SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



19 



racemes of white sweet-scented flowers. G. Inophyllmn is a native 

 of the East, with noble foliage and drooping bunches of white 

 scented flowers, and is largely grown in the public gardens of 

 India, where its beauty and elegance is much appreciated. 

 Calostemma.— A bulbous Australian plant of the Amaryllis tribe. 

 C. candidum and G. hiteum are both fragrant, with the odour of 

 Mint. 



Calycanthus. — A genus of North American and Japanese shrubs 

 bearing handsome flowers that have an aromatic fragrance. G. 

 Jforidus or Carolina Allspice is a shrubby plant, both the leaf and 

 roots smelling strongly of camphor, and the dusky- coloured flowers 

 are very fragrant with a sweet apple scent, or odour of ripe melon. 

 It is often met with in British gardens. G. occidentalis is another 

 charming variety with maroon flowers ; G. glmicus with purple red 

 bloom, also deliciously fragrant. The Japanese Allspice is de- 

 scribed under Chimonanthus. 



Calyptranthes aromatica. — A variety of myrtle-like shrubs from 

 America, the flower-buds of which are used as a substitute for cloves. 



Calysaccion longifolium. — A handsome Asiatic tree. Its fruit-buds 

 are very fragrant, possessing an odour like that of violets and rose- 

 water. In India they are greatly valued on this account, and are 

 largely collected and sold in the bazaars. 



Camellia. — A well-known genus of beautiful flowering shrubs, chiefly 

 from Japan and China, where they form immense bushes, and are 

 strikingly ornamental. We cultivate them as greenhouse plants 

 for their elegant blooms, which are largely grown for market, as 

 well as for decorative purposes on the plants. Unfortunately the 

 most beautiful species are inodorous ; some of the class, which in- 

 cludes G. sasanqtia, however, have pleasingly fragrant leaves, whilst 

 G. drupi/era has scented flowers, which are boiled and used by 

 Japanese ladies for washing the hair ; they are also mixed with 

 tea to give it a strong odour — beyond this, the whole group is 

 scentless. 



Camphire. See Lawsonia inermis. 



Camphora officinarum. — Although hardly a scented plant, the tree 

 which furnishes that useful commercial commodity known as 

 camphor deserves a place in our list. Camphor is prepared from 

 the wood of the tree by boiling the chopped branches in water ; 

 wh«n, after some time, it becomes deposited, it is purified by sub- 

 limation. A native of the Eastern Archipelago. 



Cananga odorata. — The Ilang-Ilang tree of Burma and Java, bear- 

 ing dull yellow flowers, from which the delightful perfume known 

 under this name is extracted. 



