353 



STIjc Crcas"uru of 2Sotang, 



[CRYP 



is the origin of the cabbage, cauliflower, 

 broccoli, savoy and curled kale. Brassica 

 Bapa is the origin of the turnip. The 

 Swede or Swedish turnip is by some said 

 to be a variety of Brassica campestris, by 

 others a hybrid between B. Bapa, the tur- 

 nip, and B. Xapus, the wild navew, rape 

 or coleseed. Crambe maritima supplies sea- 

 kale, which is subjected to the process of j 

 blanching in order to fit it for the table. 

 Among the pungent plants of the order 

 are Sinapis nigra, the black seeds of which : 

 supply the best mustard ; S. alba, or white 

 mustard, which is less pungent ; Lepidium 

 sativum, common cress: Nasturtium offi- 

 cinale, water-cress; Cochlearia Armoracia, I 

 horse-radish; and Baphanus sativus, the 

 radish. Isatis iinctoria, woad, yields a 

 blue dye; and/, indigotica is used as indigo 

 in China. Many of the species grow on 

 the sea shore, and have been used as fresh 

 vegetables by the crews of ships affected 

 with scurvy. Hence, Cochlearia officinalis 

 receives tne name of scurvy-grass. Oil is 

 procured from the seeds of many of the 

 plants : thus we have rape oil, and oil of j 

 mustard, and camelina oil. After pressing 

 out the oil from rape-seeds the cake is 

 used as food for cattle. There are 206 , 

 known genera, and about 1730 species. \ 

 Illustrative genera: — Cheiranthus, Arabis, 

 Imnaria, Draba,Thlaspi,TeesdaUa, Hesperis, , 

 Erysimum, Capsella, Isatis, Brassica, Bun- \ 

 ias, Senebiera, and Schizopetalura. [J. H. B.] I 

 CROCKSHAXKIA. The name of certain I 

 Chilian herbs, constituting a genus of 

 Cinchonacew. The plants have branching 

 wavy stems, and yellow flowers in terminal 

 heads. Their calyx tube is globular, its 

 limb with four stalked roundish netted seg- 

 ments, having two stipules at the base of 

 each : the corolla is salver-shaped. The 

 fruit is a membranous two-celled and two- 

 valved capsule. The most remarkable f ea 

 ture in the genus is the curious condition 

 of the calyx before mentioned. [M. T. MJ | 



CRXJ STA. The upper surface of lichens, j 



CRrSTACEOUS. Hard, thin, and brittle; ' 

 as the seed-skin of asparagus, and the : 

 thallus of many lichens. 



CRUSTOLLE. (Fr.) Buellia. 



CRTBE rosea is a small tuberous orchid 

 with grassy leaves, from Guatemala. It has 

 the habit of Bletia, but its pollen is that of 

 an Arethusean. 



CRTPSIS. A genus of grassesbelonging 

 to the tribe Agrostid^os. The inflorescence 

 is generally between a thyrse and a capi- 

 tule ; spikelets one-flowered ; glumes two, 

 compressed and carinate ; pales two, Ian- , 

 ceolate, the inferior one nerved ; stamens 

 two to three ; styles two. Thirteen species 

 are described, mostly annuals, and little 

 known in a* cultivated state. [D. MJ 



CRTPTA. The sunken glands or cysts 

 which occur in dotted leaves. The same 

 as Cyst. 



CRYPTADENIA. A genus of Thyme- 

 laceoz, composed of a few heath-like dwarf 



bushes, natives of S. Africa. They differ 

 from their allies in their tubular calyx 

 bearing on its inner surface near the 

 apex of the ovary eight anther-like glands. 

 Their minute linear leaves are numerous, 

 opposite and smooth : the pink flowers, 

 single or in pairs at the apex of the twigs, 

 or from the axils of the upper leaves, con- 

 sist of a coloured tubular calyx with a 

 four-parted border, covered outside with 

 short silky hairs, and bearing on its tube 

 eight stamens, four of which are short and 

 included, the others longer and slightly 

 protruding beyond the mouth of the tube. 

 C. uniflora is a slender pretty bush with 

 pink flowers at the ends of the branches, 

 and is sometimes seen in greenhouses. 

 Five species are known. The name of the 

 genus has reference to the eight hidden 

 glands of the calyx tube. [A. A. B.] 



CRYPTANTjRA. A genus of heath-like 

 under-shrubs, belonging to the order 

 Bhamnacece, natives of ]S ew Holland. They 

 are erect branching plants, with alternate 

 entire glabrous leaves, and flowers aggre- 

 gated at the summits of the branches, or 

 sometimes solitary. The coloured calyx 

 has a campanulate occasionally cylindrical 

 tube attached below to the ovary, but free 

 above, and having a five-cleft limb cut 

 into acute segments. The small hooded 

 petals are inserted in the throat of the 

 calyx, and cover the stamens, which have 

 short filaments, and two-celled anthers 

 opening longitudinally. The three-celled 

 ovary is semi-inferior, each cell containing 

 a single erect ovule ; the style is simple, 

 with a three-lobed stigma ; the capsule is 

 covered with the persistent calyx. There 

 are upwards of seventy species. [W. CJ 



CRYPTANTHUS. A Brazilian epiphyte 

 belonging to the Bromeliacece. Its leaves 

 are lanceolate, and conceal the flowers : 

 hence the name. The flowers have the 

 arrangement and structure common to the 

 order, with six stamens inserted on a 

 fleshy epigynous disc, three of them more- 

 over are united to the base of the inner 

 petal-like segments of the perianth. The 

 stigmas are three in number, twisted and 

 hairy. [M. T. MJ 



CRTPTARRHENA. A very singular 

 genus of tiny stemless epiphytal orchids 

 with spikes of minute yellowish flowers, 

 living in the forests of Surinam and Mexi- 

 co. They have a lip divided into attenuated 

 segments, and a column furnished at the 

 upper extremity with a hood, under which 

 the anther lies. A plant called Orchido- 

 funkia pallidi flora belongs to the genus. 



CRYPTOCARYA. A genus of Lauraceas, 



consisting of trees natives of the tropics 

 of both hemispheres, and of Australia. 

 The leaf buds are scaly. The flowers are 

 hermaphrodite, with a somewhat funnel- 

 shaped six-cleft perianth ; stamens twelve 

 in four rows, the nine outer ones fertile, 

 the three inner sterile; the Innermost 

 row of the fertile stamens has stalked 

 glands at each side of each stamen, and the 



