THYMUS 



TIAUELLA 



1805 



bescent: lvs. small, seldom % in. long, narrow-oblong 

 to oval to nearly ovate, obtuse, narrowed into a distinct 

 petiole, the margins sometimes slightly revolute: fls. 

 minute, lilac, much shorter than the lvs., in axillary 

 whorls. Temperate parts of Europe, Asia and N. Africa. 

 —A common plant in old gardens, prized as an ever- 

 green edging and as cover for rockwork and waste 

 places; also run wild. The leaves are sometimes used 

 for seasoning, as those of T. vulgaris are. The nodes 

 are short, making it a very leafy plant. Variable. 

 Some of the cult, forms are: var. citrioddrus, Hort. (T. 

 citrioddrus, Schreb.), the Lemon Thyme, has small, 

 strong-veined lvs. and a pronounced lemon odor. Var. 

 montanus, Benth. ( T. motitanus, Waldst. & Kit. T. 

 Chamcedrys, Pries), has larger lvs. and longer, some- 

 what ascending branches. Var. lanugindsus, Hort. (T. 

 lanugindsus, Schk. ), is a form with small roundish lvs., 

 and a pubescent-gray covering, making it a handsome 

 plant for edgings. Var. aureus, Hort. Foliage golden, 

 particularly in spring. Var. argenteus, Hort. Lvs. 

 variegated with silvery white. Var. variegatus, Hort. 

 White-variegated lvs. Var. coccineus, Hort. Fls. nu- 

 merous, scarlet. There is a form with white fls. (see 

 Gt. 45. p. 108). All forms are hardy. 



Corsicus, Pers., is properly Calamintha Corsica, 

 Benth. Prostrate, small, glabrous or nearly so: lvs. 

 very small, 2 lines or less long, nearly orbicular, peti- 

 oled: fls. small, light purple, in whorls, the floral leaves 

 similar to the others. Corsica. — A good little plant for 

 edgings, with very aromatic herbage. L. jj. B. 



THYRSACANTHUS (Greek, thyrse and flower). 

 Acanthacece. About 20 species of tropical American 

 herbs or shrubs with opposite, often large leaves and 

 red, tubular flowers in fascicles which are arranged in 

 a terminal simple or panicled thyrse. Calyx short, 5- 

 parted; corolla long-tubular, the limb 4-cut, slightly 2- 

 lipped; stamens 2; staminodia 2, small, at the base of 

 the filaments: capsule oblong; seeds 4 or fewer by 

 abortion. 



Schomburgkianus, Nees (T. rutilans, Planch.). Fig. 

 2509. A shrubby plant, becoming 6 ft. high: lvs. ob- 

 long-lanceolate, nearly sessile : racemes 8-10 in. or 

 even 3 ft. long from the upper axils, slender, drooping: 

 fls. tubular, red, about IK in. long, pendulous. Dec- 

 March. Colombia. B.M. 4851. R.H. 1852:160. Gn. 42, 

 p. 482. F.S. 7:732. F.W.Barclay. 



Thyrsacanthus Schomburgkianus is a fine old green- 

 house favorite which has of recent years fallen into un- 

 deserved neglect. It deserves a place in every good 

 general collection. It is chiefly admired for its um- 

 brella-like habit and pendulous grace of its long sprays 

 of slender, red, tubular flowers. Like many other acan- 

 thads, it becomes leggy and weedy in old plants, even 

 if cut back severely. Hence, plants are rarely kept after 

 the second season. The culture of Thyrsacanthus is 

 easy. It is an ideal plant for a general collection, as it 

 requires no special treatment. Some English writers 

 advise a stove temperature, but the undersigned has 

 grown it for many years in a coolhouse. Ordinary pot- 

 ting soil such as suits geraniums will do for Thyrsa- 

 canthus. It flowers in winter and remains in bloom a 

 long time. Cuttings may be made at any time in early 

 spring and will produce flowering plants 2-2M ft. high 

 the first season. After flowering, they should be cut 

 back severely. It is not desirable to have more than one 

 plant in a pot, nor should the young plants be pinched 

 the first season, as the umbrella form is preferable to 

 that of a compact, much-branched bush. The pendu- 

 lous habit of Thyrsacanthus has suggested to some gar- 

 deners the use of this plant for hanging baskets and 

 brackets. Robert Shore. 



THYRSOSTACHYS (Creek, thyrse and spike). Gra- 

 mlnea. T. Siamensis is a tall Indian bamboo which has 

 been offered in southern California since the article 

 Bamboo was written for this work. As the plant is not 

 included in Mitford's Bamboo Garden, its horticultural 

 status is uncertain. Franceschi writes that the plant is 

 rather tender at Santa Barbara. The genus belongs to 

 a subtribe of bamboos of which Dendrocalamus is the 

 type. This subtribe is distinguished by having 6 sta- 



mens, a 2-keeled palea and the pericarp free from the 

 seed. For generic characters of Thyrsostachys, see the 

 Flora of British India 7:397 (1897). 



Thyrsostachys is a genus of 2 species of arborescent 

 bamboos native to Upper Burma and Siam. The stem- 

 sheaths are long, thin and persistent, with a long, nar- 

 row blade. The lvs. are small or moderate-sized. As 

 nearly as may be judged from the only available descrip- 

 tion, this species could be inserted at the bottom of 

 page 128 of this work, being distinguished from species 

 12 and 13 by the narrowness of the lvs. 



Siamensis, Gamble. A tender, deciduous, "giant bam- 

 boo," with very graceful tufted stems 25-30 ft. high and 

 l%-3 in. thick. Stem sheaths waved and truncate at 

 the top, 9-11x4/^-8 in.; auricles short-triangular: blade 

 narrowly triangular: lvs. small, narrow, linear, 3-6 

 xK-Kin. Siam. W. M. 



2509. Thyrsacanthus Schomburgkianus (X %)• 



TIARELLA (Latin, a little tiara or turban; in ref- 

 erence to the form of the pistil). SaiifragAceai. False 

 Mitrewort. A genus of 6 species of slender perennial 

 herbs, of which 4 are from North America, 1 from 

 Japan and 1 from the Himalayas. Low-growing plants, 

 with most of the leaves radical and long-petioled, simple 

 or serrate, lobed or even 3-foliolate, with white flowers 

 in terminal, simple or compound racemes: calyx-tube 

 but slightly adnate to the base of the ovary; petals 5, 

 entire; stamens 10, long: capsule superior, compressed, 

 with 2 unequal lobes. 



a. Lvs. simple. 

 b. Petals oblong. 

 cordiidlia, Linn. Foam Flower. Fig. 2510. A hand- 

 some native perennial, forming a tufted mass, 6-12 

 in. high, of broadly ovate, lobed and serrate leaves 

 and simple, erect racemes of white flowers borne well 

 above the foliage in May. Fls. about % in. across; 

 petals oblong, clawed, somewhat exceeding the white 

 calyx-lobes. In rich, moist woodland, Nova Scotia to 

 Ontario, south to Ga. Gn. 22, p. 21; 32, p. 511; 53, p. 

 456; 55, p. 40; V. 11:35. — An elegant plant well worthy 

 of general cultivation. It is a lover of cool, shaded 

 places and of rich, moist soil. It will, however, do well 

 in ordinary soil and flower freely in a half-shaded place, 

 but the varied leaf-markings of bronzy red and other 

 signs of luxuriance are not brought out to their fullest 



