297 



Ef)£ StoaSurg at 23fltan^. 



[CLEB 



at the top; two ovaries, with a short style 

 and large stigma ; the fruit consisting of 

 two large follicles. [M. T. MJ 



CLEISOSTOMA. A genus of caulescent 

 orchids, with leathery narrow distichous 

 leaves, and long tough roots hy which 

 they cling to the bark of trees in various 

 parts of the East Indies. They have the 

 pouched lip and fleshy flowers of Saccola- 

 biuru and Sarcanthus, differing from the 

 former in having the orifice of the pouch 

 closed by a large projecting tooth, and 

 from the latter in the pouch being abso- 

 lutely one-celled. Sixteen or seventeen 

 species are known, all having small flowers 

 of little beauty. 



CLEISTES. A genus of terrestrial leafy- 

 stemmed orchids inhabiting tropical Ame- 

 rica. In habit they resemble Arethusa. 

 The flowers are terminal and nearly soli- 

 tary, of some purple tint. C. rosea, with 

 large nodding flowers, is one of the finest ; 

 C. paludosa is quite insignificant. 



1 CLEMATIS. An extensive genus of 

 twining shrubs with variously-cut opposite 

 leaves, belonging to the Ranunculacece, 

 among which they are distinguished by 

 their single perianth (a coloured calyx but 

 no petals), and by the long feathery tail at- 

 tached to their one-seeded carpels. The 

 i only English species, C. Vitalba, Virgin's- 

 1 Bower, is so called on account of its being 

 ; used for covering bowers ; another name, 

 Traveller's-joy, was probably given to it 

 ; because of its being, in winter, among the 

 : most conspicuous and ornamental of way- 

 i side plants, often covering hedges for a 

 j considerable distance with its feathery 

 : seed-vessels, from the resemblance of 

 j which to grey hair the plant is sometimes 

 j called Old-Man's Beard. The flowers are 

 ; greenish-white, and destitute of perfume. 

 French Herbe uux gueux, from its ragged 

 i appearance. C. Flammula is the sweet- 

 scented species common in gardens, a 

 native of Southern Europe and Northern 

 i Africa ; a variety of this, C. rubella, has 

 larger flowers tinged w^ith rose-colour, ex - 

 i panding in October. Other ornamental 

 ! species are C. florida, of which a variety 

 ' with large double white flowers is to be 

 i preferred as being the handsomest and 

 remaining the longest in bloom ; C. Viti- 

 cella, of which there are several varieties 

 with single or double flowers, blue, purple, 

 or red ; C. austriaca, bearing in June and 

 ; July solitary large blue flowers with nu- 

 | merous abortive stamens simulating pe- 

 tals : and C. azurea and C. lanuginosa, mag- 

 nificent blue-flowered Japanese species. 

 C. tubulosa is a showy perennial with lar.<?e 

 blue flowers. [C. A. J.] 



CLE'MATITB COMMUNE. (Fr.) Cle- 

 matis Vitalba. — ODORAKTB. Clematis 

 Flammula. 



CLEMATITIS. Aristolochia Clematitis. 



CLEOME. A genus of capparids chiefly 

 found in the tropical regions of the New 

 World, and presenting, in common with 

 the other genera of the order, some in- 



teresting features. It is distinguished by 

 the possession of a calyx of four pieces ; 

 a corolla of four erect petals, usually with 

 long claws; six stamens having long dis- 

 tinct filaments ; and a many-seeded pod- 

 like fruit borne on a stipe or stalk of vary- 

 ing length. Most of the species are 

 annual plants of erect habit, with digitate 

 leaves of from three to seven lanceolate 

 leaflets, and flowers in terminal bracted 

 corymbs lengthening into racemes. One 

 of the commonest species is C. pungens, a 

 robust clammy plant, attaining a height of 

 four or five feet, with spiny stipules, foot- 

 stalks as well as under side of midribs 

 armed with sharp prickles, and racemes of 

 rosy-purple flowers ; the anthers of this 

 species are yellow, by which it may be 

 known from C. spinosa. C. rosea resembles 

 pungens in general habit, but is quite free 

 from prickles, is less robust, and its leaves 

 consist of but five leaflets, the uppermost 

 and lowest of three only. C. speciosissivia 

 has handsome rose-coloured flowers, leaves 

 with five to seven leaflets, petals as long as 

 the flower-stalk, and a pod on a stipe longer 

 than itself. The species are chiefly re- 

 markable for their beauty, but are reput- 

 ed to possess a pungent taste like that of 

 mustard. [W. T.] 



CLEOMELLA. A small genus of an- 

 nual Capparidacece, the leaves of which 

 are trifoliate, and the flowers have four 

 somewhat spathulate petals with short 

 claws and six separate stamens attached to 

 the stalk supporting the ovary, which 

 latter is gourd-shaped and one-celled, be- 

 coming a pod-like capsule. The plant is a 

 native of Mexico and M. America. [M.T.M.] 



CLERODENDRON. A considerable ge- 

 nus of Verbenacece, natives of tropical dis- 

 tricts chiefly in Asia, but found also in 

 Africa and America. They are shrubs or 

 trees with opposite or ternate simple 

 leaves, and loosely cymose or capitate 

 flowers in terminal panicles or thyrses,more 

 rarely axillary. The calyx is campanulate 

 or inflated, and five-toothed or five-lobed. 

 The corolla-tube is slender, the limb 

 spreading and nearly equally five-lobed. 

 There are four stamens inserted in the 

 tube of the corolla, and usually much ex- 

 serted ; the anthers have two parallel cells, 

 opening longitudinally. The ovary is four- 

 celled, with a single pendulous or laterally 

 attached ovule in each cell. The slender 

 exserted style has two acute stigmatic 

 lobes. The fruit is a drupe surrounded by 

 the calyx, its kernel usually large, separat- 

 ing into two two-celled or four one-celled 

 nuts. This genus is nearly related to Vol- 

 kameria and JEgiplvila, but is separated 

 from the former by its fruit, and from the 

 latter by its pentamerous flower. Nearly 

 eighty species have been described. They 

 have been arranged under two sections :— 

 1. Euclerodendron, in which the corolla is 

 salver-shaped with a short tube scarcely 

 longer than the calyx ; and 2. Siphonanthus, 

 in which the corolla is funnel-shaped with 

 a very long tube. The plants have slightly 

 bitter sub-astringent properties, and on 



