ca'ctus. 



4 



1 



calandri'nia. 



forty feet high, and sometimes are 

 branched like candelabra, and some- 

 times consist of only one naked stem, 

 not thicker than a man's arm, though 

 of such enormous height. The Mam- 

 malarias, and Echinocacti, or Porcu- 

 pine Cacti, which form another group, 

 grow in the valleys of the temperate 

 regions, generally in loamy soils, and 

 low grass ; and the Opuntias and Pere- 

 sias, which form two others, are also 

 principally found in the temperate lati- 

 tudes. The Melocacti, or Melon- 

 Cacti, and the Rhipsalis, which has 

 narrow-jointed stems, are two other 

 groups, which are only found in the 

 hottest parts of the tropics Among the 

 many peculiarities of this family of 

 plants, it may he mentioned, that if 

 collectors cut off the top of any of the 

 cacti which they may find in flower, 

 and send it with the flower on it to 

 England, the seeds will perfect them- 

 selves, and ripen on the passage home, 

 from the supply of moisture contained 

 in the divided part. 



With regard to the culture of the 

 Cacti in this country, it is found, that 

 generally speaking, they ought to have 

 a season of complete rest followed by 

 one of violent excitement ; that is, 

 they ought to be kept almost without 

 water from October to March, and 

 then watered profusely while they are 

 coming into flower. They ought all 

 to be grown in pots well drained with 

 cinders, instead of potsherds, as the 

 latter retain too much moisture for 

 the delicate and succulent roots ; 

 and they all enjoy bottom heat, which 

 makes them throw out abundance of 

 fibrils. When received late in the 

 year, that is to say in October or later, 

 they should not be potted till the fol- 

 lowing spring ; and when raised from 

 seed, (which is frequently sent over, 

 even in dead specimens,) the seed 

 should be sown in silver sand, and 

 the young plants when transplanted 

 should not be watered for several days, 



Cesalpi'nia, Pluk. — Legumino- 

 sce. — The splendidly-flowering plant, 

 known in the West Indies by the name 

 of the Barbadoes Flower-fence, which 

 was formerly called Poinciana, is 

 now included in this genus. It re- 

 quires a stove, and should be grown 

 in a mixture of loam and peat, with 

 abundance of room for its roots. It 

 is propagated by cuttings struck in 

 sand, in a moist heat under glass. The 

 other plants belonging to the genus 

 are seldom found in British gardens. 



Cala'mpelis, D. Don. — See Eccre- 



MOCARPAS. 



Calandri'nia. — Portulaceas. — 

 Peruvian and Californian plants, with 

 •fleshy leaves and showy flowers, gene- 

 rally treated as annuals, but most of 

 which will live two or three years in 

 a greenhouse. There is some confu- 

 sion about the specific names ; the 

 plants figured in the Botanical Maga- 

 zine as C. speciosa, and C. grandi- 

 flora, being quite different from those 

 figured under these names in the 

 Botanical Register, and known by 

 them in the London nurseries. Of 

 the kinds sold in the London seed- 

 shops, C. arenariahsis small flowers, 

 and is not worth growing ; C. spe- 

 ciosa, Lind. {Talinum ciliatum, 

 Ruiz et Pavon,) is a Californian an- 

 nual, with beautiful rich crimson 

 flowers, which seem reclining on their 

 bed of dark green leaves, and which 

 have no fault but that of closing at 

 four o'clock in the day ; C. grandi- 

 Jlora, Lind., the flowers of which, 

 notwithstanding its name, are much 

 smaller than those of the C discolor, 

 Lind, ; the latter being one of the 

 most splendid flowers that will grow in 

 the open air in England. The seeds 

 of the latter two species (both of which 

 grow rather tall) are generally raised 

 on a slight hotbed, but they may be 

 sown in a warm border in the open air 

 in April, when 'they will flower in 

 June. 



