86 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



CHR 



ward. It is a very pretty, hardy perennial, 

 with yellow flowers, well worth a place in 

 every herbaceous border. 



Chrysophy'llum. Star Apple. From chrysos, 

 gold, and phyllon, a leaf; referring to the color 

 of the underside of the leaves. Nat. Ord. 

 Sapotacece. 



A genus of ornamental leaved evergreen 

 trees. C. imperiale, a very showy and desira- 

 ble species, is best known in cultivation as 

 Theophrasta imperialis. 



Chryso'psis. From chrysos, gold, and opsis, 

 aspect ; in allusion to the golden blossoms. 

 Nat. Ord. Composite. 



A genus of hardy annual or perennial North 

 American plants, a greater portion of the 

 species having all their parts covered with 

 villous or silky hairs. C. Mariana grows 

 about two feet high, and is quite ornamental 

 when in flower. C. villosa, with numerous 

 yellow flower heads half an inch in diameter, 

 is said to be one of the commonest plants on 

 the prairies of the Saskatchawan. 



Chrysu'rus. From chrysos, gold, and oura, a 

 tail ; alluding to the compact heads of flowers. 

 Nat. Ord. Graminacece. 



A small genus of annual grasses, natives of 

 the south of Europe and north of Africa. C. 

 aurea, the only species of interest, is a very 

 ornamental border plant of free growth, and 

 is very useful for cutting. Native of the south 

 of Europe and north of Africa. Syn. Lamarkia. 



Chufa, or Earth Almond. Cyperus escukntus. 

 A species of earth-nut used to fatten hogs, 

 not to be confounded with Cocoa or Nut-grass, 

 for though it belongs to the same class, Chufa 

 is eradicated with great ease, and is never a 

 pest. The nuts or tubers are larger and more 

 elongated, and are very sweet and nutritious. 



Chy'sis. From chysis, melting ; in reference to 

 the fused appearance of the pollen masses. 

 Nat. Ord. OrchidacecB. 



A genus of very handsome Orchids, natives 

 of Central America. The flowers are mostly 

 white, or ereamy white, heavily tipped with 

 pink, the lip being beautifully marked with 

 carmine and yellow. C. aurea maculata, has 

 golden yellow flowers, with a large orange 

 spot ; lip white, with violet rays. When in a 

 growing state they require liberal heat and 

 moisture, and a cool, dry house when at rest. 

 They are increased by division just as they 

 commence a new growth. Introduced in 

 1830. 



Cibo'tium. From kibotion, a small box ; refer- 

 ring to the form of the spore vessels. Nat. 

 Ord. Polypodiacece. 



A small genus of very interesting Ferns re- 

 lated to Dicksonia. They are large and very 

 handsome, and in some cases arborescent. 

 The fronds are bi-pinnate, and often glaucous 

 beneath. C. Barometz is believed to be the 

 Tartarian Lamb, about which travelers have 

 told so wonderful a tale. This "Lamb "con- 

 sists merely of the decumbent, shaggy caudex 

 of a kind of Fern, which is unquestionably this 

 species. The " traveler's tale " is that on an 

 uncultivated salt plain of vast extent, west of 

 the Volga, grows a wonderful plant, with the 

 appearance of a lamb, having feet, head, and 

 tail distinctly formed, and its skin covered 

 with soft down. The lamb grows upon a stalk 

 about three feet high, the part by which it is 



CIC 



sustained being a kind of navel. It turns 

 about and bends to the herbage, which serves 

 for its food, and pines away when the grass 

 dries up and fails. The fact on which this 

 tale is based appears to be, that the caudex of 

 this plant may be made to present a rude ap- 

 pearance of an animal covered with silky, 

 hair-like scales, and if cut into is found to 

 have a soft inside of a reddish, flesh-colored 

 appearance. When the herbage of its native 

 haunts fails through drought, its leaves no 

 doubt die, and both perish from the same 

 cause, and independently of each other. 

 From these appearances, the common people 

 believe that in the deserts of Scythia there 

 exist creatures half animal and half plant. 

 The species are very interesting plants 

 for the green-house, the fructification on 

 the large bi-pinnate fronds being remarkably 

 pretty. They are propagated by division, 

 and by spores. Introduced in 1824. 



Ci'cer. Chick-pea. Egyptian Pea. From kykis, 

 force or strength ; in reference to its qualities. 

 Nat. Ord. LeguminosoR. 



A genus of leguminous plants, consisting of 

 annuals, perennials and undershrubs, form- 

 ing one portion of the Vetch tribe. Some of the 

 species are included in the genus Astragalus, 

 by some botanists. 



(7. arietinum, commonly known as Chick, 

 pea or Egyptian pea, is an annual plant- 

 growing about a foot or more in height, 

 a native of the south of Europe and India, 

 where it is extensively cultivated for its seeds 

 which form one of the pulses known under 

 the name of " Gram," and which are greatly 

 used by the natives as an article of food, 

 being ground into meal, and either eaten in 

 puddings or made into cakes. The leaves of 

 this species consist of from three to seven 

 pairs of leaflets with an odd one at the end, 

 the leaflets being egg-shaped, and having 

 their edges cut into very sharp teeth. Both 

 leaves and stems are covered with glandular 

 hairs containing oxalic acid, which exudes 

 from them in hot weather and hangs in drops, 

 ultimately forming crystals. 



In Mysore the natives collect the dew from 

 the " Gram " plants by means of muslin cloths, 

 which become saturated with it. The liquid 

 thus obtained, which is very acid, is preserved 

 in bottles for use, and is regarded as a sure 

 medicine in cases of indigestion, being admin- 

 istered in water. It is stated that the boots 

 of a person walking through a dewy Gram 

 field will be entirely destroyed by the pun- 

 gency of this acid given out by the leaves. 



Cicho'rium. Chicory or Succory. An ancient 

 Egyptian name. Nat. Ord. Composite. 



C. Intybus, the plant so extensively cultivated 

 in Europe as a substitute for coffee, or for its 

 adulteration, is commonly known as Wild 

 Endive, and is found growing wild in most 

 parts of Europe, being by far the most com- 

 mon in England. It is also naturalized in 

 this country, and is common in neglected fields 

 and along roadsides in neighborhoods long 

 settled. Its flowers are bright blue, produced 

 in great profusion in August and September. 

 The plant grows in its wild state from one to 

 three feet high, but under cultivation it often 

 reaches six feet. The roots are fleshy, not 

 unlike the Dandelion, to which family it 

 belongs. For the adulteration of coffee, the 



