1780 



TELFAIREA 



TEMPLETONIA 



TELFAlKEA (Charles Telfair, 1778-1833, Irish bota- 

 nist; died in Mauritius.). Cucurbitdcece. Telfairea 

 pedata is a tall-growing climber from tropical Africa 

 with digitate leaves, large, purple-fringed flowers of 

 curious appearance, and huge gourds which sometimes 

 weigh as much as 60 pounds and contain 100 to 300 edi- 

 ble seeds. It has been cultivated in English stoves, a 

 single shoot attaining a length of 56 ft. in a year or so. 

 The male and female tts. are borne on separate plants. 

 The species is too rampant for the ordinary conserva- 

 tory. It was introduced into southern California in 

 1900, presumably for its economic interest. The seeds 

 are roundish, about an inch across, and the kernels are 

 sweet to the taste, and are said to be as good as al- 

 monds. The negroes of tropical Africa boil and eat 

 them. These seeds also yield an abundance of oil which 

 has been said to be equal to olive oil. 



The fruit becomes l%-3 ft. long and 8 in. wide. It is 

 oblong in shape, has 10-12 deep furrows and is always 

 green. Both male and female fls. are 5-lobed, copiously 

 fringed and purple in color, the females somewhat 

 brownish, with a circular green throat, while the males 

 have a 5-pointed star of green in the middle. The male 

 fls. are about 2 in. across, females 4 in. across, with an 

 ovary 2 in. long. The foliage has an unpleasant smell 

 when bruised. 



Telfairea is a genus of only 2 species, both tropical 

 African, and very much alike. The two species are dis- 

 tinguished by the venation of the Ivs. : T. pedata has 

 pinnate venation, while T. occidentalis has 3 nerves 

 originating near the base of the leaf. Generic charac- 

 ters: male fls. in racemes; corolla rotate; stamens 3. 

 one of the anthers with 2 compartments, the others 4- 

 celled: female fls. solitary: ovary 3-5-loculed; ovules 

 in one series on the imperfect septa: seeds fibrous- 

 coated. See Cogniaux, DC. Mon. Phaner. Vol. 3, p. 349. 



pedata, Hook. Root stout, fleshy: stem perennial, 

 50-100 ft. long: Ivs. long-stalked: Ifts. 3-5 in. long, re- 

 pand -toothed: fls. and fr. described above. Zanzibar. 

 B.M. 2681 (Feuillwa pedata); 2751, 2752. w. M. 



TELLlMA (anagram of Mitella). Saxifragacece. 

 Tellima is a genus of 8 species of perennial herbs which 

 are the western representatives of the Bishop's Cap or 

 Mitella familiar to lovers of wild flowers in the East. 

 They have tuberous rootstocks. Most of their Ivs. are 

 from the roots. Strong plants send up numerous stems 

 one or two feet high, bearing racemes of small white, 

 pink or red flowers. They are choice subjects for wild 

 gardening, being valued for their tufted habit, pretty 

 Ivs., and for the air-y grace of their inflorescence. On 

 close inspection the fls. are seen to be beautifully fringed 

 or cut, suggesting a bishop's miter. Tellima grandi- 

 flora is probably the most desirable species. It is prac- 

 tically the only kind known to European gardens. It 

 has one-sided racemes about 6 in. long, containing as 

 many as 30 fls., each a quarter of an inch across or 

 more. It blooms in early spring and the fls. change 

 from greenish to pink or red. It is not as showy a 

 plant as Heuchera sanguined. Tellimas are supposed 

 to be hardy in the eastern states. They require dense 

 shade. A few kinds have been offered by specialists in 

 native plants and are obtainable from western collectors. 

 The plants are called " Star Flowers " in California. 



Tellima differs from Mitella mainly in the capsule, 

 which is 2-beaked in Tellima, not beaked in Mitella. 

 Calyx bell-shaped or top-shaped; petals inserted in the 

 sinuses of the calyx, cleft or toothed, sometimes entire; 

 stamens 10: ovary 1-loculed: seeds numerous. 



A. Petals pinnately cut into long, thread-like segments. 

 B. Fls. not fragrant. 



grandifldra, R. Br. FALSE ALUM ROOT. Height 

 l%-2% ft.: Ivs. rounded, cordate or angle -lobed and 

 toothed: fls. greenish, becoming pink or red; calyx in- 

 flated-bell-shaped, nearly % in. long; petals laciniate- 

 pinnatifld, sessile. Calif . to Alaska. B.R. 14:1178. 



BB. Fls. fragrant. 



odorata, Howell. Height 1-2 ft.: Ivs. broadly cordate, 

 obscurely lobed and crenately toothed: fls. red. Wet 

 places near Columbia river. 



AA. Petals palmately 3-7-parted. 



parvifldra, Hook. Height %-l ft. : radical Ivs. mostly 

 3-5-parted or divided, the divisions narrowly cuneat^ 

 and once or twice 3-cleft into narrow lobes: fls. pink or 

 sometimes white; petals with a slender claw, the limb 

 palmately 3-7-parted. Brit. Col. to Utah and Colo. 



W. M. 



TELOPEA (Greek; seen at a distance). Proteacete. 

 Telopea speclosissima is one of the showiest shrubs of 

 New South Wales. It grows 6-8 ft. high and has dense 

 terminal globular heads of rich crimson. These heads 

 are 3 in. across and 3 or 4 in. deep and bear a rough re- 

 semblance to a florist's chrysanthemum. The showiest 

 parts, however, are involucral bracts. This plant is 

 known as the Waratah. It is one of the most distinct 

 members of its family, for a horticultural account of 

 which see Protea. In the early part of the nineteenth 

 century, when proteads and other shrubs from Aus- 

 tralia and the Cape were in great favor, the Waratah 

 made a vivid impression. The "Waratah " chrysanthe- 

 mum and other florists' flowers of the period took their 

 name from the distinct and fashionable color of the 

 Waratah. Ever since that era the Waratah has been 

 considered a rare and difficult subject and its occasional 

 flowering has been signalized at 'the exhibitions. The 

 old "stoves "in which proteads throve so wonderfully 

 were crude affairs compared with the modern hothouse 

 with its perfected devices for maintaining a hot and 

 moist atmosphere. Such plants require too much 

 room and are too long and uncertain in blooming ever 

 to become popular subjects for northern conservatories, 

 but they are splendid plants for exhibitions. Ernest 

 Brauiiton writes that the Waratah is imported every 

 year from Australia into California but is very hard to 

 grow. All accounts agree that proteads should have 

 good drainage and plenty of water while growing. 

 When once established, Telopea can probably be propa- 

 gated by layering. 



Telopea is a genus of 3 species, 2 Australian, 1 Tas- 

 manian. Perianth irregular, the tube open early on the 

 under side, the laminae broad and oblique; anthers 

 sessile at the base of the laminae; hypogynous glands 

 united into a short, oblique, nearly complete ring: fr. a 

 recurved, leathery follicle; seeds flat, winged. Closely 

 related to Embothrium, being distinguished chiefly by 

 disk and style. Flora Australiensis 5:534 (1870). 



speciosissima, R. Br. (Jftmbdthrium speciosissimum, 

 Sm.). WARATAH. WARRATAU. Stout, glabrous shrub 

 6-8 ft. high: Ivs. cuneate-oblong, 5-10 in. long, mostly 

 toothed in the upper part, coriaceous : fls. crimson, in a 

 dense ovoid or globular head 3 in. across: involucral 

 bracts colored, the inner ones 2-3 in. long. N. S. Wales. 

 B.M. 1128. G.C. II. 17:677. Gn. 22:361. I.H. 34:29. 

 Hylogyne speciosa, Salisb., is an older name for this 

 plant. w M 



TEMPERATURE. 



house. 



See Conservatory and Green- 



TEMPLETONIA (J. Templeton, botanist of Belfast, 

 early part of nineteenth century). Leguminosce. The 

 CORAL BUSH of Australia, Templetonia retusa, is a tall 

 shrub with showy scarlet fls. 1-13^ in. long. The 

 flower presents a very different appearance from the 

 papilionaceous or sweet pea type, the floral parts being 

 all rather narrow and about the same length, with the 

 standard strongly reflexed. This plant was formerly 

 cult, in European greenhouses, where it generally flow- 

 ered in April or May. It was usually planted in the 

 greenhouse border rather than in pots and was thought 

 to prefer a compost of peat and loam. It was slowly 

 propagated by cuttings and went out of fashion along 

 with Australian shrubs in general. It has lately been 

 offered for outdoor cultivation in southern California, 

 where many choice plants of its class are being culti- 

 vated. T. retusa is probably the most desirable species 

 of the genus. 



Generic characters: shrubs or subshrubs: Ivs. when 

 present alternate, simple, entire: fls. axillary, solitary 

 or 2 or 3 together, red or yellow; standard orbicular or 

 obovate, usually reflexed; wings narrow; keel as long 

 as the standard or shorter; stamens all united in a 



