HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



THE 



their twist or curl. They are next shaken out 

 into large screens, and placed in the open air m 

 the shade for two or three days; and finally ex- 

 posed in iron pans to a slow and steady fire-heat 

 until completely dried, care being taken to 

 keep them in constant motion to prevent burn- 

 ing. The chief difference in the manufacture 

 of genuine Green Tea consists in the leaves be- 

 ing so long exposed to the air after rolling that 

 fermentation does not take place, and in not 

 being subjected to such a high temperature in 

 the final drying; but the greater part, if not the 

 whole, of the Green Tea consumed in Europe 

 and America is colored artificially by the Chi- 

 nese to suit foreign trade. The Chinese distin- 

 guish a great number of varieties of Tea, some 

 of which sell for $12.50 per pound; but these 

 fine kinds will not bear a sea-voyage, and are 

 used only by the wealthier classes in China and 

 Russia, to which country they are carried over- 

 land. In ordinary commerce four kinds of 

 Black and six of Green Tea are recognized ; but 

 the difference Between them consists chiefly in 

 size, the seven*! kinds being obtained by sift- 

 ing." The Agricultural Department at Wash- 

 ington in the past four years has distributed 

 hundreds of thousands of Tea plants in differ- 

 ent sections of the Southern States, and experi- 

 ments a'j this date of writing are under way that 

 may yet result in great value to the country. 



Thepbroma. Chocolate Tree. Linnaeus named 

 this tree fromTheos, a god, and broma, food; poet- 

 ically, food for the gods. Chocolate ic the Mex- 

 ican name of the beverage made from the 

 pounded seeds. Linn. Polyaddphia-Decandria. 

 Nat. Ord. Sterculiacea}. 



T. Cacao is the important species of this genus, 

 a native of the West Indies and Central and 

 South America. It is a u Dutiful tree, growing 

 from twelve to sixteen feet high ; the leaves are 

 lanceolate, oblong, bright green ; the flowers are 

 small, reddish, and quite inodorous. The fruit 

 is smooth, of a yellow or red tinge, from six to 

 ten inches in length, and about three inches in 

 diameter; the rind is fleshy, about half an inch 

 in thickness; within the flesh is a white sub- 

 stance of the consistence of butter, separating 

 from the rind when ripe, and adhering only to 

 it by filaments, which penetrate it and reach to 

 the seeds. Hence it is known when the seeds 

 are ripe by the rattling of the capsule when 

 shaken. The pulp has a sweet and not unpleas- 

 ant taste, with a slight acidity. It is sucked and 

 eaten raw by the natives. The seeds are about 

 seventy-five in number. When fresh they are 

 of a flesh-color; gathered before being quite 

 ripe, they make a delicious preserve. The tree 

 bears leaves, flowers, and fruit, all the year 

 through ; but the principal seasons for gather- 

 ing tho fruit are June and December. When 

 ripe, the fruit turns yellow outside, and is then 

 gathered by hand, and afterward split open 

 and the seeds removed. They are then made 

 to undergo a slight amount of fermentation, or 

 sweating, lasting from one to two days, for the 

 purpose of developing their color, and are after- 

 ward exposed to the sun daily for about two 

 weeks, or until they are thoroughly dry, when 

 they are packed for exportation. 



Theophrasta. Named after Theophrastus, the 

 father of natural history. Linn. Pentandria-Mo- 

 nogynia. Nat. Ord. Myrsinacece. 



A small genus of tropical shrubs, with un- 

 branched stems, bearing on top tufts of holly- 

 like leaves, from the axils of some of which the 



THU 



racemes of flowers are produced. Several of the 

 species are in cultivation in the green-house, 

 and are highly esteemed for their beautiful foli- 

 age. One of the species, T. Jussieui, a native of 

 San Domingo, yields a seed from which the na- 

 tives make a kind of bread. Young plants are 

 obtained from seeds or from cuttings. Intro- 

 duced in 1818. 



Thibaudia. Named in honor of Thldbaut de Ber- 

 neaud, Secretary of the Linnaean Society of Paris, 

 and a botanical writer. Linn. Octandria-Mono- 

 gynia. Nat. Ord. Vaccinwcece. 



A beautiful genus of evergreen shrubs, in- 

 habiting Peru and New Grenada, a few species 

 being also found in the East Indies. They have 

 thick, leathery leaves, and axillary racemes of 

 very handsome tubular flowers, mostly scarlet, 

 sometimes tipped with green or yellow. But 

 few of the species are under cultivation. 



Thimble-bci ^y . Sec llubus occidentalis. 



Thin Grass, See Ayrostis perennnis. 



Thistle. Se3 drsium. 



Thorn. See Cratasgus. 



Thorn Apple. TJee Datura. 



Thoroughwort. See Eupatorium perfoliatum. 



Three-leaved Ni<? it-shade. See Trillium. 



Three-seeded Mercury. See Acalypha. 



Three-thorned Acacia, or Honey Locust. See 

 Gkditschia. 



Thrinax. From thrinax, a fan; the shape of the 

 leaves. Linn. Hexandria-Monogynia. Nat. Ord. 

 Palmacecv, 



A genus of West Indian Palms, commonly 

 called, in Jamaica, Thatch Palms, from their 

 leaves being used for thatching. One of the 

 species, T. argentea, the Silver Thatch Palm, fur- 

 nishes the leaves, which are cut before they ex- 

 pand, that are used in the manufacture of Palm- 

 leaf hats, or chip hats. This species is often 

 met in the green-house in a collection of Palms. 

 It is increased by seeds. Introduced in 1778. 



Thuja. Arbor Vitae. From thyon, a sacrifice-, 

 the resin of the Eastern variety is used instead 

 of incense at sacrifices. Linn. Monoecia-Decan- 

 dria. Nat. Ord. Pinacece. 



This well-known genus of evergreens includes 

 some of the most beautiful and useful evergreen 

 shrubs we have in cultivation, not only for sin- 

 gle plants for the lawn, but for hedges, either 

 high or low, for which they are most admirably 

 adapted. The common Arbor Vitae, T. occidenta- 

 lis, is the parent of most of the varieties grown 

 for ornamental purposes. It is common from 

 New York to Maine, in moist or swampy lands. 

 In some localities it makes a tree of considerable 

 size, valuable for the timber it yields, known as 

 White Cedar. Of this species there is a beauti- 

 ful sport, of globular form, with golden green 

 foliage, known as Parson's Arbor Vitae. It is of 

 slow growth, broad and compact, and suitable 

 for cemeteries, or any situation where a beauti- 

 ful evergreen is wanted. Hovey's Arbor Vitae is 

 a seedling from the common Arbor Vitse. Its 

 dwarf, compact habit of growth makes it a splen- 

 did plant for growing in tubs for winter decora- 

 tion. There are other varieties, with golden fo- 

 liage, which are very beautiful. The Siberian 

 Arbor Vitae is one o'f the best for hedges or 

 lawns. It is perfectly hardy, has a deeper color, 

 is more compact, and in most respects is more 

 desirable than the common sort. Where, when, 

 or how this species or variety originated is un- 

 known to the best authority we have on ever- 

 greens, Josiah Hoopes, who claims it to be a va- 

 riety of T. occidentalis. That it did act come from 



