317 



CIjc Kvtuiimj at 2Sfltang. 



COMB 



are made up of from twenty to thirty pairs 



of pinnae, each pinna with a like number of 



; opposite leaflets, which are nearly linear in 



! form, and about half an inch long. The 



| beautiful scarlet flowers are in dense ra- 



j cemes, which arise from the axils of the up- 



' per leaves,and are either simple or branch- 



I ed, and about a foot and a half in length. 



j The calyx, like the petals, is of a scarlet 



1 colour; the petals are five in number, 



I the standard the smallest and nearly hid- 



l den by the others, the two oblong wings 



next in size, and the two free petals, which 



i form the keel, the largest ; the ten free 



stamens are of unequal length. The 



pod is straight, about six inches long, 



containing a number of seeds. The genus 



! bears the name of Sir Charles Colville, 



once governor of the Mauritius. [A. A. B.j 



COLZA. (Fr.) Brassica Napus olei- 

 fera. 



i COMA (adj. COMOSE). The hairs at the 

 end of some seeds ; the empty leaves or 

 bracts at the end of the spike of such 

 flowers as those of the pine-apple. 



| COMANDRA. The generic name of 



i plants belonging to the sandalwort order ; 

 having the calyx adherent to the seed- 

 vessel, its upper part with an adherent 

 disk whose border is five-lobed, on which 



, the stamens are inserted between its lobes 

 and opposite those of the calyx, the anthers 

 being connected with the calyx by a tuft of 

 hair-like threads. The fruit is nut-like and ! 

 filled with the globular seed. The name is 

 derived from the Greek words signifying 

 'hair' and ' stamen,' indicating a character 

 above mentioned. The plants are low 

 perennials with herbaceous stems spring- 

 ing from a woody base ; the leaves alter- 

 nate, stalkless, oblong; flowers greenish- 

 white in small clusters. One species, C. 

 umbellata, is common in North America, 

 and attaches itself as a parasite to the roots 



I of trees. [G. D.] 



COMAROSTAPHYLIS. A genus of Eri- 

 1 cacece, containing fourteen species of small 

 1 trees or shrubs, with the habit of Arbutus, 

 , natives of Mexico and Guatemala, They 

 have coriaceous oblong evergreen leaves, 

 I and flowers in terminal bracteate racemes 

 , or panicles. The hypogynous calyx is five- 

 parted ; the corolla is inserted on the 

 ; calyx, is campanulate, enlarged below, and 

 has the limb five-lobed. The ten stamens 

 are inserted on the base of the calyx ; the 

 . filaments are short, and the anthers oval 

 and compressed. The ovary is placed on a 

 ten-angled hypogynous disc, and has five 

 cells, with a single ovule in each. The style 

 is simple, and the stigma obscurely five- 

 toothed. The drupe is globose and fleshy, 

 containing a single stone (pyrena), which 

 has five rarely more cells, with a single 

 seed in each. fw. C] 



COMARTJM. A herbaceous marsh plant 

 with a stout creeping stem, rather large and 

 handsome leaves composed of seven, five, 

 or three deeply-serrated leaflets, which are 

 slightly-branched stalked and dingy-purple 



flowers. The fruit somewhat resembles 

 that of the strawberry, but is spongy 

 instead of juicy, and does not fall off when 

 ripe. It is of common occurrence in 

 marshes and boggy meadows in most 

 parts of England, and extends over a great 

 part of Europe and North America, The 

 roots and stems have been used to dye 

 wool of a dirty-red colour, and are suffi- 

 ciently astringent to be employed in tan- 

 ning. In some parts of Scotland the fruits 

 are called Cow-berries, on account, it is 

 said, of their being used to rub the inside 

 of milk-pails for the purpose of thickening 

 milk. The Marsh Cmquefoil, C. palustre, is 

 rarely cultivated, though Gerarde says with 

 some pride that, he brought some plants 

 from Bourne Pinas, half a mile from Col- 

 chester, for his garden, and that they there 

 flourished and prospered well. French 

 Comaret ; German Fimfblatt. [C. A. J.] 



COMBESIA. Abyssinian herbs belong- 

 ing to the Crassulacece, and having five- 

 parted flowers with petals united for a 

 short distance at their base ; five stamens 

 with anthers opening inwardly ; five small 

 scales at the base of the five sessile two- 

 seeded ovaries, which ripen into follicles, 

 bursting by a long slit towards the centre 

 of the flower. [M. T. M.] 



COMBINATE-VENOSE. When the la- 

 teral veins of a leaf unite before they 

 reach the margin. 



COMBRETACEiE (Myrobalans). A na- 

 tural order of polypetalous calycifloral 

 dicotyledons, belonging to Lindley'smyrtal 

 alliance. Trees or shrubs, with alternate 

 : or opposite entire leaves having no sti- 

 | pules. Sometimes the flowers are imper- 

 fect, some having stamens only, others 

 pistils only, and occasionally the petals 

 are wanting. Calyx adherent, its limb 

 four to five-lobed, falling off. Petals aris- 

 ing from the orifice of the calyx, alternate 

 I with the lobes. Stamens often eight or 

 ten. Ovary one-celled, with two to four 

 suspended ovules. Fruit succulent or 

 dry, one-celled, and one-seeded. Seeds 

 without albumen ; cotyledons of the em- 

 | bryo rolled up. Natives of the tropical 

 I parts of Asia, Africa, and America. The 

 plants of the order have astringent quali- 

 ties ; some are cultivated for ornament, 

 others yield timber. The astringent fruit, 

 known by the name of Myrobalan, is pro- 

 duced by Terminalia Bellerica and T. Che- 

 bula. The bark of Bucida Buceras is used 

 for tanning. There are twenty-three known 

 genera, and upwards of 200 species. Illus- 

 trative genera : Terminalia, Combretwn, 

 Gynocarpus. [J. H. BJ 



COMBRETUM. The typical genus of 



Combretacew, inhabiting tropical regions 

 of both hemispheres, and consisting of 

 trees or shrubs, often trailing or climbing 

 by the indurated leaf-stalks, which are 

 persistent and act as hooks to support the 

 plant. The leaves are opposite, rarely al- 

 ternate, entire, exstipulate. The flowers, 

 which grow in spikes, axillary or some- 

 times terminal, solitary or arranged in 



