330 SELECT PLANTS FOR INDUSTRIAL CULTURE 



yellow or brown wood, exceedingly tough, elastic and durable, and 

 much esteemed by turners ; one of the best of all woods for bows. 

 Simmonds observed that " a post of Yew will outlast a post of 

 iron." Much esteemed for pumps, piles, water-pipes, as more 

 lasting than any other wood ; also for particular musical instru- 

 ments, the strongest axletrees, etc. (Simmonds). The tree is of 

 very slow growth, and attains a great age, perhaps several 

 thousand years ; some ancient ones are known with a stem of 50 

 feet in girth. It should be kept out of the reach of grazing 

 animals, as leaves and fruit are deadly poisonous. 



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



North- West America. "Western Yew. A stately tree, 75 feet 

 high, wdth a stem of 5 feet in circumference. Wood beautifully 

 white or slightly yellow, as fine and close-grained as the European 

 Yew. The Indians use it for their bows. 



Tectona grandis, Linne fil.* 



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

 limit in Bandalkhand, at elevations of three thousand (3,000) 

 feet, ascending to four thousand (4,000) feet ; but then not of tall 

 size. In Western India, according to Stewart and Brandis, frost 

 is not uncommon in the teak districts. 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 by cabinet-makers, 

 for the panels of coaches, etc. It scarcely shrinks. 



Teinostachyum attenuatum, Munro. 



The hardy bamboo of Ceylon, there growing on the mountains at 

 elevations between four thousand (4,000) to six thousand (6,000) 

 feet. It attains a height of 25 feet. 



Telfairia pedata, Hooker. 



Mozambique. A cucurbitaceous climber with perennial stems, attain- 

 ing a length of 100 feet, with fringed lilac flowers of extraordinary 

 beauty and with fruits attaining a weight of 60 Ibs. and containing 

 at times as many as 500 large seeds. The latter in a boiled state 

 are edible or a large quantity of oil can be pressed from them. 

 The root is fleshy. A second huge species of similar use, T. 

 occidentalis (J. Hook.), occurs in Guinea. 



Terfezia leonis, Tulasne. 



South Europe, North America. This edible Truffle, together with 

 other species of this and other genera, is deserving of naturali- 

 sation. 



