398 



CBEPIS 



CRINUM 



hairy. July, Eu., Asia, Minor, Himalayas. Gn. 53, p. 

 493. — The tallest and largest-fld. of the genus. Its 

 white, plumy masses of seeds are also attractive. 



O. aUrea, Eeiohb. Height Ut., fls. orange. June. Eu. The 

 commonest perennial species of the genus abroad. Repays rich 

 soil.— O. rubra, Linn. Annual height 6-32 in.; fls. red, usually 

 solitary. Italy. Greece. The commonest of the annual species 

 abroad. 



CRESCfiNTIA (after Crescenzi, thirteenth century 

 Italian agricultural writer). BignoniheecE.. This genus 

 is chiefly interesting for the Calabash tree, and has no 

 near allies of horticultural importance. It consists of 

 tropical trees, glabrous: Its. alternate, solitary or clus- 

 tered in nodes : fls. large, tubular, with a fluted 5-cut 

 limb, yellowish, with red or purple veins : calyx 2-parted 

 or deeply 5-cut. The Calabash tree is a native of tropi- 

 cal America, is especially familiar in the West Indies, 

 and can be grown outdoors in extreme S. Pla., S. Calif. 

 The outer skin of the fruit is removed, and the seeds 

 and pulp from within, and the hard, woody shell is 

 used for water-gourds and for all sorts of domestic ves- 

 sels, according to size and shape. The growing fruit 

 can be made to assume various forms by skillful tying. 

 It is a tree, 20 ft. high, and readily distinguished from 

 all others by its peculiar habit of growth, as it bears 

 large, horizontal, scarcely divided branches, which bear 

 clusters of leaves at intervals. 



Cui6te,Linn. Lvs.4-6in.long,broadly lanceolate,taper- 

 ing at the base : fls. solitary, pendulous; calyx 2-parted 

 corolla constricted below the middle, and then swelled 

 above, malodorous when decaying; stamens 4, some- 

 times 5. B.M. 3430. 



CRESS. The ordinary garden Cress (Lepidium sati- 

 vum), sometimes called peppergrass, is stUl absent in 

 the majority of American gardens, although its leaves 

 have the pleasant pungency of the Water Cress, and 

 might be used more freely as a condiment, to be served 

 with salads, or for garnishing. The quick sprouting 

 habit of the seed is proverbial. If Cress is wanted in 

 its prime continuously, seed must be sown every few 

 days. The young plants, which may be left thickly in 

 drills, need protection from the flea beetle, as this is as 

 fond of Cress pungency as any gourmand. For winter 

 use, garden Cress may be grown in large flower pots, 

 boxes, or on a bench, in any light and reasonably warm 

 place. There are curled and broad-leaved types. Aus- 

 tralian or Golden Cress is a broad, yellowish-leaved va- 

 riety. Water Cress {Nasturtiii^n officinale), a hardy 

 perennial and important market crop, can be grown in 

 moist soil in the greenhouse, or in almost any ditch, 

 pool, or shallow water course. Covered with water, it 

 winters well. To introduce it in any suitable place, all 

 that is necessary is to scatter seed or a few freshly-cut 

 branches, and it will soon spread and flourish. " Erfurt 

 Sweet" is a superior strain. Similar to Water Cress in 

 form of leaf and in taste is the Upland Cress {Barba- 

 rea vulgaris), a hardy biennial which can easily be 

 grown from seed. t^ Gbeineb. 



CRIMSON FLAG. Schizostylis coccinea. 



CRINKLE ROOT. One of the names of Dentaria 

 diphylla, 



CRtNUM (Greek name for a lily). Amaryllidd,cece. 

 A rather large and cosmopolitan genus of splendid flow- 

 ering bulbs, mostly tender, closely allied to Amaryllis, 

 and distinguished by the longer perianth tube. Lvs. 

 mostly persistent, usually broad; fls. few or many in an 

 umbel, often very fragrant and with three types of 

 coloring, pure white, banded red or purplish down the 

 center, or flushed with the same colors ; perianth 

 spreading or funnel shaped; tube straight or curved; 

 segments linear, lanceolate or oblong. 



The species of Crinum require widely different cul- 

 ture, and their geographical distribution furnishes an 

 important clue as to their rarity and the degree of 

 warmth required. There are only two hardy species, 0. 

 longifolium and C. Moorei, the latter being less hardy 

 than the former, but with finer flowers, These two 



species differ from all others in blooming all summer in- 

 stead of during a short period, and in the greater lasting 

 qualities of their flowers. An interesting hybrid between 

 the two, C PoweUii, is hardier than O, Moorei, and the 

 flower, though better than G. longifolium, is not quite as 

 showy as that of O. Moorei, The hybrid has three well 

 marked colors, white, rose and purplish. A single bulb 

 of the white variety has given fifty flowering bulbs in 

 four years. W. Watson says that this cross can easily be 

 repeated by amateurs. The outdoor kinds require a deep, 

 well drained soil and plenty of moisture during the grow- 

 ing season. Speaking of C Moorei, W. Watson, Lon- 

 don, says: "For placing in conspicous positions on ter- 

 races or lawns, or in corners where flowers are wanted to 

 combine with architecture or statuary for summer effect, 

 they are of the greatest value. The Agapanthus is fre- 

 quently grown for such purposes, but the Crinum is 

 scarcely known in this character. Of course large speci- 

 mens are needed, but once obtained they are not easily 

 lost." The bulbs of Crinums are mostly grown in Hol- 

 land and in Florida. The only native species, G. Ameri- 

 canum, the "Swamp Lily of Florida," makes a brilliant 

 and striking spectacle when seen in dismal places far 

 from civilization. It is no wonder that it is cherished in 

 Florida gardens. 



Of the greenhouse Crinums some are evergreen, others 

 decidous; some warmhouse, others coolhouse species. 

 Like Pancratiums, they require too much space to be as 

 popular here as in the Old World. Speaking especially 

 of G. amahile and G. Asiaticum, Robert Cameron says 

 (G. F. 10: 217) : "Crinums thrive in a compost of turfy 

 loam, dry cow-manure and a little charcoal. When they 

 are grown in large pots they do not require annual re- 

 potting ; in fact, our large plants have not been shifted 

 for the past five years. A top-dressing of good, rich soil 

 is all that is necessary, and when they are well estab- 

 lished liquid manure is very beneficial." C. amabile 

 may be taken as a type of the coolhouse and G. gigan- 

 teiirn of the warmhouse kind. Of the latter species, W. 

 Watson says (G. F. 4; 221) : "It is gigantic only in the 

 size of its flowers. The erect scapes are produced sev- 

 eral times a year at varying seasons. The flowers are 

 powerfully and deliciously fragrant, and last about a 

 week. This species requires plenty of moisture all the 

 year round, and it is happiest when planted in a large pot 

 of rich soil, or better still, in a bed under the shade of 

 palms." ^_ -^ 



Among the great family of large-flowering Amaryllids 

 I do not recall any more beautiful in bloom than Grinum 

 Moorei and its hybrid O. Powellii. The culture of the 

 former is of the simplest. It requires potting, and is not 

 fastidious as to soil. It is well to grow it along into a 

 fair-sized tub with its offsets, of which it is prolific, until 

 it makes a good specimen, as it will then be more effective 

 in the garden when in flower. In late fall it should be 

 removed to a coolhouse and kept fairly dry till new 

 leaves appear in midwinter, when it may have more 

 moisture, the supply being increased on removal out- 

 doors in spring. G. Powellii has a shorter necked bulb 

 and drooping channelled leaves sometimes 4 feet long, 

 while G. Moorei has spreading leaves 2 feet or more 

 long. G. Powellii is especially valuable for its hardi- 

 ness. In a sheltered place at Elizabeth, N. J., it is 

 out to the ground, but reappears in the spring, being 

 protected only by a small mound of ashes or earth, which 

 serves to throw off moisture. 



J. N. Gerard. 



Alphabetical list of species described below: C. Abys- 

 sinicum, IC ; amabile, 3 ; Amerioanum, 4 ; aquaticum, 

 15; Asiaticum, 1; augustum, 6; australe, 2; campanu- 

 latum, 15; Gapense, 9; cappednm, 1; Colensoi, 10; cras- 

 sifolium, 13: Eboraci, 1; erubescens. Ait., 7; erubes- 

 cems, HBK., 8; fimbriatulum, 20 ; giganteum, 21; grandi- 

 florum, 9; Herberti, 19; Merbertianum, 19; hybridum, 1; 

 Kirkil, 11; Kunthianiim, Hort.,19; Kunthianum, 

 Roem., 8 ; lineare, 17 ; longifolium, 9 ; Mackenii, 10 ; 

 Maleoyanum, 10; Moorei, 10 ; Natalense, 10 ; ornatum, 

 14 ; pedunculatum, R.Br., 2 ; pedunculatum, Hort., I ; 

 Powellii, 18; pratense, 5; ripamtm,^; scabro-Capense, 

 19; scabrum, 19; Schmidfii, 10; Sinico-scabrum, 1; va- 

 riabile, 13 ; Sanderianum, 14 ; virgineum, 22 ; Virgiai- 

 cum, 19 ; Zeylanicum, 12, 



