CEBVl 



QLl)t Creatfurp of 33otang, 



258 



one seed. Three species of this genus are 

 known, two of which are noble trees of 

 great height. 



C. andicola, the "Wax Palm of New 

 Grenada, was first made known and de- 

 scribed by the celebrated travellers Hum- 

 boldt and Bonpland, who found it growing 

 in great abundance in very elevated regions 

 on the chain of mountains separating the 

 courses of the rivers MagdalenaandCauca, 

 in New Grenada, extending almost as high 

 as the lower limit of perpetual snow, 

 which is a remarkable fact when It is 

 remembered that the generality of the 

 palm tribe luxuriate in tropical climates. 

 It has a straight trunk of great height, 

 and about a foot in diameter, cylindrical 

 for the first half of its height, after which 

 it swells out, but again contracts to its 

 original dimension at the summit ; but the 

 most singular feature connected with the 

 trunk Is the circumstance of its being 

 covered with a thin coating of a whitish 

 waxy substance which gives it a curious 

 marble-like appearance. It is surmounted 

 by a tuft consisting of from six to eight 



Ceroxylon andicola. 



handsome pinnate leaves, each of which is 

 about twenty feet long, and has a strong 

 thick footstalk, the base of which spreads 

 out and clasps round the trunk, leaving a 

 circular scar when it falls away; the 

 leaflets are densely covered on the under 

 side with a beautiful silvery scurf, while 

 the upper side is of a deep green colour. 

 The waxy substance of the trunk forms an 

 article of commerce amongst the inhabi- 

 tants of New Grenada. It is obtained 

 by cutting down the tree and scraping it 

 with a blunt implement, each tree yielding 

 about twenty-five pounds. According to 

 the analysis of Vauquelin, it consists of 

 two parts of resin and one of wax, and is 

 therefore of too inflammable a nature to 

 be used by itself; but by mixing it with 

 one-third part of tallow, very good candles 

 for ordinary purposes are manufactured 



from it. The candles used by the inhabi- 

 tants for offerings to the Saints and Virgin 

 are, however, made without any such 

 mixture ; but on account of their resinous 

 nature the priests will not allow them to 

 be used for the high ceremonies of the 

 Romish Church. The wood is very hard 

 towards the exterior, and is commonly 

 employed for building purposes ; and the 

 leaves are used for thatching. [A. S.] 



CERVANTESIA. A genus belonging to 

 the order of sandalworts, characterised by 

 the disk, or part intervening between sta- 

 mens and pistil, beingfive-cleft,shorter than 

 the flowers, and adherent to it below, the 

 style or appendage on the seed-vessel thick 

 and slightly notched at the end. The 

 name was given in honour of Cervantes. 

 The species are trees or shrubs, natives of 

 Peru, having scattered entire simple 

 leaves. The fruit of C. tomeutosa is used 

 as food in Peru. [G. D.] 



CERVINE. Deep tawuy, such as the 

 dark part of a lion's hide. 



CESTREAU A v BAIES NOIRES. (Fr.) 

 Oestrum Parqui. 



CESTRUM. A genus of solanaceous 

 shrubs, of which several are in cultivation 

 in this country, though of no great beauty. 

 They have a funnel-shaped yellowish fra- 

 grant corolla concealing the stamens, 

 whose anthers open longitudinally. The 

 fruit is a dark-coloured berry, enclosed 

 within the calyx, with two compartments 

 .(or from the union of the placenta? and 

 breaking down of the partition, one only) 

 with few seeds, and a straight embryo. 

 The plants are natives of Brazil. Some of 

 them possess a bitter principle like quinine, 

 while others are used as diuretics, and for 

 other medicinal purposes. [M. T. MJ 



CETERACH. A genus of polypodiaceous 

 ferns of the group Aspleniece, distinguished 

 by having distinct simple sori, reticulated 

 veins of which the marginal veinlets are 

 free, and fronds clothed thickly with scales, 

 among which the sori are hidden. One spe- 

 cies is a commonish native fern called Milt- 

 waste or Scale Fern, and another of twice 

 the stature is found in the Canary Islands, 

 both being alike coriaceous, and clothed on 

 the under surface with a thick covering of 

 imbricated tawny scales, by which peculia- 

 rity the British species may be readily 

 known from all other native ferns. To 

 this plant was formerly attributed a mar- 

 vellous influence over the spleen,and Vitru- 

 vius states that it had the effect of destroy- 

 ing that organ in certain Cretan swine 

 which fed upon it. So Gerarde writes :— 

 'There be empiricks or blinde practi- 

 tioners of this age who teach that with 

 this herbe, not only the hardness and 

 swelling of the spleen, but all infirmities 

 of the liver, may be effectually, and in a 

 very short time removed. But this is to be 

 reckoned amongst the old wives' fables, 

 and that also which Dioscorides telleth of 

 touching the gathering of Spleenewort in 

 the night, and other most vaine things 



