chry] 



Elje Erea^uri? of 3Sotan«. 



278 



baceous or slightly shrubby plants belong- 

 ing to the corymbiferous group of the 

 order Composites, distinguished by their 

 hemispherical involucre composed of im- 

 bricated scales which are membranous at 

 the edges, large naked receptacles, and by 

 the absence of a pappus from the fruit. 

 The family is represented in Britain by the 

 familiar Ox-eye Daisy, C. Leucanthemum, 

 and Corn Marigold, C.segetum : the former 

 a common weed in hay-fields, where its 

 flowers, which are white with a yellow 

 disk, are conspicuous; and the latter a 

 handsome but mischievous weed in corn- 

 fields, where it is sometimes so abundant 

 as to be more conspicuous with its large 

 golden-yellow flowers than the crop which 

 it tends to impoverish. Many species have 

 been introduced from various countries, 

 and are cultivated in our gardens, of 

 which C. gntndiflor am from the Canaries, 

 C. pinnatifldum from Madeira, and others, 

 are of a shrubby habit and flower during a 

 large portion of the year, but require 

 protection in winter ; while C. coronarium 

 from the Levant, and C. carinatum (called 

 also C. tricolor) from Barbary, are orna- 

 mental border annuals. The species, how- 

 ever, which holds so high a rank, and with 

 reason, among florists' flowers is C. sinense, 

 a plant which has long been familiar to us 

 from its frequent appearance in Chinese 

 drawings, but has of late years been 

 improved to such an extent as to be prized 

 for its intrinsic beauty, and not simply 

 from its valuable property of blooming in 

 November and December. This plant, 

 popularly known as the Chrysanthemum, 

 is more generally referred by botanists 

 to the genus Pyrethrum, as P. sinense. 

 Chrysanthemums are classed by growers 

 into Large-flowered, Anemone-flowered, 

 Pompons, and Anemone-flowered Pom- 

 pons. [C. A. J.] 



CHRYSANTHUS. Yellow-flowered. 



CHRYSBIS. A name sometimes given 

 to the species of Bschscholtzia : which 

 see. 



CHRYSIPHIALA. A synonyme of 

 Stenomesson, adopted in some systematic 

 books. 



CHRYSO. In Greek compounds = golden 

 yellow. 



CHRYSOBACTRON. A genus of Lilia- 

 cece, near Anthericum, from the Auckland 

 and Campbell Islands, New Zealand. It has 

 linear leaves and racemose flowers (which 

 are occasionally dioecious) of abright yellow 

 colour. The perianth is six-lobed ; the an- 

 thers connected (absent in the female flow- 

 ers). The ovary has three furrows ; style 

 thick ; stigma capitate, three or six-lobed ; 

 capsule ovoid, three-celled, the cells usually 

 two-seeded. C. Hookeri is a pretty little 

 bog plant, which has been introduced into 

 this country, where it requires the protec- 

 tion of a greenhouse. [J.T. S.] 



CHRYSOBALANACB^. A family of 

 dicotyledons closely allied to Rosacea, or 

 more generally considered as a tribe of 



that order taken in its most extended 

 sense. They are distinguished from the 

 other tribes by a frequent irregularity in 

 the stamens, and more especially by their 

 solitary carpels, with the style always pro- 

 ceeding from the base, and containing two 

 ascending ovules. Trie fruit is free, 

 either drupaceous or capsular. They are 

 all trees or shrubs with alternate stipulate 

 leaves and several of them produce edible 

 fruits. There are nearly one hundred 

 species, more or less known (including 

 several as yet unpublished), dispersed over 

 the tropical regions both of the Old and 

 New World, although much more abun- 

 dantly so in the latter. They are distri- 

 buted into about twelve genera, of which 

 the principal ones are Chrysobalanus, Hir- 

 tella, Couepia, Parinarium and Prinsepia. 



CHRYSOBALANUS. This genus, the 

 type of the family to which it belongs, is 

 composed of shrubs and small trees, 

 natives of the tropical parts of Africa 

 and America, one species being found in 

 Florida. It differs from others of the 

 family in having its stamens, in number 

 about twenty, arranged in a regular whorl, 

 not inserted on one side of the flower, as 

 well as in the nut of the fruit being one- 

 celled only. The leaves are alternate, 

 stalked, entire, and obovate in form, 

 having both the surfaces smooth. The 

 flowers, borne in short panicles or racemes, 

 are small, white, and made up of a bell- 

 shaped five-clef t calyx ; five petals ; about 

 twenty stamens ; and an ovary the style of 

 which arises from one of its sides near the 

 base, which latter is one of the principal 

 characters of the family. The Cocoa-plum, 

 C. Icaeo, is one of the commonest species. 

 The fruits are about the size of a plum, 

 and vary much in colour, being either 

 white, yellow, red, or purple. The pulp is 

 sweet, a little austere, and not disagree- 

 able. The shell of the kernel is hard and 

 six-grooved. In the West Indies, according 

 to McPadyen, the fruits prepared with 

 sugar form a favourite conserve with the 

 Spanish colonists, and large quantities are 

 annually exported from Cuba. The kernels 

 yield a fixed oil, and an emulsion made 

 with them is said to be used in dysentery. 

 An astringent bath recommended in leu- 

 corrhoea and blennorrhoea is prepared from 

 the leaves and roots. Pour species are 

 known. [A. A. B.] 



CHRYSOCHROUS. Having a yellow 

 skin. 



CHRYSOCOMA. A genus of South Afri- 

 can shrubs or undershrubs of the com- 

 posite family, nearly allied to Linosyris, 

 from which it differs in the hairs of its 

 pappus being in a single series. About 

 fifteen species are enumerated. Their leaves 

 in most cases are linear in form and 

 entire. The yellow nearly spherical flower- 

 heads are about the size of a pea, and 

 single on the ends of the branches ; the 

 florets all tubular and perfect. Theachenes 

 are laterally compressed, somewhat hispid, 

 and seated on a naked honey-combed 



