.372 Select Plants for Industrial Culture 



girth; wood-rings to the extent of 2,880 have been counted. In 

 the " Garden " it is stated, that a jew, still existing at the Foun- 

 tain-Abbey in Yorkshire, was already in 1132 a large tree, when this 

 monastery was founded. It should be kept out of the reach of grazing 

 animals, as leaves and fruit are deadly poisonous. T. cuspidata 

 (Siebold) is a closely cognate Japan-Yew. 



Taxus brevifolia, Nuttall. (T. Lindleyana, Lawson.) 



Western Yew. North-Western America. A stately tree, finally 

 to 75 feet high, with a stem to 5 feet in circumference. Wood beau- 

 tifully whitish or slightly yellow, or rose-colored, tough, very hard, 

 but remarkably elastic; as fine and close-grained as that of the 

 European yew. The Indians use it for their bows. Sir Joseph 

 Hooker regards this as well as the Japanese and some other yews all 

 as forms of one species. 



Tectona grandis, Linn^fil.* 



The "Teak" of South-Asia. This superb timber-tree has its 

 northern limit in Bandalkhaud, at elevations of 3,000 feet; it ascends 

 to 4,000 feet, but is then not of tall size; it extends to the Sunda- 

 Islands and New Guinea; likes rather open forest-land. In Western 

 India, according to Stewart and Brandis, frost is not uncommon in 

 the teak-districts. The leaves drop annually. Price now in London 

 15 for 50 cubic feet. Teak-wood is held in the highest esteem by 

 ship-builders; for the backing of ironclad men-of-war preferred to any 

 other wood; also used for the panels of coaches, and for various other 

 select purposes unsurpassed. It scarcely shrinks. 



Tectona Hamiltoniana, Wallich. 



Lower India. Yields the Burma-wood, which is heavy, close- 

 grained, streaked and susceptible to a high polish. In habit and 

 size it is similar to the ordinary teak (Kurz), but perhaps not so 

 hardy. 



Teinostachyum attenuatum, Munro. 



One of the hardier Bamboos of Ceylon, there growing on the 

 mountains at elevations between 4,000 and 6,000 feet. It attains a 

 height of about 25 feet. Three species of this genus from New 

 Caledonia have been described as Greslanias. Doubtless Mr. Th. 

 Christy's use of" Thiolyte " (value 8 10s. per ton) would be par- 

 ticularly applicable also for converting the foliage of many kinds of 

 Bamboos into paper-pulp; it has a most remarkable effect on fibres 

 for separating and cleansing, and it prevents oxydation, when green 

 parts of plants are boiled under high pressure. 



Telfairia pedata, Hooker. 



Mozambique. A cucurbitaceous climber with perennial stems, 

 attaining sometimes a length of fully 100 feet, bearing fringed lilac 

 flowers of extraordinary beauty, and fruits attaining occasionally a 

 weight of 60 Ibs. and a length of 3 feet, containing at times as 



