CBYPTOGRAMMA 



CUCUMBER 



405 



CKYPTOGRAMMA (Greek, a concealed line, alluding 

 to the sub-marginal sori). Polypodidcece. A small genus 

 of subalpine Ferns of both hemispheres. Lvs. of two 

 sorts, the sporophylls contracted and the sori covered 

 by the infolded margin of the segments, forming pod- 

 like bodies. Resides our native species, a second one, 

 (\ <-rixp<i, is found in Europe, and a third in the Hima- 

 layas. Name often incorrectly written CryptogrammJ. 

 Culture easy. 



acrostichoides, R. Br. ROCK-BRAKE. Height about 

 8 in.: Ivs. 4-0 in. long, on tufted straw-colored stalks, 

 tri-quadripinnalirid, with Toothed or incised segments, 

 the sporophylls with longer stalks, less divided and with 

 pod -like segments. Canada to Colorado, California and 

 northward. L. ^. UNDERWOOD. 



CRYPT6LEPIS (Greek, hidden scale). Asclepiada- 

 << 'i . Glabrous shrubs, erect or twining, of tropical 

 Asia and Africa. Lvs. opposite. Fls. in a loosely fork- 

 ing, few-fld. cyme. Calyx deeply 5-parted, with 5 scales 

 at base. Corolla with spreading limb, the tube short- 

 cylindrical or campanulate, the lobes 5 and linear, 

 spreading or deflexed and twisted ; corona of 5 scales 

 attached at or near the middle of the tube. Follicles 

 terete and smooth, spreading. Only cult. inS. Calif, and 

 S. Fla. C. Buchanan!, Roem. & Schult. A twining 

 shrub with yellow fls., resembling those of an Echites. 

 C. longiflora, Regel. Dwarf and compact, growing with 

 long Ivs. tinted with red; tubular white fls., as in Bou- 

 vardia jasmini flora. Both species are from India. 



CRYPTOMERIA (Greek, kryptos, hidden, meros, part; 

 meaning doubtful). Conifers. Large pyramidal tree, 

 with a straight slender trunk, covered with reddish 

 brown bark and with verticillate spreading branches, 

 ascending at the extremities : Ivs. spirally arranged, 

 linear-subulate, acute, slightly curved, decurrent at the 

 base : fls. monoecious ; staminate oblong, yellow, forming 

 short racemes at the end of the branches, pistillate 

 globular, solitary, at the end of short branchlets: cone 

 globular, with thick, wedge - shaped scales, 

 furnished with a recurved point on the back 

 and with pointed lobes at the apex, each scale 

 with 3-5 narrow-winged, erect seeds. One spe- 

 cies in China and Japan, extensively planted 

 for avenues, and as timber trees in the latter 

 country, where the light and easily worked but 

 durable wood is much used. It is hardy as far 

 north as New York, and thrives in sheltered 

 positions even in New England. It seems, how- 

 ever, in cultivation, not to assume the beauty 

 it possesses in its native country. With us, it 

 looks best as a young plant, when it much re- 

 sembles the Ardncarla excelsa. It is therefore 

 sometimes grown in pots. It thrives best in a 

 rich, loamy and moist soil and sheltered posi- 

 tion. Prop, by seeds or by cuttings of growing 

 wood, especially var. elegans, which grows very 

 readily. The horticultural varieties are also 

 sometimes increased by grafting. 



Japonica, Don. Tree, attaining 125 ft. : Ivs. 

 linear-subulate, compressed and slightly 4- or 3- 

 angled, bluish green, K-l in. long: cone brown- 

 ish red, %-l in. across. S.Z. 124. R, H. 1887, 

 p. 392. Gng. 4:197. F.E. 10:510. G. F. 6:440. - 

 Of the garden forms, the most desirable is var. 

 elegans, Beissn.(C'. elegans,Veitch). Low,dense 

 tree, with horizontal branches and pendulous branchlets : 

 Ivs. linear, flattened, soft, spreading, longer than in the 

 type, bright green, changing to bronzy red in fall and 

 winter. \Yi-y handsome when young, but short-living. 

 Var. araucaroides, Carr. Of regular pyramidal habit, 

 with short, thick falcate Ivs., resembling Aram-n r'm 

 excelsa. Var. compacta, Hort. Of very compact habit, 

 with bluish green foliage. Var. L6bbi, Carr. Of com- 

 pact habit, with shorter and more ap'pressed bright and 

 deep green Ivs. Var. nana, Knight. Dwarf and pro- 



CRYPTOPYRUM (Greek, iiitl,lc, t tHteaf). Gramineoe. 

 This genus includes a plant sometimes catalogued with 

 ornamental grasses, but it is no more ornamental than 

 a long-awned form of quack -grass would be. C. Richard- 

 soni, Schrad. (Agropf/rton /i'/V/w/Yf.sowi, Schrad.), is simi- 

 lar to Agropyron canininn. but has longer awns. It is 

 leafy, and grows 1-1% ft. high. P B KENNEDY. 



CRYPTOSTEGIA. (Greek, krupto, conceal, and stego, 

 cover; referring to the 5-scaled crown in the corolla tube, 

 which is not exposed to view). Asclepiadacece. A genus of 

 only two species of tropical climbers, one from tropical 

 Africa and one from Madagascar. The juice of C. gran- 

 diflora,w\\en exposed to the sunshine, produces caout- 

 chouc. The plant is cultivated in India for this pur- 

 pose. It is rarely cultivated in Old World greenhouse ; 

 for ornament. It is said to be of easy culture in a warm 

 house and propagated by cuttings. 



grandifldra, R. Br. Stem erect, woody, branches twin- 

 ing : Ivs. opposite, short-stalked, oblong, entire, 3 in. 

 long, 1% in. wide : fls. in a forked raceme, reddish pur- 

 ple, becoming lilac or pale pink, about 2 in. across, 

 twisted in the bud. Trop. Afr. B. R. 5: 435. Once cul- 

 tivated at Oneco, Fla., by Reasoner. 



CUCKOO FLOWER. Cardamine pratensis . 

 CUCKOO PINT. See Arum. 



CUCUMBER. Plate VIII. The common Cucumbers are 

 derived from a South Asian species, Cucumis sativus ( see 

 Cucumis), which has long been known in cultivation. 

 The so-called West India Gherkin, which is commonly 

 classed with the Cucumbers, is Cucumis Anguria. The 

 Snake, or Serpent Cucumber is more properly a musk- 

 melon, and should be designated botanically as Cucumis 

 Melo, var. flexuosus (cf. Am. Gar. xiv. 206). The "Musk 

 Cucumber "is Cucumis moschata, Hort. Probably this 

 is identical with Concombre musque, referred to Sicana 

 odorifera by Le Potager d'un Curieux, known in this 

 country as Cassabanana. The Mandera Cucumber ia 



cumbent, densely branched form; adapted for rockeries. creasing 



584. House of English Cucumbers. 



Cticumis Sacleuxii, Paill. et Bois. (Pot. d'un Curieux), 

 but it is not in cultivation in this country. None of these 

 is of any particular importance except the common types 

 of Cucumis sativus. These are extensively cultivated 

 in all civilized countries as field and as garden crops. 

 They come into commerce as pickles packed in bottles 

 and barrels, and are very extensively used in this 

 form. Of late, the forcing of Cucumbers under glass 

 has come to be an important industry in the eastern 

 states ; and this industry seems to be rapidly in- 



Var. spiralis, Veitch. Slender shrub, with strongly 

 falcate Ivs., twisted spirally around the branchlets. 

 S.Z. 124, Fig. 4. ALFRED REHDER. 



Cucumbers will thrive in any good soil not extremely 

 heavy nor sandy. Good corn or wheat land, if in garden- 

 ing condition with respect to tilth and drainage, will 



