CALL 



QH)t Crea^urg at 23fltanj). 



198 



calyx, one of whose divisions is prolonged 

 into a spur somewhat like that in a bal 

 sam flower ; their cones a single yellow 

 striped petal, instead of five, as would 

 generally be the case ; next a solitary 

 stamen ; and lastly a three-celled ovary, 

 which, when mature, becomes a woody 

 capsule about the size of a hazel-nut, con- 

 taining a number of seeds, and splitting 

 into three portions. [A. A. B.] 



CALLITHAMNION. A beautiful genus 

 belonging to the division Ceramiacece of 

 the rose-spored Algce, to which it bears 

 nearly the same relation as Cladophora 

 does to the chlorosperms. The frond is 

 generally more or less branched, and often 

 most beautifully pinnate, consisting of 

 jointed threads, the stem alone being 

 occasionally slightly compound from de- 

 current branchlets, as in Batrachospermum. 

 The tetrasporesand capsules often occur on 

 different plants, the latter containing irreg- 

 ularly distributed spores. Antheridia again 

 are mostly produced on distinct plants. 

 The species are extremely numerous and 

 occur in most parts of the world on other 

 algae, and on almost any object which is 

 washed by the waves. One or two species 

 are found on roeks only occasionally im- 

 mersed. From their beautiful ramifica- 

 tion these plants are the delight of wan- 

 derers on the sea-shore, and afford great 

 gratification to those who possess only 

 imperfect microscopes. [M. J. BJ 



CALLITHAUMA. A genus of Peruvian 

 Amaryliidacece related to Pancratium, and 

 remarkable for the large size of the 

 staminal cup or coronet of its perianth, 

 which is equal to that of the limb. C. 

 viridiflormn has large obiong-cylindrical 

 bulbs, long flat ensiform suberect leaves, 

 and a flower scape, which is said some- 

 times to reach six feet in height in its 

 native country, supporting four or five 

 emerald green flowers, which have a hori- 

 zontal slender tube two inches long, acumi- 

 nate spreading limb segments, and a larse 

 cup or coronet. Mr. Mathews found this 

 with scapes three feet high growing in 

 dryish exposed situations. The other 

 species, C. angusti folium, is similar in 

 character, but rather smaller. [T.M.] 



CALLITRICHE, CALLITRTCHACE.E. 



A small aquatic plant with simple entire 

 opposite leaves and minute unisexual 

 axillary flowers, so reduced in structure 

 as to afford little indication of its real 

 affinities, and to have induced botanists 

 to propose it as a distinct family, under 

 the plural name of Callitrichacew. The 

 male flowers consist of a single stamen, 

 between two small bracts; the females 

 have a six-lobed four-celled ovary and 

 fruit, crowned by two styles without any 

 perianth, each cell enclosing one pendu- 

 lous ovule and seed. The genus has been 

 most frequently associated, with other 

 minute-flowered aquatic plants, under flfdo- 

 ragew, but, more recently, it has been pro- 

 posed, upon more plausible grounds, to 



consider it as a much-reduced aquatic 

 Euphorbiacea. 



C. aquatica is common in our ponds and 

 still waters, often floating over them in 

 large masses, and it is found in- most parts 

 of the world. It varies much in its leaves, 

 either all narrow and submerged, or more 

 frequently the upper floating ones, oblong 

 or obovate, in the size and form of the 

 fruits, the erect or recurved styles, &c; 

 and it has been, therefore, variously divi- 

 ded into from two to twenty supposed 

 species, which are now more generally 

 admitted to be varieties of a single one. 



This apetalous genus, which is so singular 

 in its structure, consists of small herba- 

 ceous plants, natives of Europe and 

 ISTorth America, growing in ponds and 

 streamlets, usually immersed, but becom- 

 ing more luxuriant in habit and pro- 

 ducing much more seed when growing out 

 of the water. The most common form in the 

 British Islands is that called C. ver?ia. The 

 axillary flowers are usually unisexual, the 

 males and females growing on the same 

 plants; but not unfrequently they become 

 hermaphrodite, apparently from the male 

 flowers producing ovaries. The male 

 flower consists of but one stamen without 

 a calyx, its only envelope being two 

 lateral bracts, which are in some species 

 wanting ; and the anther is two-celled, or 

 more commonly one-celled, from the two 

 cells having become confluent. The female 

 consists of a four-celled ovary having but 

 two stigmas, and is elevated on a short 

 stalk, and enveloped by two lateral bracts 

 as in the male. The cells contain one 

 ovule each, suspended from the side, and 

 the seed is albuminous. Mr. Babington 

 states that at its first formation the ovary 

 is only two-celled, and that the four-celled 

 condition is produced by the midrib of each 

 carpel extending inwardly between the 

 two ovules to the centre of the ovary to 

 which it becomes adherent. Very numer- 

 ous flat glands have been observed on the 

 young stems by Dr. Lankester and others 

 {Linn. Proc.ii. 94). These give a glistening 

 appearance to the plant when growing out 

 of the water, something like that of the 

 Tetragoniacea, which is also owing to 

 the presence of minute glands. [B. C] 



CALLITRIS. A genus of conifers allied 

 to Tlutja, but differing from it in having 

 the cones with four to six woody scales, 

 which separate one from the other like the 

 valves of a capsule: and three to six 

 winged seeds to each scale. C. quadrivalvis 

 i large tree with straggling jointed 

 furrowed branches, having rings of small 

 scales at the joints. It is a native of 

 Barbary, but is cultivated in this country 

 in sheltered situations. The resin of this 

 tree is used in varnish-making under the 

 name of gum sandarach ; while powdered 

 it forms pounce, formerly used for the 

 same purpose as blotting-paper now is. 

 The timber also, according to Dr. Lindley, 

 is durable, very hard, fragrant, and of 

 a mahogany colour, for which reason it 

 largely used in the construction of 



