255 



€I)C Crca^urn at 3Botan^. 



[CERB 



It varies much in the shape and ex- 

 crescences of the fruit, and has heen ac- 

 cordingly divided by some botanists into 

 sis or more supposed species, more gener- 

 ally considered as varieties. 



CERATOPSI3. Epipogum. 



CERATOPTERIDINE.E. One of the 

 primary subdivisions or tribes of the poly- 

 podiaceous ferns, distinguished by the 

 broad incomplete or rudimentary condi- 

 tion of the ring of the sessile globose 

 spore-cases, the latter containing few large 

 spores, concentrically striated on their 

 three faces. [T. MJ 



CERATOPTERIS. A peculiar genus of 

 tropical aquatic ferns, constituting the 

 group Ceratopteridinece, or the Parkeriew of 

 some authors. They have sometimes been 

 associated with the Pteridece, or even the 

 Polypodiece, but seem to be more correctly 

 regarded as a distinct group, characterised 

 by having the ring of the spore-cases very 

 broad, incomplete, or merely rudimentary 

 and obliquely vertical, the spore-cases 

 being sessile, or nearly so, and the spores 

 few, comparatively large, obtusely trigo- 

 nal, each of the faces being beautifully 

 marked with concentric lines. The only 

 species, C. thalictroides, is found scattered 

 through the tropical and sub-tropical re- 

 gions of Asia, Africa, America, and Austra- 

 lasia, either floating or attached to the soil 

 in shallow still or slightly moving waters. 

 The fronds are much divided, membra- 

 naceous, and succulent in the fresh state : 

 the sterile ones more foliaceous and less 

 divided, with evident reticulated veins; the 

 fertile ones taller and more erect, and di- 

 vided into linear somewhat siliquose seg- 

 ments, everywhere soriferous beneath the 

 recurved indusuim-like margin, and with 

 the veins distinctly anastomosing. Both 

 forms of frond, especially the sterile ones, 

 are proliferous, often freely so. The suc- 

 culent foliage of this fern is boiled and 

 eaten as a vegetable by the poorer classes 

 I in the Indian Archipelago. [T. MJ 



CERATOSTACHYS. A genus usually re- 

 ferred to Combretacece, containing a tree 

 I from Japan, with oblong entire smooth 

 1 leaves, glaucous beneath, and axillary soli- 

 tary spikes of flowers, forming dense 

 heads. [J. T. SJ 



CERATOSTEMMA. A genus of vaccini- 

 aceous plants, consisting of Peruvian 

 shrubs, with superior five-toothed calyx ; 

 a tubular corolla with a five-toothed limb ; 

 ten stamens included within the corolla, 

 the filaments united below into a cup, and 

 the anthers opening by pores ; and a five- 

 j celled ovary with several seeds, ripening 

 into a kind of berry surmounted by the 

 limb of the calyx. [II. T. MJ 



CERATOSTYLIS. A small and unim- 

 portant genus of terrestrial orchids 

 inhabiting tropical Asia. It contains 

 two sections, one made up of species 

 with long terete one-leaved simple stems 

 with a dense cluster of minute flowers in 



the axil ; the other with a branched stem 

 like that of caulescent Maxillarias. These 

 last constitute the spurious genus Trigo- 

 nanthus. 



CERATOTHECA. A genus of Sesamece, 

 containing a single species from tropical 

 Africa. It is a herbaceous plant, with an 

 erect tetragonous stem, opposite petiolate 

 and dentate leaves, and single flowers on 

 short axillary peduncles, with two glandu- 

 liferous bracteoles at their base. The per- 

 sistent calyx is deeply divided into five 

 acuminate lobes ; the corolla tube is short 

 I and campanulate, and the limb bilabiate 

 I and five-cleft. There are four didynamous 

 stamens, and no trace whatever of the 

 fifth. The style is simple and deciduous, 

 withabilamellate stigma. The membrana- 

 ceous truncate capsule has the corners of 

 the apex produced into two or generally 

 four horns. The free central placenta 

 bears many flat obovate seeds. [W. CJ 



CERATOZAMIA. The name of this genus 



of Cycadacecv refers to its most prominent 



distinguishing feature : the presence of 



two horas on the scales of its zamia-like 



\ fruit. The stem is short and globular, 



j giving off numerous pinnate leaves. The 



! flowers are dioecious ; the males in cones, 



I whose scales are provided with two little 



| teeth at the point, and with numerous 



: anthers on their under surface ; the 



females consisting of numerous scales 



with a thickened hexagonal disc-like top 



, provided with two diverging horns, each 



scale concealing two seeds. The plants are 



natives of Mexico. [M. T. MJ 



j CERBERA. This name is intended to 

 imply that the plants to which it belongs, 

 are as dangerous as Cerberus; and some of 

 them indeed are poisonous. Botanically, 

 it is applied to a genus of Apocynacece, 

 \ consisting of trees, natives of tropical 

 I Asia, with terminal flowers disposed in 

 i corymbs. The corolla is funnel-shaped, 

 i with the limb divided into five oblique 

 I lobes, and the throat provided with five 

 j teeth. The stamens are five, included 

 within the corolla, their anthers tipped 

 with a distinct spine. The ovary is two- 

 lobed,with two compartments, having two 

 | to four seeds in each. The stigma is dis- 

 j coid, with a wavy margin. The fruit con- 

 sists of two separate drupes, one of which 

 is usually abortive. The inner shell of 

 the drupe is fibrous, partly divided, when 

 ripe, into two divisions, and, when seen in 

 the dried state, much resembling a ball of 

 ; string. These plants possess a milky juice 

 of a poisonous character, though some of 

 the species are said to be destitute of the 

 venomous qualities possessed by the rest. 

 The seeds of C. Ahovai are very poisonous, 

 and the wood of this tree has an abomin- 

 able odour. The seeds of C, Manghas are 

 emetic and poisonous. C. OcZoZtam, a Malabar 

 tree, is cited by Lindley, as being inno- 

 cuous, but this character applies probably 

 to the fleshy drupe, the nut in the interior 

 being narcotic and even poisonous. The 

 bark is purgative : the unripe fruit, more- 



