Crown (botany)

“ On rockwork this subject may be planted with considerable effect. If put between large stones in upright positions, the plant will show its pretty form to advantage. The spoke-like flower stalks, radiating from the rich dark green tufts of foliage, are very pleasing. It may be propagated by offsets from strong and healthy plants. Care should be taken not only to have all the roots possible with each crown, but the young stock should be carefully established in pots before planting in the open. ”

“ I may as well here explain, though somewhat out of order, a peculiarity in reference to the roots of this species: it dies down in early autumn, and the crown seems to retire within the ball of its roots, which are a matted mass of fibres, and not only does it seem to retire, but also to dwindle, so that anyone, with a suspicion, who might be seeking for the vital part, might easily be misled by such appearances, which are further added to by the fact that the species does not start into growth until a late date compared with others of the genus. ”

“ Twenty-eight days finds the leaves a slightly deeper green in tint and beginning to unfurl; while the flower-stem is now more slowly developing, showing a close approximation to the order of growth under natural conditions. In thirty days the flower-stem begins to put on a spurt and catch up with the leaves in growth. Thirty-six days from the planting of the retarded crown the fully-formed flower-buds begin to open, and a day or two later the plant is in full bloom and the foliage and flowers are ready for the market. ”

“ When the flower procession is long past and the grain fields have turned yellow, and the mower and reaper are humming busily, the chestnut’s crown turns from green to gold, as if to harmonise with the landscape of midsummer. ”

“ The distinctive habit of growth of the black gum together with the gorgeous coloring of the autumnal foliage recommend this species for ornamental planting. It has an upright habit of growth, although the trunk is more or less crooked. The crown when grown in the open is usually pyramidal, composed of horizontal crooked branches. ”

“ Their seeds are not only covered, they are often buried in fruit pulp, or hidden in pods and shells.
Very likely you think the crown-bearers are the highest of all plants. That is because you think of them as the most useful to human beings. But they are not more useful than many of the grasses and palms. By "highest" in plants and animals, is meant those that are most useful to themselves. It is the first business of every living thing to eat and grow and reproduce itself. ”

“ They delight to have a shaded situation during summer, to protect them from the sun, which, as it were, scorches the roots. There are many double varieties in the gardens, which flower early. The one called Crown, or Carnation Daisy, is twice the size of the common varieties, and has white and red petals alternately, and very double. Loamy soil, inclined to moisture, is best adapted to their growth. ”

“ Few things in nature can be more beautiful than the nectary and the honey drops in the crown imperial. Each one is a shallow cup and pearly white. From each cup hangs a shining drop, like a tear. The tint of the cup gives the drop its hue and each one looks a splendid pearl fastened in the crown of each of the flowers of the crown imperial which, hanging down, only display the pearly honey drops when we look up into the flower. ”

“ A tall, climbing shrub, with small, ovate-lanceolate leaves, and clusters of curious purplish-brown, green-tipped flowers produced in summer. The long, incurved appendages, in the shape of a crown, and placed so as to protect the style and anthers, render the flowers of peculiar interest. Though often used as a greenhouse plant, it is perfectly hardy, and makes a neat, deciduous wall or arch covering, thriving to perfection in rich soil that is well-drained. It is readily propagated from cuttings. ”

“ The terms used in describing geophytes are in every day use, except one—the crown. This term is applied to an herbaceous perennial which has but one upright stalk the first year. This dies to the surface of the ground at the end of the season, but the short, upright, underground stem survives. It then sends up lateral branches, which in some cases grow out several feet, in others only an inch or so before coming to the surface. ”

“ Some of the best for ornamental gardening are the chrysanthemum-flowered, the paeony-flowered, the crown or cockade, the comet, and the globe-quilled. Crown asters have a white centre, and dark crimson or purple circumference, and are very beautiful. ”

“ The popularity of the flower decreased because of its unpleasant odor; but no Shakespeare garden can be without at least one representative because of Perdita's words. The Crown-Imperial is a very showy plant and makes a splendid effect if planted in groups. It also looks well among shrubs and in a border. The blossoms appear in March, April, and May, and are very handsome as to shape and color. The bell-shaped flowers, orange-red or reddish-orange, droop gracefully beneath an upright crown of leaves. When the foliage turns brown, the plant can be cut down. ”

“ Each leaf rises from the crown on the root like a short, delicate, pale-green or yellow fibre, gradually unfolding its feathery sides, and increasing in size as it spreads beneath the water. It is scarcely possible to imagine any object of the kind more curious and attractive than a full-grown plant, with its dark green leaves forming the limit of a circle two or three feet in diameter, and exhibiting in the transparent water within that circle leaves in every state of development, as regards brightness, colour, and variation of size. ”

“ The crown is of a lustrous dark-green colour, and of a singularly flattened or compressed shape, the leaves being arranged on each side in nearly the same plane. When I first saw this tree on the campos, where the east wind blows with great force night and day for several months, I thought the shape of the crown was due to the leaves being prevented from radiating equally by the constant action of the breezes. But the plane of growth is not always in the direction of the wind, and the crown has the same shape when the tree grows in the sheltered woods. ”

“ A certain number will not have made more than one strong crown, and a few single-crown plants have not flowered; these, of course, do not divide. During the flowering time I keep a [218] good look-out for those that I judge to be the most beautiful and desirable, and mark them for seed. These are also taken up, but are kept apart, the flower stems reduced to one or two of the most promising, and they are then planted in a separate place—some cool nursery corner. I find that the lifting and replanting in no way checks the growth or well-being of the seed-pods. ”

“ It loves moisture rather than rich elemental food. In clay it finds the best constituents of its development—moisture, silex, lime and alumnia. So we say to those who love this queenly flower, if you would see the queen in all her glory, plant in a comparatively heavy soil, no manure, and reduce the stalks to one for each tuber, set the stakes firmly, to keep the stalks from swaying, and if the season is dry, give the bulbs a soaking with water every evening during the drought. ”

“ Whilst the tree is growing up—which is, roughly speaking, during its first two hundred years—the crown forms a slender bush; but its vertical growth completed, the crown grows laterally, and becomes flat-topped. ”

“ Sow seed in the open ground early in spring as for parsnips, thinning to stand three inches apart in the rows and making the rows fifteen inches apart. Dig the roots in the fall and store in a dark cellar where the temperature can be controlled. Cut the leaves off a little above the root crown and place them in horizontal layers with the crowns outward covering each layer, excepting the tip of the crown, with earth. Each191 layer should be a little narrower than the one beneath so that they form a sloping bank. It is the tender white leaves produced in the dark that are used for salad. ”

“ The leaves, on short, thick purple stems, are placed in pairs, at alternate angles with one another.
The tubes belonging to the crown of this rather large flower are long and oval in shape, their horns being short and broad with suddenly-straight tips; the lobes are long, oval, and widely flaring; all these parts are colored a strong, dark glowing crimson. ”

“ Green in color, modified by pale crimson.
The large leaf (7 inches long sometimes) is sharp-pointed at the tip and slightly heart-shaped at the base; the ribs are prominent underneath, and the margin is entire, the edge being thickened; the texture is thick, the surface downy and hairy underneath; in color a strong yellow-green. The leaves are set on short, stout stems, which partly clasp the stalk, and grow in pairs, that occur at right angles to each other.
The flower is small; the crown is reared high upon its little neck, the horns very slender and pointed, the lobes narrow and curving ”

“ There are now in cultivation about 100 of the large varieties of the flower, of all colours, blush and pale pink, rose and lilac, rose and carmine, red and crimson, orange and red, &c., &c.; of the pompones more than 100 also, plum and violet, rose and carmine, buff and salmon, scarlet and brown, &c.
Favourite as our flower is, like all good people it has its enemies,—who must be named in defence of its rights—mildew and earwigs, sparrows and aphis, or green fly. The greatest care should be taken to guard the young plant from these foes. ”

“ The crown, in the case of trees grown in the open, comes to within 6-10 feet of the ground. Examples growing in the forest exhibit a distinct form, with longer boles and higher, more cylindrical crowns, and the branches ascend at an acute angle to the stem. It is a prolific fruiting species, but more often than not the fruits are burnt on the ground by the grass fires which occur from December on, the months when the fruits fall. It grows very well from the seeds which retain their germinating qualities for some time. ”

“ The flowering stem pushes up from the root-crown in spring, ultimately reaching from 3 to 4 ft. in height, and as it grows becoming branched, and furnished with alternate sessile leaves, which are stem-clasping, oblong, unequally-lobed, clothed with glandular clammy hairs, and of a dull grey-green, the whole plant having a powerful nauseous odour. ”

“ A Slip taken from the body of this plant, and set in the ground, will not presently take root, but the Crown that growes upon the fruit it selfe will sooner come to perfection then it; and will have much more beauty all the time of growing. ”

“ Numerous circular pits occur on the concentric ridges of the depressed and wrinkled crown, marking the position of former inflorescences borne in the leaf-axil at different stages in the growth of the plant. An inflorescence has the form of a dichotomously-branched cyme bearing small erect cones; those containing the female flowers attain the size of a fir-cone, and are scarlet in colour. ”

“ Out of them, the eldest Prince, took six flower seeds. The whole seven having arrived at a kingdom, to the youngest Prince the eldest Prince said, “Getting any livelihood you can, remain in this country. At the place where you stay plant this flower seed for yourself. It having sprouted, when the flower tree has grown, on the tree a flower will blossom. At the time when the flower has faded come seeking me.” ”

“ This humble, rusty green plant, weakly lopping over the surrounding grass, so that often only its insignificant purple, clover-like flower-heads are visible, is another of those immigrants from the old countries which, having proved fittest in the fiercer struggle for existence there, has soon after its introduction here exceeded most of our more favored native flowers in numbers. Everywhere we find the heal-all, sometimes dusty and stunted by the roadside, sometimes truly beautiful in its fresh purple, violet, and white when perfectly developed under happy conditions. ”

“ So we plant seeds in rows on our dam-wall, and pull one up daily to see how it goes with them. Alladeen buried her wonderful stone, and a golden palace sprung up at her feet. We do far more. We put a brown seed in the earth, and a living thing starts out—starts upward—why, no more than Alladeen can we say—starts upward, and does not desist till it is higher than our heads, sparkling with dew in the early morning, glittering with yellow blossoms, shaking brown seeds with little embryo souls on to the ground. ”

“ But there are jewels in this crown that most people do not see. They are to be seen only by looking up into the flower. In each leaf of the flower where it joins on to the stem there is a beautiful little shallow cup which is very white. ”

“ When fairly established it makes rapid growth, and when in full leaf it proves very effective. Its propagation is easy with healthy plants; a length of the creeping root, with a crown to it, should be cut from the parent stock just before growth commences in early March. ”

“ Snugly protected in a papery sheath enfolding a silvery-green leaf-cloak, the solitary erect bud slowly rises from its embrace, sheds its sepals, expands into an immaculate golden-centred blossom that, poppy-like, offers but a glimpse of its fleeting loveliness ere it drops its snow-white petals and is gone. ”

“ When coming into fruit the second summer, he finds, however, that not one in twenty is a Monarch plant. As an honest man, he now digs them under in disgust; but the mischief has already been done, and scattered throughout the country are thousands of mixed plants which multiply with the vigor of evil. Nurserymen should never take varieties for granted, no matter where obtained. I endeavor so to train my eye that I can detect the distinguishing marks even in the foliage and blossoms, and if anything looks suspicious I root it out. ”