Giroflee de Delile of the French, perhaps a 

 variety of C. Unif alius, forms small tufts, 

 the extremities of which are covered with 

 flowers which, during expansion, pass 

 through several shades of purple ; it con- 

 tinues in bloom during a groat part of the 

 year. C. Marshallii, a low tufted plant 

 with bright evergreen leaves and nume- 

 rous large orange-coloured flowers, blooms 

 early in the year. All these, and several 

 other species, are well suited for adorning 

 rock-work. [C. A. J.] 



CHEIROGLOSSA. A name under which 

 Ophioglossum palmatum was proposed to 

 be separated from the other species of this 

 genus of ferns. [T. MJ 



CHEIROPLEURIA. A synonyme of Ana- 

 pdusia, applied to A. Vespertilio and A. 

 bicuspis, two ferns which are remarkable 

 in bearing fronds of a form resembling 

 bats' wings. [T. M.] 



CHEIROSTEMON. The Hand-flowertree, 

 or Macpalxochitlquahuitl of the Mexicans, 

 is the sole species of this genus of stercu- 

 liads. The plant, C. platanoides, is a tree 

 growing thirty or more feet in height, 

 and having plane-like leaves of a deep- 

 green colour on the upper surface, but 

 covered underneath with a rust-coloured 

 scurf composed of star-like hairs, each leaf 

 being about six inches long by five broad, 

 deeply indented at the base and divided at 

 the margin into from three to seven blunt, 

 rounded lobes. Its flowers are two inches 



Cheirostemon platanoides (flower). 



long by as much broad, and are destitute 

 of a corolla, but have a leathery, rusty-red, 

 cup-shaped calyx, deeply cut into fivebroad, 

 sharp-pointed divisions, the bottom of the 

 cup having five bright yellow cavities 

 which secrete a quantity of sweet fluid. 

 The arrangement of the stamens is most 

 remarkable; they are of a bright-red, and 

 united together for about one-third of 

 their length (four inches), when they 

 separate into five curved claw-like rays, 

 and thus bear some resemblance to the 

 human hand. The club-shaped style 



emerges from the centre of the stamens, 

 and is terminated by a pointed stigma. 

 The fruit is five-cornered, and splits open 

 in five places when ripe, allowing the 

 escape of the numerous seeds. 



A solitary specimen of this tree was first 

 discovered growing near the town of Toluco 

 in Mexico. It was of great age, and an 

 object of veneration among the Indians, 

 both on account of the remarkable struc- 

 ture of its flowers, and because they sup- 

 posed that no other tree of the kind 

 existed elsewhere ; but forests of it have 

 since been discovered near the city of 

 Guatemala, from whence it is probable 

 that the Indians of Toluca had trans- 

 ported it in very early times. [A. S.] 



CHEIROSTTLIS. A genus of terrestrial 

 orchids, consisting of little plants with the 

 habit of Ancectochilus, to which it is nearly 

 allied. Its most distinguishing character 

 is having the three sepals united into a 

 short tube, from the front of which hangs 

 down a lip divided into narrow lobes. The 

 column, moreover, has four arms, half its 

 own, and half belonging to the stigma. 



CHE'LIDOINE PETITE. (Fr.) Ficaria 

 verna, also known as Ranunculus Ficaria. 



CHELIDONIUM. The Greater or Com- 

 mon Celandine, a plant frequently found in 

 this country in the neighbourhood of 

 villages or old ruins, is the only species of 

 this genus of the poppy family, and is not 

 to be confounded with the lesser celan- 

 dine (Ficaria verna,). The Greater Celan- 

 dine is a glaucous hairy annual plant, with 

 pinnately-lobed leaves, small yellow flowers 

 in a loose umbel, and a fruit, consisting of 

 a long pod, bursting from below upwards 

 by two valves, and containing a number 

 of seeds with a small crest on them, near 

 to the place where they are attached to the 

 interior of the pod. The whole plant is 

 full of a yellow juice which is of an acrid 

 poisonous nature, and has been used in j 

 certain diseases of the eye, and as a 

 caustic to destroy warts, &c. [M. T. M.] I 



CHELIDOSPERMUM. A section of the 

 genus Pittosporum, containing a few spe- j 

 cies from New Guinea, with the calyx 

 deeply five-parted, valvate, and the seeds 

 with long seedstalks. The leaves are ob- | 

 long ; the flowers grow in a pedunculated j 

 terminal umbel ; and the capsule is two- 

 seeded, with leathery valves. [J. T. S.] 



CHELONANTHERA. Pholidota. 



CHELONE. A small genus of linariads, 

 very closely allied to the Pentstemon, from 

 which, however, it is easily distinguished 

 by its imbricated winged seeds, by its 

 sterile fifth stamen being shorter than the 

 other four, and by its flowers being ar- 

 ranged in short dense bracted spikes. 

 The form of the corolla in this genus is 

 also very distinct, the broad keeled upper 

 lip and scarcely open mouth giving it some 

 resemblance to the head of a tortoise or 

 turtle, to which feature is due both its 

 scientific appellation and the popular 

 American name of Turtle-head. The best- 



