CASTANEA 



gions of N. E. Amer., Eu., N. Afr. and Asia. Hardy 

 ornamental trees or shrubs with handsome foliage, 

 which generally is not injured by insects or fungi; very 

 attractive when in bloom. C Americana and C. sativa 

 are large-sized trees, while O. pumila and C. crenata 

 usually remain shrubby. The coarse-grained wood is 

 much used for furniture, railway ties and fence-posts, 

 as it is very durable in the soil. The Chestnut is exten- 

 sively cultivated in Europe and E. Asia for its edible 

 fruit. It grows best in well-drained soil on sunny slopes, 

 and even in rather dry and rocky situations, but dis- 

 likes limestone soil. Prop, by seeds, sown in fall where 

 there is no danger of them being eaten by mice or squir- 

 rels ; otherwise they should be stratified in boxes and 

 buried 1 or 2 feet deep in a warm soil until early spring, 

 when they are sown in rows about 3 inches deep. If 

 growing well they can be transplanted the following fall 

 or spring 2 or 3 feet apart from each other, and planted 

 where they are to stand after three or four years. They 

 are also increased by layers in moist soil. Varieties are 

 usually worked on seedling stock* or on sprouts by 

 whip-grafting above the ground when the stock is just 

 beginning to push into leaf. Crown-grafting, root-graft- 

 ing and budding are also sometimes practiced, but no 

 method gives wholly satisfactory results, and usually 

 only one-half take well. See Ohestmtt. 



A, Lvs. glabrous or nearly so at maturity. 



Amerioina, Raf. fC (2en«dfa,Borkh. ). Fig. 380. Tree, 

 occasionally 100 ft.: lvs. cuneate, oblong-lanceolate, 

 acuminate, coarsely serrate, nearly glabrous when 

 young, 6-10 in. long and somewhat pendulous : fls. of 

 heavy fragrance, in June or July : nuts %-l in. wide. 

 S.Maine to Mich., south to Ala. and Miss. S.S. 9:440-41. 

 Em. 187. G.F.10;373.— Thetallest,mostvigorous-grow- 

 ing and hardiest species. The nuts, though smaller, 

 have a better flavor than the European varieties. 



sativa, Mill. (C.w^sca.Gartn.). Fig. 381. Tree, 50-80 

 ft.: lvs. oblong-lanceolate, coarsely serrate, slightly 

 pubescent or tomentose beneath when young, nearly 

 glabrous at length, 5-9 in. long, erect : nut over 1 in. 

 wide. June. Prom S. Eu. and N. Afr. to China. Gn. 50, 

 p. 389. Gng. 3 : 209. —There are some garden forms with 

 variegated lvs., and others, of which var. asplenifolia, 

 Lodd., with laciniately cut and divided lvs., is the most 

 remarkable. Of several varieties cultivated for their 

 fruit, Paragon, a precocious kind, and Numbo, a variety 

 with very large fr., are the most extensively planted in 

 this country. See Chestnut. 



CASUARINA 



257 



382. Japanese 

 Chestnut— 



Castanea crenata. 



crenftta, Sieb. & Zuco. {C. Japdnica ,Blume) . Fig.382. 

 Shrub or tree, to 30 ft.: lvs. elliptic or oblong-lanceo- 

 late, usually rounded at the base, acuminate, crenately 

 serrate, or the teeth reduced to a long, bristle-like 

 point, slightly pubescent when young, glabrous at 

 length or only pubescent on the veins beneath, 3-7 in. 

 long, erect: nut over 1 in. wide. Japan,China. — Shrubby 

 and very precocious ; it usually begins to fruit when 

 about six years old. Hardy as far N. as Mass. 



AA. I/vs. whitish tomentose beneath. 

 ptimila, Mill. Chinquapin. Shrub or small tree, 

 rarely 50 ft.: lvs. cuneate, elliptic-oblong or oblong- 

 obovate, acute, serrate, teeth often reduced to bristle- 

 like points, 3-5 in. long : fr. usually solitary, ovate, 

 small, about J^in. wide and %-l in. long. May, June. 

 From Pa. to N. Fla. and Texas. S.S. 9: 442-43. -Useful 

 for planting on dry and rocky slopes ; attractive when 

 in flower, and again in fall, with its abundant light green 

 burs among the dark foliage. The closely allied C. alni- 

 folia, Nutt., in the S. states, grows only a few feet 

 high, and has larger lvs. and fr. Alfked Eehdeb. 



CASTANEA of commerce. The nuts of Bertholletia. 



GASTAN6FSIS (Castanea and opsis, chestnut-like). 

 Cupuliferce (or Fagdcece). Evergreen trees or shrubs, 

 closely allied to Castanea and in some degree also to 

 Quercus, with sometimes entire lvs. and spiny or tuber- 

 culate involucre. About 25 species, chiefly in the trop. 

 and subtrop. mountains of Asia, and 1 in W. N. Amer., 

 which is the hardiest, and is sometimes cultivated. For 

 propagation, see Castanea. 



chrysophylla, DC. {Castdnen, chrysoph'^lla, Hook.). 

 Tree, to 150 ft., shrubby at high elevations : lvs. ovate- 

 oblong or oblong-lanceolate, narrowed at both ends, 

 entire, dark green above, coated with minute golden 

 yellow scales beneath, 2-6 in. long: nut about >^in. 

 wide, usually solitary in the spiny involucre. Summer. 

 Ore. to Calif. S.S. 9:439. B.M. 4953. G.C. III. 22:411. 

 F.S. 12:1184. R.B.7:240.-A highly ' ornamental tree 

 with beautiful foliage, hardy only in the warmer tem- 

 perate regions, but the shrubby form is much hardier. 



Alfred Rehdeb. 



CASTANOSF^BMUM (Chestnut seed, because of the 

 taste of the seeds). LeguminbscB, One tall Australian 

 tree, with odd-pinnate lvs., the Ifts. broad, thick, entire; 

 fls. large, orange-colored, in lateral racemes ; petals 4 ; 

 stamens free : ovary long-stipitate, many-ovuled : seeds 

 larger than Italian chestnuts, globular. C. austrd.le, 

 Cunn. & Fraser, is the species known locally a3"More- 

 ton Bay Chestnut." The seeds are roasted and eaten. 

 Int. in S. Calif. 



CASTILLfilA (a Spanish botanist, Z>. Castillejo). 

 Scrophularidcece. Painted Cup. Herbs, with small, 

 solitary fls. in terminal, gaudy-bracted spikes, mostly 

 N. Amer.: corolla tubular, sometimes flattened laterally, 

 2-lipped ; lower lip smaller, more or less 3-toothed : 

 stamens 4 : lvs. alternate, entire or cut. C. coccinea, 

 Spreng., the common Painted Cup of the E. states, 

 has been offered by collectors. It has showy laciniate 

 bracts. Castilleias are little known in gardens. They 

 are of simple culture. 



indivlsa, Engelm. Annual, 1-2 ft.: lvs. lance-linear 

 and entire (or sometimes 2-3-lobed) : bracts not lacini- 

 ate, bright red and showy. Texas.— Blooms early in 

 spring. 



affinis, Hook. & Am. Perennial, 1-2 ft. : lvs. narrow- 

 lanceolate, entire or the upper ones toothed at apex : 

 fl. -bracts becoming short and broad, red : spike lax be- 

 low. Calif., in moLst soils.— Int. 1891 by Orcutt. 



folioldsa, Hook. & Am. Woolly perennial, 1-2 ft., the 

 base woody: lvs. small (1 in. or less long), narrow- 

 linear, crowded or fascicled : bracts 3-parted : spike 

 dense. Calif., in dry soils.— Int. 1891 by Orcutt. 



L. H. B. 



CASTOR BEANS are discussed under Ricinus. 



CASUABtNA, said to be derived from Casuarius, the 

 Cassowary, from resemblance of the branches to the 

 feathers). Casuarindeeoe. Beepwood. She Oak. A 



17 



