COCHLEARIA 



COCOS 



341 



officinalis, Linn. SCURVY GRASS. Hardy biennial, 

 2-12 in. high, but cult, as an annual : root-lvs. petioled, 

 cordate; stem-lvs. sessile, oblong, more or less toothed: 

 Us. early spring; calyx lobes erect. Arctic regions. Vil- 

 morin, Veg. Gard. 515. Prop, by seed, which is small, 

 oval, slightly angular, rough-skinned, reddish brown. 

 The germinating power lasts 4 years. The green parts 

 of the plant are strongly acrid, and have a tarry flavor. 

 The seed is sown in a cool, shady position, where the 

 plants are to stand. The Ivs. are rarely eaten as salad, 

 but the plant is mostly grown for its anti-scorbutic 

 properties. \y. &. 



COCHLIODA (Greek for spiral, in reference to the 

 structure of the lip). Orchidacece , tribe Vdndeve. A 

 small genus of orchids found at high elevations in South 

 America. Pseudobulbous. Flowers bright rose-color or 

 scarlet. Some of the species are retained by various 

 authors in Odontoglossum and Mesopinidium. Culture 

 of Odontoglossums. 



Noetzliana, Rolfe. Pseudobulbs ovate-oblong, com- 

 pressed, about 2 in. long, monodiphyllous : Ivs. linear, 

 peduncles arcuate : fls. numerous, in graceful racemes, 

 orange-scarlet, about 1 in. across; sepals oblong; petals 

 rather ovate ; labellum 3-lobed, disk yellow, otherwise 

 similar in color to the petals. Andes. B.M. 7474. Gt. 

 43:1403. G.C. III. 16:71. 



rosea, Hort. Plants similar to C. Noetzliana : fls. rose 

 color. Peru. B.M. 6084. I. H. 18:66. 



vulcanica, Benth. & Hook. Peduncles more or less 

 erect: fls. larger than in the preceding, bright rose-color; 

 labellum 3-lobed, provided with 4 ridges. Peru. B.M. 6001. 



OAKES AMES. 



COCHLIOSTfiMA (Greek, spiral stamens}. Commeli- 

 nacece. A genus of 2 species, which are among the 

 most curious and gorgeous plants cultivated under glass. 

 They are epiphytes, with the habit of Billbergia and 

 great axillary panicles of large flowers of peculiar struc- 

 ture and beauty. They are stemless herbs from Equa- 

 dor, with large, oblong-lanceolate Ivs., sheathing at the 

 base, and fls. which individually last only a short time, 

 although a succession is kept up for several weeks; 

 sepals 3, oblong, obtuse, concave; petals 3, nearly equal, 

 wider than the sepals, niargined with long hairs; stami- 

 nodes 3, villous, 2 erect, linear, the third short, plumose; 

 staminal column hooded, with incurved margins, enclos- 

 ing 3 spirally twisted anthers ; style slender, curved. 

 For an interesting theory of the peculiar staminodes, 

 see G.C, 1868:323,264. 



Cochliostemas are handsome stove-flowering perennial 

 plants, closely related to the Commelinas, and are of 

 comparatively easy culture, thriving well in ordinary 

 stove temperature in a mixture of 2 parts loam and 1 

 part fibrous peat, with a little well-decayed cow- or sheep- 

 manure added when potting mature plants. They like a 

 copious supply of water at the roots during the summer 

 months, and at no season must they be allowed to become 

 dry. Propagation is effected by division of the plants in 

 early spring, or by seeds, to obtain which the flowers 

 must be artificially fertilized. The seeds should be sown 

 as soon as ripe in shallow pans of light, peaty soil, and 

 placed in a warm, close atmosphere until germinated. 

 As soon as the seedlings are large enough, they should 

 be potted singly into thumb-pots, and shifted on as 

 often as they require it, when they will flower in about 12 

 months. The chief reason why Cochliostemas are grown 

 in America so little is, probably, that we have to keep a 

 much more humid atmosphere in stove-houses here than 

 in England, and that is very much against all stove- 

 flowering plants, causing the season of blossoming to be 

 very short. 

 A. Lvs. red beneath: panicle hairy : fls. very fragrant. 



Odoratissimum, Lemaire. Lvs. lighter green above than 

 in C.Jacobiannm, and deep purplish red beneath, nar- 

 rower, and with a similar margin : fls. very numerous; 

 sepals more leaf-like, hairy, green, with a reddish tip. 

 I.H. 6 : 217. R.H. 1869, p. 170. -Not advertised at present, 

 but fully as interesting as the next. 



AA. Lvs. green beneath: panicle not hairy : fls. less 

 fray rant. 



Jacob'.anum, C. Koch and Linden. Height 1-3 ft.: Ivs. 

 in a rosette, spreading or recurved, dilated and sheath- 



ing at the base, margined brown or purplish, 3-4 ft. long, 

 6 in. broad at the base, 4 in. broad at the middle : pe- 

 duncles stout, white, tinged purple, 1 ft. long : bracts 

 large, opposite and whorled, 3-4 in. long, acuminate, 

 concave: panicle branches 4-6 in. long: tts. 2-2% in. 

 across; sepals purplish; petals violet-blue. Autumn. 

 B.M. 5705. R.H. 1868:71. 



EDWARD J. CANNING and W. M. 



Cochliostema odornHtsimum is much like C. Jacobi- 

 anum. Is a very interesting plant of rapid growth and 

 easy culture. It is raised from seed. It seeds freely 

 when fertilized at the proper time. Only a few of the 

 stronger or larger flowers should be allowed to bear seed. 

 Sometimes a simple shaking of the flower stalk will ac- 

 complish the necessary work of fertilizing, but it is 

 safer to employ the regular method to insure thorough 

 impregnation. The seeds ripen within 6 weeks' time, and 

 they can be sown soon thereafter. In 5 or 6 months from 

 seed the plants will bloom. The flowers, while not very 

 showy, are fragrant and interesting. The plant itself is 

 ornamental by reason of its curiously marked, striped 

 and veined leaves. The plant thrives best in rich, light, 

 loamy soil. First sow in boxes or seed pans in light, 

 sandy soil ; then transplant into small pots ; keep the 

 young plants in a warm, moist place and repot before 

 the pot is filled with roots, never allowing the plant to 

 get "hard," as it is called, but keep it growing continu- 

 ously, and when in 6- or 7-inch pots, allow the plant to 

 get somewhat pot-bound and give more air, and it will 

 soon set flower buds. Then place a mulch of old cow- or 

 sheep-manure on the top of the pot, or use liquid manure 

 once or twice a week, keeping the plant in a cool posi- 

 tion. The above treatment will secure numerous flowers 

 over a long period. Fall and winter, jj ^. SIEBRECHT. 



COCKSCOMB. See Celoxia. 



COCKSFOOT GRASS. Same as Barnyard Grass, Pani- 

 cum Crus-GaUi. 



COCOA. Seeds of Theobroma Cacao. 

 COCOA PLUM. Cliryuobalanus Icaco. 



COCOS (Portuguese, monkey, from the nut, which sug- 

 gests a monkey's face). Palmaceoe, tribe Cocoinece. 

 This genus inchides the Cocoanut tree, C. nucifera, and 

 a few palms that are cultivated for ornament in the 

 north under gtess, and in S. Fla. and S. Calif, as ave- 

 nue and ornanjental trees. Of the species cult, for or- 

 nament, C. Weddelliana is by far the most important. 

 It is sold in great quantities from 3- and 4-inch pots 

 when the plants are 12-15 in. high. They are favorite 

 house-plants, a? their culture is easy, and they grow 

 slowly and retain their beauty a long while. They are 

 much used in fern dishes. As a house-plant, C. Wed- 

 delliana is probably the most popular species of all the 

 smaller palms. It is especially suitable for table deco- 

 ration. The genus is allied to Maximiliana and Attalea, 

 and distinguished by its male fls. having lanceolate 

 petals, 6 included stamens, and a 1 -seeded fruit. 



Low or tall spineless palms, with slender or robust 

 ringed trunks, often clothed with the bases of the Ivs. 

 Lvs. terminal, pinnatisect; segments ensiform or lanceo- 

 late, equidistant or in groups, 1- to many-nerved, entire 

 at the apex, or with 1 lateral tooth, or more or less 

 deeply lobed, the margins smooth, recurved at the 

 base: rachis 3-sided, acute above, convex on the back: 

 petiole concave above, smooth or spiny on the margins : 

 sheath short, open, fibrous ; spadices erect, at length 

 drooping, the branches erect or drooping; spathes 2, the 

 lower one the shorter, split at the apex, the upper one 

 fusiform or clavate, woody, furrowed on the back ; 

 bracts variable ; fls. white or yellow : fr. large or me- 

 dium, ovoid or ellipsoidal, terete or obtusely 3-angled. 

 Species about 30. Tropical and sub-tropical S. Amer., 

 1 in the tropics around the world. 



J. G. SMITH and W. M. 



The Cocoanut Palm naturally grows on the seashore, 

 or in its immediate vicinity, and does not bear well 

 when at a great distance from salt water, although its 

 growth may be strong. In cultivation, this fact is kept 



