GLOSSARY. 113 



Crocus. — (Natural Order, Iride^e.) P. 17. — A large 

 family of bulbs, flowering in early spring. Cultivation 

 has produced countless kinds, of great beauty and wide 

 diversity of hue. 



Cucumber.— CUCUMIS SATIVUS. (Natural Order, 

 CucuRBiTACEiE.) Pp. 53, 185. — A common plant, the 

 qualities of which are well known. Several ornamental 

 species are found in the brush lands of New South Wales 

 and Queensland. In South Australia a species (Cucumis 

 microcarpd) overruns fields and gardens, and dry beds of 

 watercourses ; and is a very noxious weed. Its fruits and 

 leaves have such an unpleasant and very strong scent, 

 that animals will not touch them. 



Currant. — RIBES. (Natural Order, Saxifrages.) Pp. 

 53, 185. — The black, white, and red varieties of this pleasant 

 fruit are largely cultivated in Tasmania, the gullies of the 

 Mount Lofty Ranges near Adelaide, and Victoria. The 

 plant grows freely from cuttings of the ripened wood. It 

 is a native of Britain and other cold countries. 



Cycad. — Embracing the genera CYC AS. Pp. 2, 55. 

 ZAMIA, MACROZAMIA, etc. (Natural Order, Cycades.) 

 — The genus Cycas, pp. 2, 55, better known as ' Fern Palm ' 

 or ' Sago Palm,' comprises the most noble specimens of the 

 order. There are about 50 species, indigenous to the tropi- 

 cal and sub-tropical regions. In Japan a very ornamental 

 variety (Cycas revohdd) is used for the sake of its pith, 

 which yields a kind of sago. Cycas circinalis, in its native 

 localities, grows to a height of 20 feet. A similar kind of sago 

 is obtained from its stem. Many fine specimens are found 

 in New South Wales, Queensland, and Western Australia, 

 where they grow to 30 or 40 feet in height, presenting 



H 



