1028 



TAXICORNES. 



TEAL. 



1026 



offers a lower state of organisation than the Coniferas, or Pine Tribe, 

 the ovules of which have a kind of protection in the hardened scale- 

 like bracts which constitute the cones of that order. The foliage 

 also of Taxacece differs from Coniferae in their possessing a greater 

 tendency to expand and form veins within their tissue. In the few 

 species of Taxacece that possess veins, they are not straight and 

 parallel, as in Endogens, but are forked and of a uniform thickness, 

 similar to those possessed by the higher forms of Cryptogamia, as the 

 Ferns. 



This order consists of plants that are but thinly distributed on the 

 surface of the earth. They are mostly natives of temperate parts of 

 Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. The order yields trees which 

 are valued for their timber, and, like Conifera, possess resinous 

 properties. The branches of the Dacrydium taxi folium are used in 

 New Zealand for making spruce-beer. [TAXUS ; SALBBDRIA.] 



TAXICORNES, the second family of the Heteromerous Coleoptera, 

 in Latreille's arrangement of Insects. They have no corneous tooth 

 on the inner side of the maxilla; ; they are all winged insects, with 

 nearly square bodies, and a thorax which conceals or receives the 

 head : they have short antennae, and legs adapted for walking only. 

 They live in Fungi, beneath tlie bark of trees, or on the ground under 

 stones. This family is divided into two tribes, of which the genera 

 Diaperui and Cotsyphui are respectively the types. 



TAXITKS, a genus of Fossil Plants from Stonesfield. 



TAXO'CRINUS. [ECHINODEBMATA.] 



TAXO'DIUM (from ' taxus'), the name of a genus of Plants belong- 

 ing to the natural order Conifen?. The plants of this genus are 

 monoecious. The male flowers are arranged in catkins of a roundish 

 form, disposed in racemose panicles ; the pollen of each flower is con- 

 tained in five cases, which are attached to the scale at its inner face. 

 The female flowers are also arranged in small round catkins, two or 

 three of which are attached near to the base of the spike of the cat- 

 kins of male flowers. The ovules are two in each receptacle. The 

 fruit is a globose atrobule, with peltate-angled scales ; the seeds are 

 angled with very thick integuments; the embryo with from 5 to 9 

 cotyledons. The leaves are linear, disposed in two ranks, and are 

 deciduous. This genus has been distinguished from Cuprums, prin- 

 cipally on account of the arrangement of its male catkins in racemose 

 panicles, the smalt number of flowers in the female catkin?, and the 

 numbers of cotyledons possessed by the embryo. 



T. ilittichuin. Deciduous Cypress. This tree was introduced into 

 Europe from North America as early as 1640. It is characterised by 

 two-rowed, flat, deciduous leaves; leafless and panicled male flowers, 

 and somewhat globose strobils. It is an elegant tree, and attains a 

 height of 120 feet in its native soil. The first plant that is mentioned 

 ax existing in this country was grown in South Lambeth, and was 

 raised from seeds brought from Virginia. Since then it has been in- 

 troduced in various parts of Great Britain, and many fine specimens 

 are now to be found. In its native districts in North America it is 

 exceedingly abundant, and in many parts, as in Louisiana, it entirely 

 occupies thousands of acres of the low grounds, which are thence 

 called Cyprieres, or Cypress Swamps. It is found in Delaware, on the 

 banks of the Indian River, in 38 50' N. lat, which is iU northern 

 boundary, and proceeding southward it is abundant in the swamps of 

 Virginia, the C'arolinas, Georgia, and Florida. 



In America, where the tree grows, its wood is used for all the pur- 

 poms to which timber is applied. A number of varieties have been 

 named. The most common is the T. d. patent, which has horizontal 

 branches. Another, with pendulous branches, is known as T. d. pen- 

 dulum ; a third, with pendulous first year's shoots, as T. d. nutans. 

 Other species of the genus have been described, but are not yet used 

 or cultivated. 



(London, Arb. et Prut. Brit., vol. jv.) 



TAXUS ('taxus,' Latin), the name of a genus of Plants, the type 

 of the natural order Ta.ia.Cf.it. This genus is monoecious ; the perianth 

 of the barren flowers is single at the base; the stamens are numerous, 

 with peltate anthers 6-8-celled, the opening beneath. The fertile 

 flowers have a single urceolate scaly perianth ; no style ; and a fleshy 

 drupaceous fruit, perforated at the extremity. The species of this 

 genus are evergreen trees, with numerous mostly linear entire leaves. 

 They are natives of Europe and North America. 



T. baccata. Common Yew, has its leaves 2-ranked, crowded, linear, 

 flat, with the flowers axillary, sessile ; the receptacle of the barren 

 (lowers globular. The common yew is well known. It is indigenous 

 to most parts of Europe, and is found in every part of Britain and 

 Ireland. It is seldom seen growing in company with its own species, 

 hut alone, or with other species of plants. 



The yew is a low tree, the trunk rising 3 or 4 feet from the ground, 

 and then rinding out numerous spreading branches, forming a head of 

 dense foliage, which, when full grown, may be sometimes 30 or 40 feet 

 high. It in of slow growth, attaining under favourable circumstances 

 a height of C or 8 feet in ten years, and 15 feet in twenty years. The 

 tallest yew in England is in the churchyard at Harlington, near 

 Hounalow, and in 58 feet high. A tree continues growing for about 

 100 yearn ; it mostly ceases to grow at that age, but will live for many 

 centuries. The yew-trees at present existing at Fountains Abbey in 

 Yorkshire are supposed to have attained their full growth when the 

 bbey WM erected in 1 1 32. 



AT. UIST. BIT, VOL. IV, 



The remarkable characters and properties of the Yew have drawn 

 towards it at all times much attention. Dioscorides, Pliny, and Theo- 

 phrastus, mention ita poisonous properties. Caesar (' Bell. Gall.,' vi. 

 31) relates that Cativolcus, king of the Eburoneg, committed suicide 

 by swallowing the juice of the Yew. Plutarch says that its fruit is 

 poisonous, and that its shade is fatal to all who sleep under it. This 

 is also stated by Pliny ; but there must have been some mistake on 

 some of these points, as it is now well known that the fruit of the 

 Yew may be eaten with impunity, and that its shade is not more deadly 

 than that of other trees. 



The Yew appears to have been employed from the earliest times in 

 the manufacture of bows, and was used for this purpose by the nations 

 of antiquity. The bows used by the English previous to the introduc- 

 tion of gunpowder were made of Yew, and there are many allusions 

 amongst English poets to this use of its wood. 



There are several remarkable specimens of old Yews existing in this 

 country. Those at Fountains Abbey are said to have sheltered the 

 monks whilst that magnificent pile was erecting. The Tytherley, 

 Fortingal, Arlington, and Loch-Lomond Yews are remarkable for their 

 size and age. Many of them, if we estimate their age in the mode 

 proposed by De Candolle, must exceed considerably a thousand years. 



TEA. [THEA.] 



TEA, PARAGUAY, or MATE', is the produce of a plant belong- 

 ing to the family Aquifoliacece. It was formerly supposed to be the 

 produce of the Ilex vomitoria, which is found in North America, iu 

 the Carolina?, and Florida; but, from specimens sent from Brazil to 

 Mr. Lambert, it appears to be a distinct species, which he has named 

 Ilex Paraguanensis. It is a shrub attaining the size of the orange- 

 tree; it is quite smooth, with bluntish wedge-shaped remotely 

 serrated leaves, with umbelliferous flowers seated in the axils of the 

 leaves. It is the Ilex Mate" of Saint Hilaire, and grows wild in Para- 

 guay and Brazil, and is called by the Spaniards Yerva Matd. The 

 leaves of this shrub are in great repute amongst the inhabitants of 

 South America, and are used in infusion in a similar manner to the 

 Tea of China. Upwards of 5,000,000 Ibs. of the leaves of this treo 

 are annually collected iu Paraguay, and are sent to Chili and the vice- 

 royalty of Buenos Ayres. It is not cultivated, and merchants carry 

 various articles of use into the interior, which they give the natives 

 for their labour in collecting the leaves of the plant. After the 

 branches are cut away, the ground is heated by means of a fire, and 

 the branches being laid upon the heated ground, are dried, and after- 

 wards they are beaten and pressed into bags, in which state it comes 

 into the market. There are three kinds known in the market : the 

 Caa-Cuys, which is the bud of the leaf; the Caa-Mini, the leaf torn 

 from its midrib and veins without roasting ; and the Caa-Guazii, or 

 Yerva de Palos of the Spaniards, the whole leaf with the petioles 

 and small branches roasted. The first does not steep well, and is 

 seldom seen. The plant when used is steeped in boiling water, to 

 which a little sugar and sometimes lemon-juice is added. It is drunk 

 out of a vessel called mate', which has a spout perforated with holes 

 for the purpose of preventing the powdered herb from passing out 

 with the fluid. The Creoles are passionately fond of this infusion, 

 and never partake of a meal without it. The properties of this plant 

 are sedative and stimulant. 



Another species of lief, the /. Gonghona, found in Brazil, is applic- 

 able to the same purposes as the last ; and although inferior in quality, 

 was used extensively as a substitute for the true Paraguay Tea, when 

 the export of the latter from Paraguay was forbidden by the Dictator 

 Francia. 



The /. vomitoria produces the Cassena of Florida and the Carolines, 

 which is used for the purpose of correcting the flavour of water. 



TEAK. [TECTONA.] 



TEAL, the common name of a Natatorial Bird belonging to the 

 family Anatirue. [DUCKS.] This bird is tho Querquedula creccu, 

 Steph. ; the Anas crecca, Linn. It is one of the smallest of the 

 Anatidie, and most beautiful of ducks. It is the Sarcelle, Petite 

 Sarcelle, Cercelle, Cercerelle, Alebrande, Garsote, and Halebran, of 

 the French; Cercedula, Cercevolo, Scavolo, Sartella, Anitrella, and 

 Anitra d'Inverno, of the Italians ; Spiegel-Entlein and Kriekente of the 

 Germans ; Winter Taling of the Netherlander ; Arta and Kriecka of 

 the Swedes; Kestelort-And of the Norwegians; Krik-Aud of the 

 Danes; Cor Hwyad and Brach Hwyad of the Welsh. 



This species is one of the most delicate of tho ducks. Willughby 

 remarks that, for the taste of its flesh and the wholesome nourishment 

 it affords the body, it " doth deservedly challenge the first place among 

 those of its kind." 



In the 'Portraits d'Oyseaux" (1557), the following quatrain cele- 

 brates its excellence, and alludes to its habits : 



" Bicn peu aouvent se plonge la sarcclle 

 Kntre deux eaux, de laqucllc la chair 



Kst delicate : aussi couste elle cher 



Autunt qu'uyseau qui eoit petit comme elle." 



Accordingly we see it holding a high place in ancient feasts. We 

 find it among the 'goodly provision' at the banquet given at thn 

 enthroning of George Nevell, archbishop of York, iu the reign of 

 Edward IV. : ' Mallardes and Teales, 4000.' The price in the North- 

 umberland Household Book is ' Teylles, \d.,' mallards being '2d. 



3 U 



