102 NUTRITIVE PLANTS. 



classed it in the same manner as his master, says expressly that it 

 has only one style. Several of the British botanists, on the other 

 hand, refer it to the order of trigynia; deriving their authority from 

 a plant in the duke of Northumberland's garden at Sion-house, 

 which had three styles. 



Linnaeus says that there are two species of the tea plant ; the bohea, 

 the corolla of which has six petals ; and the viridis, or green tea, which 

 has nine petals. Thunberg makes only one species, the bohea, 

 consisting of two varieties: the one with broad and the other with 

 narrow leaves. This botanist's authority is decisive respecting the 

 Japanese tea plants; but as China has not yet been explored, we 

 cannot determine what number of species there are in that country. 

 The tea-tree, however, is now common in the botanical gardens in 

 this country ; and it is evident that there are two species, or, at least, 

 permanent varieties of it : one with a much longer leaf than the 

 other, which our gardeners call the green tea ; and the other with 

 shorter leaves, which they call the bohea. The green is by much 

 the hardiest plant, and with very little protection will bear the rigour 

 of our winters. Messrs. Loddridges, of Hackney, have now seve- 

 ral large plants of it in the open ground, which they only cover 

 with mats in hard frost. It is chiefly propagated in this country 

 by layers. 



This plant delights in valleys, and is frequent on the sloping 

 sides of mountains and the banks of rivers, where it enjoys a south- 

 ern exposure. It flourishes in the northern latitudes of Pekin as 

 well as round Canton ; but attains the greatest perfection in the 

 mild temperate regions of Nankin. It is said only to be found be- 

 tween the 30th and 45th degree of north latitude. In Japan it is 

 planted round the borders of fields, without regard to the soil ; but 

 as it is an important article of commeree with the Chinese, whole 

 fields are covered with it, and it is by them cultivated with care. 

 The abbe Rochen says, it grows equally well in a poor as in a rich 

 soil; but that there are certain places where it is of a better quali- 

 ty. The tea which grows in rocky ground is superior to that which 

 grows in a light soil; and the worst kind is that which is produced 

 in a clay soil. It is propagated by seeds ; from six to twelve are 

 put into a hole about five inches deep, at certain distances from 

 each other. The reason why so many seeds are sown in the same 

 hole is said to be, that only a fifth part vegetate. Being thus sown, 



