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CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



with rosettes of spines, and produce their handsome 

 flowers in abundance, C. Jiagclliformis being the 

 type. They form beautiful objects as basket plants, 

 and thrive equally well in a cottage window as in the 

 most expensive plant-house. The section repre- 

 sented by C. speciosissimus have angular stems, con- 

 sisting of three, four, five, or more angles, and 

 abundantly armed with rosettes of long sharp spines ; 

 these produce enormous flowers, which are often gor- 

 geous in the extreme. The celebrated collection of 

 plants of Sir E. Antrobus, of Cheam, in Surrej^, for- 

 merly contained some famous examples of this 

 section. One portion of this genus are popularly 

 known as " Night-flowering Cactus," from ,the fact 

 that their flowers only expand during the hours of 

 darkness. The finest of these are C. grandiJlo7-us, 

 from Jamaica, and various West Indian Islands, and 

 C. MacBonaldil, from Honduras. They are both 

 climbers, the former having triangular, fleshy stems, 

 and large white flowers, faintly tinged with straw- 

 colour; the latter has slender, cylindrical, much- 

 branched spiny stems, which are deep green. It 

 produces an abundance of flowers, a foot or more in 

 diameter when fully expanded, which are of a beau- 

 tiful soft creamy-white. They are powerfully fra- 

 grant, and very short-lived, opening after sunset, and 

 closing, never to open again, before the next sunrise. 



Cereus require thorough drainage, and they enjoy 

 full exposure to sun and light all the year round. 

 They should be kept in rather small pots, and the soil 

 best adapted for them is a mixture of sandy loam, old 

 lime, and broken bricks. During the bright days of 

 summer water freely, but entirely withhold the supply 

 during the winter. Intermediate House. 



Our readers will be able to make a good selection 

 from the species here given : — 



C. acvitaugulns. 

 C. albispinus. 

 C. azureus. 

 C. Bridgesii. 

 C. candicans. 

 C. Cliilensis. 

 C. coerulescens. 

 C. columnaris. 

 C. flagelliformis. 

 C. Forbesii. 



fulgidus. 



geminatus. 



geometricaus. 



giganteus. 



glaucus. 



grandiflorus. 

 C. Hayni. 

 C. Jamacara. 



C. lividus. 



C. MacDoualdii. 



C. Mallissonii. 



C. rnultaiigularis. 



C. nycticallus. 



C. Peruvianus. 



C. Pitaya. 



C. primiosus. 



C. pterogonus. 



C. rigidus. 



C. serpeatinus. 



C. speciosus. 



C. speciosissimus. 



C. strictus. 



C. strigosus. 



C. tetragonus. 



C. tortnosus. 



C. Tweedei. 



Chrysophyllum.— A genus of Sapotacete, com- 

 monly known as " Star Apples." The order contains 

 some very- remarkable trees, such as Dichopsis giitta, 

 the plant from which gutta-percha is obtained, and 

 others useful as food in many ways. As young 

 plants under cultivation they are extremely hand- 



some. They thrive best in a mixture of sandy loam 

 and a little peat ; drain well, and supply liberally 

 with water when growing. They enjoy the strong 

 moist heat of the stove. 



C. argenteum. — This species attains a height of 

 twenty feet or more ; the leaves are Jarge, deep green 

 on the under side, clothed with downy white hairs. 

 Martinique. 



C. Cainito, the " Star Apple," so called from the ap- 

 pearance of the fruits when cut across. It attains a 

 height of about thirty feet, and forms a highly deco- 

 rative object in a young state ; the stems and branches 

 are all clothed with a white t omentum. West 

 Indies. 



C. macropliyllum. — This species is at once one of 

 the rarest and most beautiful of ornamental-leaved 

 plants. It attains a height of a hundred feet, but as 

 a young plant it is extremely handsome ; the leaves 

 are large, somewhat ovate, nearly a foot long, and 

 four to six inches broad, brilliant green above, 

 densely clothed below with silky hairs, which are 

 bright golden-yellow when young. Western tropical 

 Africa. 



Cinchona. — This genus gives its name to the 

 order (Cinchonacea; , now generally regarded as a 

 section of Bubiacece), which is characterised by its 

 simple opposite leaves, and glandular stipules between 

 the bases of the leaf-stalks ; the flowers are arranged 

 in loose panicles, but sometimes in dense heads, or 

 corymbs, and some of the genera contain very showy- 

 species. The Cinchona is of the greatest importance 

 to the human race, as from the bark of these trees 

 the drug " quinine " is extracted. 



C. gmncliflora. — This plant, originally sent to this 

 country from the Continental gardens under the name 

 of Cascarilla grandifolia, has since been detennined as 

 the Cinch ona grandrflora of Ruiz et Pa von. It is, 

 however, not a true Cinchona, but correctly Cosmi- 

 buena obtnsifoUa. It is a handsome plant, with large 

 opposite, somewhat obovate, coriaceous, dark shiny 

 green leaves. The flowers, which are borne in ter- 

 minal cymes, are tubular, with a large flat, spread- 

 ing limb, divided into five obtuse lobes, pure white, 

 and very fragrant. Summer months. New Grenada. 



Cissus. — Climbing plants, belonging to the Grape- 

 vine family {Vitacece), and, indeed, differing but 

 slightly from the genus Vitis. None of its mem- 

 bers produce showy flowers; but the species here 

 enumerated are remarkable for the beauty of their 

 leaves. The species here quoted enjoy an abun- 

 dance of heat and moisture, and should be potted 

 in equal parts of peat, loam, and rotten manure. 



C. discolor. — This is probably the most beautiful of 

 all the ornamental-leaved plants yet introduced to 



