C II E 
tnnny, fubcordate, nettling, two-celled. —~EJfential Cha¬ 
racter. Calyx, two-parted, equal; corolla, gibbous; 
berry pedicelled, one-celled, many-feeded; feeds, two- 
celled. 
Species, i. Crefcentia cujete, or narrow-leaved cala- 
bafli-tree : leaves wedge-lanceolate, crowded. This tree 
grows to the height of about twenty feet, and is eafily dif- 
tinguifhed from all others by its peculiar appearance. It 
divides at top into very long, thick, fcarcely-fubdivid- 
ed, brandies, ttretchingout almoft horizontally, adorned 
with leaves difpofed in bundles or tufts fcatteringly at ir¬ 
regular diftances. The wood is light and pliant. The bark 
is unequalandafh-colouredorwhitifli. Theleaves are un¬ 
certain in their number from the fame knot or tubercle ; 
they are oblong, attenuated at the bafe, on very ttiort 
petioles, acute, entire, fliining, veined, bright green, 
four or five inches long ; flower large, fometimes en¬ 
tirely green, but often differently variegated with pur¬ 
ple, red, and yellow ; it does not wither, but becomes 
putrid, and in that ftute exhales a cadaverous, very nau- 
feous, and intolerable, ttench. It happens not uncom¬ 
monly, that there are five fertile ftamens, and in that 
cafe three of them are longer than the other two. The 
form of the fruit vaties on different trees, being fpheri- 
cal, fpheroidal, or fhaped like a bottle ; it differs alfo in 
fize from two inches to a foot in diameter. Thefe, how¬ 
ever, if they are no more than varieties, are very con- 
ftant. They are covered with a thin fkin of a greer.ifh 
yellow colour when ripe, and under this is a hard thin 
woody fhell, inclofing a pale yellowifh foft pulp,‘of a 
tart unfavotiry flavour, furrounding a great number of 
flat feeds. The fhells, cleanfed of their pulp, deprived 
of the outer fkin, and dried, are ufed in the Weft Indies 
for drinking-cups, tipped with filver, and with handles 
fattened to the neck ; the long fraall fruit is formed into 
fpoons and ladles; that which is round, is cut through 
the middle, and ufed as cups for chocolate : in ttiort, 
thefe fhells are converted into a variety of dorneftic fur¬ 
niture. They are frequently large enough to hold a 
gallon or more of fluid ; and they are fo thin and clofe, 
that they ferve to boil water as well as an earthen pot, 
and will bear the fire equally, on repeated trials. The 
thicker parts are frequently ufed for button-moulds, in 
all the colonies. The Caribs engrave the outfide with 
a variety of grotefque figures, which they fometimes co¬ 
lour black or red. The pulp is eaten by the negroes 
occafionally, but is not looked upon as either agreeable 
or wholefome; it is, however, much ufed by way of 
poultice ; and a fyrup made of it is in much requeft 
among the natives in diforders of the bread, in contu- 
fions, and inward bruifes. The wood being very tough 
and flexile, is very fit for the coach-maker; and is fre¬ 
quently ufed for making faddles, ftools, and other furni¬ 
ture. The leaves and brandies are eaten by cattle in 
times of fcarcity ; as is alfo the pulp of the fruit. It is 
a native of Jamaica and all the Leeward iflands, chiefly 
in the low lands ; and alfo of the neighbouring continent. 
It was introduced here in 1690, by Mr. Bentick. 
2. Crefcentia cucurbitina, or broad-leaved calabafh- 
tree : leaves ovate, fubcoriaceous, diftinCt ; fruits ovate, 
acuminate. This fpecies differs from the preceding in 
its habit, the uprightnefs of its branches ; its flat, ob¬ 
long, fhining, coriaceous, leaves; terminating flowers on 
longer pedicels ; and ovate acuminate fruit. It flowers 
the whole year. Native of Jamaica, in dry rocky places 
near the coaft. Mr. Miller had the fruit from Dr. Houf- 
toun, who found it growing naturally in plenty at Cam- 
peachy. According to him, it feldom rifes more than 
fifteen or twenty feet high ; the trunk is upright, covered 
with a white fmooth bark, the leaves are three inches in 
length, and one inch and a quarter broad, of a deeper 
green than the preceding; the flowers fmaller and. deeper- 
coloured ; the fruit round or oval, varying much in fize, 
the fhell fo thin and brittle as to be unfit for any pur- 
pofes to which that of the former is employed ; the feeds 
C R E 351 
muuch thinner, and the pulp of a deeper yellow. The 
wood is very hard and white. 
Propagation and Culture. Thefe trees, being too tender 
to live abroad in England, require a warm ttove to be 
preferved here. They are eafily propagated by feeds, 
which mutt be procured from the countries where they 
grow naturally. The way is to have the entire fruit fent 
over when fully ripe ; for, when the feeds are taken out 
of the pulp abroad, if they are long in their paflage they 
will lofe their growing quality before they arrive. Thefe 
mutt be fown on a good hot-bed in the fpring ; and, when, 
the plants are fit to remove, they fhould be each planted 
into a fmall halfpenny pot filled with light fandy earth, 
and plunged into a hot-bed of tanners’ bark, obferving to 
fliade them from the fun till they have taken freflr root, 
when they mutt be treated in the fame manner as other 
tender plants which are natives of the fame countries. 
In winter they mutt be placed in the tan-bed of the bark- 
ttove, and during that feafon fhould have but little wa¬ 
ter; in fummer they will require to be gently watered 
two or three times a week, according to the warmth of 
the feafon ; and in hot weather they fhould have a large 
fhare of air admitted to them. With this management 
the plants will make great progrefs; and, their leaves 
being of a fine green, they make a pretty variety in the 
ttove ; but have not as yet flowered in England. 
CRESCEN'TIIS (Peter de), native of Boulogne, tra¬ 
velled thirty years as a practitioner in the law, for the 
fake of avoiding the dittrefles of his country. At the 
age of feventy he returned, and fet about a work on agri¬ 
culture, which hededicated to Charles II. king of Naples, 
who died in 1308. It, is intitled, Opus Rnrdliwn Convnodd- 
rufn. There are two fcarce editions of it; Louvain 1474, 
and Florence 1481, folio. It is alfo in the Rei Rujlic.cz 
Scriptores, by Gefner, Leipfic, 1735, 2 vols. 4to. A French 
tranflation has been made of it, Paris, i486, folio; and 
one in Italian, Florence, 1605, 4to. 
CRESCENTI'NO, a town of Italy, in the Vercellois, 
on the Po, in a fertile country, but a low fituation. In 
the difputes between the Guelphs and Gibelines, many 
perfons who were driven from Vercelli, Montiferrat, &c, 
went to this place, then only a village, and employed 
their wealth in building houfes ; thus it grew daily, and 
probably from that circumftance obtained its name. The 
inhabitants alfo inclofed it with walls, but thefe not be¬ 
ing fufficient to fuflain the attacks of an enemy, the French, 
in the war with the emperor, fortified it in the modern 
manner, furrounding it with walls, baftions, folfes, and 
other works. There are two churches, and feveral reli¬ 
gious houfes. It was taken by the French in 1704, and 
retaken by the allies in 1706 : twenty miles north-eatt of 
Turin. 
CRESCIMBE'NI (John Maria), an Italian, born at 
Macerata in Ancona, in 1663. His talents for poetry 
and eloquence developed themfelves early. His verles 
at firtt had too much pomp and point; but refiding in 
Rome, and reading the bett Italian poets,, brought him 
back to nature. He not only reformed himfelf, but re¬ 
formed bad tafte in general. He projected the eftablilh- 
ment of a new academy, under the name of Arcadia; 
the members of which at firtt; did not exceed fourteen, 
but afterwards increafed greatly. They called them¬ 
felves the fhepherds of Ardadia, and each took the name 
of fonie fhepherd and fome place of that ancient king¬ 
dom. The founder of this fociety was appointed the 
director of it in 1690, and held this honourable pod,, 
thirty-eight years ; namely, to the year of his death, 
which happened in 1728. Among a great number of 
works, in verfe and profe, the principal is, A.n Hiftory 
of the Italian Poetry, very much efteemed, and reprinted, 
1731, at Venice, in fix vols. q.to. Thishittory is.aceom* 
panied with a commentary, containing anecdotes of Ita¬ 
lian poets. He publifhed alfo an Hiftory of the Acade¬ 
my of Arcadia, with the Lives of the mod Illuftrious 
Arcadians ; and many other works, 
CRES'CIVE- 
