diam. , short-pedicelled, along the upper sides of the 



COTYLEDON 88 1 



flexuous branches of the cymose panicle ; scape 1 ft. 

 high. SanDiego, Calif. -Int. 1883. 



BB. Fls. pale yellow. 



Caliiamica, Baker (C. Idxa, B. & H.). Lvs. in a ro- 

 sette, concave, ligulate, lanceolate, acute, glaucous, 

 mealy, slightly yellowish, 8 in. long: fls. pale yellow, on 

 weak lateral flowering stems 1-2 ft. long, with short, 

 ovate, clasping lvs. or bracts and bi- or trifid racemes. 

 Calif. 



BBB. Fls. pale flesh color. 



pulveruWnta, Baker {Echeveria pulveruUnta, Nutt.). 

 Lvs. in a rosette, silvery green, very mealy, spatulate, 

 acute, the tips reflexed. the cauline lvs. gradually di- 

 minishing into broadly cordate, clasping bracts : pani- 



566 Cotyledon orbiculata 



cles dichotomously branched ; pedicels slightly longer 

 than the pale flesh-colored fls. Plants 1 ft. In diam. 

 S. Calif. F.S. 19:1927, 1928. -A fine plant for carpet- 

 bedding. 



BBBB. Fls. red and green or red and yellow. 



seciinda, Baker {Echeveria seciinda. Booth). Stem- 

 less: lvs. in a rosette, crowded, cuneiform, mucronate, 

 glaucous, curving upward : fls. in a 1-sided, recurved 

 spike, reddish yellow : peduncle long, 6-12 in. high. 

 June-Aug. Mex. -Fine for borders or carpet-bedding. 

 There is a var. glauca, Hort. 



lanceolita, B. & H. (Echevh-ia lanceoldta, Nutt.). 

 Lvs. in a rosette, lanceolate, acuminate, slightly mealy; 

 stem-lvs. or bracts small, cordate, clasping, distant : 

 panicle narrow, dichotomous : fls. red and yellow. Calif. 



Birbeyi, Schw. Whole plant hoary-white: lvs thick, 

 fleshy, shovel-shaped : fls. olive-green and red. Flowers 

 freely in spring and summer. Abyssinia. Gt. 45, p. 465. 

 —An exquisite plant for carpet-bedding. 

 AA. I^vs. scattered along the erect or branching stems. 



fasciculstris, Soland. Smooth, 1-2 ft. high : lvs. pale 

 greenish white with a yellowish margin, glaucous, few, 



