CEL 



[216] 



CEL 



of Alexanders and Parsnips. When full 

 grown, the grubs descend into the earth 

 and remain in the chrysalis state until 

 the spring following, when they give 

 birth to the fly. The Celery Fly, may 

 usually be found upon the leaves of the 

 laurel, hovering over flowers and resting 

 upon palings in the sunshine, from the 

 middle of May to the end of July. It is 

 one of the most beautiful of the English 

 two-winged flies, and has been thus de- 

 scribed by Mr. Westwood. The general 

 colour of the body, which is five-jointed, 

 varies from rusty-brown to shining black; 

 head buff", with black hairs ; legs yellow ; 

 thorax sprinkled with long black hairs ; 

 wings black, with various pale spots; 

 eyes green. The whole length of the 

 insect is not more than one-sixth of an 

 inch, and its wings, when outspread, 

 barely half an inch across. The cross- 

 lines in our woodcut show these propor- 

 tions, as well as the insect magnified. 

 The motions of this fly are very peculiar ; 

 seated upon a leaf in the sunshine, the 

 wings are partially extended, yet partially 

 elevated, and it has a sideling kind of 

 motion. The withered leaves of the 

 celery should be picked off, and the grubs 

 within them crushed as soon as seen. 

 Mr. Westwood suggests that a string, 

 smeared with birdlime, and stretched over 

 the celery plants, might catch many of 

 the parents. The Cottage Gardener, i. p. 

 73. 



CELO'SIA. Cockscomb. (From Jcelos, 

 burnt ; in reference to the burnt-like ap- 

 pearance of the flowers of some of the 

 species. Nat. ord., Amaranths [Amaran- 

 taceae]. Linn., 5-Pentandria, \-monogy- 

 nia). The flowers of the coxcomb, Celo- 

 sia cristata, are astringent, and much used 

 by Asiatic physicians. Seeds in a hot- 

 bed in March; potted off repeatedly, 

 and transferred to the hothouse or green- 

 house ; light rich soil, well drained. 



SHRUBS. 



C. echina'ta (hedge-hog). 1. Purple. July. 

 Orinoco, 1821. Stove evergreen. 



glavfca (milky green). 1. White. July. 

 Cape of" Good Hope. 1818. Green- 

 house evergreen. 



GREENHOUSE ANNUALS. 

 C. crista'ta (crested). 2. (Dark red). July. 



Asia. 1570. 

 compa'cta (compact). 2. Dark 



red. July. Asia. 1570. 



C. crista'ta ela'ta (tall). 2. Dark red. July. 



Asia. 1570. 



flavffscens (pale yellow). 2. Yel- 



low. July. Asia. 1570. 

 STOVE ANNUALS. 



C argefntea (silvery-spikrd). 1. Light flesh. 



July. China. 1740. 

 Uncarts (narrow-fcarcrf). 1. Flesh. 



June. East Indies. 1714. 



castre'nsis (camp). 2. Purple. July. East 



Indies. 1739. 



cefrmia (drooping) . 3. purple. July. 



East Indies. 1809. 



cocci! 'nea (scarlet). 5. Pink. July. China. 



1597. 



como'sa (tufted). 1. Pink. July. East 



Indies. 1802. 



dicho'toma (fork-branched). 1. Yellow. 



July. East Indies. 1824. 



margarita' cm (pearly). 2. Yellow. Au- 



gust. West Indies. 1817. 



Monso'nia (Monson's). 3. White. August. 



East Indies. 1778. 



ni'tida (shining). 1. Purple. August. Ma- 



labar. 1706. 



nodiflo'ra (knotted-flowered). 2. Green. 



August. East Indies. 1780. 

 pyramida'lis (pyramidal). 1. White. July. 

 East Indies. 1820. 



CELOSIA CRISTATA. TJie Cockscomb of 

 florists. All the varieties of this are 

 well worth cultivating. The deep crim- 

 son coloured varieties are generally the 

 most esteemed ; and of these there are 

 tall and dwarf kinds the latter being 

 generally preferred. The comb at its 

 extremities altogether, or nearly,, touch- 

 ing the sides of the pot. Seeds should be 

 sown in a aweet hotbed in spring, and, 

 unlike the balsam, where splendid speci- 

 mens are required, they should never be 

 turned out of the hotbed until the combs 

 are nearly full grown, when they may 

 be set in the greenhouse. Two systems 

 of culture may be adopted. First, as soon 

 as the plants are one inch in height, 

 prick out and shift successively into 

 larger pots, never allowing the plants 

 to be pot-bound. By this method the 

 plants are strong before the combs ap- 

 pear ; and you have a chance of having 

 many very fine, but with the risk that 

 many others from their shape will be fit 

 only for the rubbish heap. By the 

 second method, the best for those with 

 limited space, the young plants are 

 pricked out a few inches apart into shal- 

 low pans, in light rich earth, encouraged 

 to grow freely, and then checked sud- 

 denly by keeping them cooler and with- 

 holding water, which will cause them. 



