762 



PBACTICAL GUIDE TO GABDEN PLANTS amabantus 



on the base of the perianth segments, 

 fleshy berry. 



CELOSIA (Cockscomb). — A genus of 

 annual herbs, rarely shrubs or bushes, 

 smooth or hairy, with round or angled 

 stems. Leaves alternate, often narrowed 

 into a stalk, linear oblong ovate or obo- 

 vate, quite entire or rarely lobed. Flowers 

 hermaphrodite in dense spikes at the 

 ends of the shoots and in the axils of the 

 leaves, white, silvery, or rosy, shining. 

 Perianth scariose 5-parted, with oblong 

 or lance-shaped segments. Stamens 5, 

 the slender filaments united at the base 

 into a membranous cup. 



Culture a/nd Propagation. — The 

 Celosias must be treated as tender annuals, 

 as they are not hardy enough to stand 

 out of doors except during the summer 

 months. To obtain the best effects they 

 should be planted in masses in sheltered 

 sunny positions in rich sandy loam and 

 leaf soil. Seeds may be sown in heat 

 about March, and the seedlings should be 

 pricked out when large enough to handle 

 easily. To obtain very sturdy plants the 

 seedlings may be pricked out a second 

 time or grown singly in pots with as 

 much light and air as possible when they 

 have recovered from the moving. By 

 the end of May or early in June, accord- 

 ing to the weather, the plants may be 

 transferred to the open garden, and placed 

 about 1 ft. apart in masses. They re- 

 quire abundance of water during the 

 smnmer, and an occasional watering with 

 liquid cow-manuxe will enhance their 

 vigour and beauty. 



C. cristata {CocTcscomb). — A slightly 

 branched East Indian annual 1^2 ft. 

 high, with strong smooth and striped 

 sUghtly branched stems, and bright green 

 oval-lance-shaped leaves sometimes more 

 or less crinkled and strongly veined. 

 The small dark red flowers appear during 

 the summer and autumn in dense oval or 

 elongated spikes. 



Such are the characteristics of the 

 typical C. cristata, but the art of the 

 gardener has produced many extremely 

 curious and highly interesting changes, 

 chiefly in the inflorescence. The plume- 

 like spike of flowers is replaced by a 

 thick consolidated mass of velvety tissue, 

 the result of the flower-stem becoming 

 much dilated and flattened at the top and 

 curled and crimped into fantastic shapes. 



Fruit a membranous utricle, rarely a 



The small flowers are placed in the a.xils 

 of the shining scales which cover the 

 surface, and it is among these scales that 

 the seeds must be looked for later on. 

 There are now many shades of colour 

 among the Cockscombs, such as deep 

 crimson, red, yellow, purple, rose, violet, 

 &c. Besides the change in colour the 

 plants have also been sensibly dwarfed by 

 cultivation, and some of them are not 

 more than 9 in. high. A very ornamental 

 variety of the Cockscomb is C. cristata 

 variegata, which has ii, more branching 

 habit than the type, variegated leaves, 

 and graeefal erect plumes of flowers vary- 

 ing in colour from crimson to red, yellow, 

 and violet. 



Culture Sc. as above. 



AMARANTUS. — A genus of erect 

 or decumbent, smooth or downy, rarely 

 hairy annuals. Leaves alternate, narrowed 

 into a stalk at the base, ovate lance- 

 shaped or linear, entire or rarely sinuate- 

 toothed, often ending in a sharp point. 

 Flowers monoecious or polygamous, small, 

 borne in clusters in the axils of the upper 

 leaves, or in dense panicles or trusses at 

 the ends of the shoots. Perianth seg- 

 ments 5, rarely 1-3, membranous. Sta- 

 mens 5, rarely 1-3. Ovary ovoid or 

 flattened ; style short or none ; stigmas 

 2-3 awl-shaped or slender, papillose or 

 hairy. 



Culture amd Propagation. — The 

 Amarantuses flourish in ordinary good 

 garden soil, but enjoy a rich sandy and 

 well-manured loam. They are very effec- 

 tive during the summer months planted 

 in bold masses in the flower border or 

 along the edges of the same. Some of 

 the varieties are also well adapted for 

 vase decoration, and may be used for this 

 purpose with other plants, so long as the 

 colour hues do not clash. Most of the 

 kinds are easily raised from seeds sovim 

 in gentle heat in March and treated in 

 the same way as annuals in general (see 

 p. 78). "When the seedlings are large 

 enough to handle easily they should be 

 pricked out into pots or pans of light rich 

 sandy loam and leaf mould, and grown on 

 with as much hght and air as possible 

 until the end of May or beginning of 

 June, when they may be transferred to 

 the outdoor garden fully hardened off. 



