cosm] 



Cljc Kxtttguvg at 28fltang. 



340 



The fruit of the species is smooth and 

 usually furnished with three awns; but 

 that of C. tenuifolhts, a dwarfer species 

 with more finely-divided foliage, and 

 darker flowers, is rough, and more fre- 

 quently has hut a single awn. All the 

 species are natives of Mexico. Under the 

 name of Dahlia Zimapani, a new species, 

 C. diversifolius atropurpureus, has recently 

 been introduced, with pinnate dahlia-like 

 foliage, and flower heads varying from 

 blackish-purple to red-purple, on very long 

 peduncles, the disk being of the same 

 colour as the ray florets. [W. T.] 



COSMOSTIGMA. A genus of Asclepiada- 

 cea>- containing a single species, a branched 

 twining shrub, that climbs over trees of 

 great height in India. It has opposite 

 leaves with conic glands at their base, and 

 many small flowers in racemes on inter- 

 petiolar peduncles. The small calyx is 

 five-parted ; the corolla is rotate and five- 

 parted ; the staminal corona consists of 

 five bifid divisions, which are irregularly 

 toothed on their upper and inner margins ; 

 the anthers are terminated by a broad 

 membrane ; the oval pollen masses at- 

 tached by long-kneed processes to a small 

 bifurcate corpuscle ; the follicles are large, 

 linear, oblong, and smooth, with ovate 

 comose seeds. [W. CJ 



COSSIGjSTA. A genus of Sapindacece, 

 differing from the others in the family m 

 having flowers with petals, together with 

 a capsular but not bladdery fruit, which is 

 three-celled, each cell containing two or 

 three small black seeds. The two known 

 plants of this genus are natives of the 

 Mauritius, where they are known as Bois 

 de Judas. They are small trees with pin- 

 nate leaves made up of one or three pairs 

 of oblong or oboval entire leaflets and an 

 odd one ; these are about two inches long, 

 smooth above, and covered underneath (as 

 are' all the young parts) with a short white 

 down. The small white flowers, disposed 

 in terminal panicles, have a five-parted 

 calyx, four or five oval petals larger than 

 the calyx, and a like number of stamens 

 inserted on a disc. The three-lobed ovary 

 is crowned with a single style. [A. A. B.] 



COSTA. The midrib of a leaf ; that part 

 which is a direct extension of the petiole, 

 and whence the veins arise ; a leaf may 

 have many costas. 



COSTATE. When there is only one rib, 

 as in most leaves. Also the mere adj. of 

 costa. 



COSTATO-VENOSE. When the parallel 

 side-veins of a feather-veined leaf are 

 much stouter than those which intervene. 



COSTMART. Pyrethrum Tanacetum, 

 sometimes called Balsamita vulgaris. 



COSTUS. A genus of tropical herbs 

 belonging to the Zhigiberaceo?, and having 

 tuberous rocts, somewhat fleshy leaves, 

 and flowers in spikes with overlapping 

 bracts. The calyx is tubular and three-cleft; 

 the tube of the corolla is funnel-shaped, the 



outer segments of the limb equal, the 

 inner lateral ones (sterile stamens; want- 

 ing, while the innermost or middle seg- 

 ment, called the lip or labellum, is large, 

 bell-shaped, cleft at the back; the filaments 

 are petaloid, prolonged beyond the an- 

 ther on all sides. Ovary with three com- 

 partments ; the style thread-like, passing 

 between the cells of the anther ; the stigma 

 two-cleft, with two small horns at the 

 base. Many of the species are highly 

 ornamental as stove plants, such as C. specio- 

 sus, the roots of which are used by the na- 

 tives in a kind of preserve. [M. T. M.] 



COSTUS. The roots of an Arabian 

 plant, supposed to be allied to Cardopatum 

 corymbosum. The Costus of the ancients 

 has, however, been ascertained to be the 

 root of Aucklandia Costiis, now Aplotaxis 

 Lappa. 



COTONEASTER. A family of small 

 trees or trailing shrubs belonging to the 

 order Eosacem, and allied to Mespilus, 

 inhabiting the northern parts of Europe 

 and the mountains of India. The leaves 

 are small and entire at the edge, downy 

 beneath, in some species evergreen; the 

 flowers, which are white or pinkish, grow 

 either in lateral clusters, like those of the 

 hawthorn, or singly, and are succeeded by 

 scarlet, or less commonly black, berry-like 

 fruit. ' The species are very desirable from 

 the beauty of their foliage, flowers, and 

 fruit ; the fruits of C. frigida and C. ajfinis, 

 in particular, being produced in great 

 abundance, and being of an intense scarlet 

 colour, have a very splendid appearance, 

 and remain on the trees the greater part 

 of the winter. Though the greater part are 

 natives of Asia, yet in Britain they are 

 found to be as hardy as if they were indi- 

 genous to the north of Europe, especi- 

 ally such of them as are true evergreens. 

 C. vulgaris, a species with deciduous 

 leaves, has been in cultivation in British 

 gardens since 1656, and was always consi- 

 dered a foreign plant, till it was found in a 

 wild state at Orme's Head in Carnarvon- 

 shire.'— (Loudon). C. microphflla is a yet 

 more valuable plant. In this species the 

 branches are trailing, the leaves small and 

 evergreen. It is perfectly hardy and, 

 wherever it grows, ornamental. ' Its deep 

 glossy foliage, which no cold will impair, 

 is, when the plant is in blossom, strewed 

 with snow-white flowers, which, reposing 

 on a rich couch of green, have so brilliant 

 an appearance, that a poet would compare 

 them to diamonds lying on a bed of eme- 

 ralds.'— (Lindley). C. marginata, rotundifolia 

 and buxifolia, are of similar habit. The 

 last species were introduced from the hills 

 of Hindostan in 1824 and 1825. [C. A. JJ 



COTONNTER. (Fr.) Gossypium. 



COTTON. This well-known valuable 

 textile commodity is the haiiy covering of 

 the seeds of Gossypium herbaceum and 

 other species of Gossypium, especially of 

 G. religiosum, barbad.ense, indicum, and 

 arboreum. — , CORKWOOD. A name given 

 in Trinidad to the down of Ochroma Logo- 



