452 



HENDEBSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



THE 



ripe, they make a delicious preserve. The 

 tree bears leaves, flowers and fruit all the 

 year through ; but the principal seasons for 

 gathering the fruit are June and December 

 When ripe, the fruit turns yellow outside anc 

 is then gathered by hand and afterward split 

 open and the seeds removed. They are then 

 made to undergo a'slight amount of fermen- 

 tation, or sweating, lasting from one to two 

 days, for the purpose of developing their color, 

 and are afterwards exposed to the sun daily 

 for about two weeks, or until they are thor- 

 oughly dry, when they are packed for exporta- 

 tion. 



Theophra'sta. Named after Theophrastus, the 

 father of Natural history. Nat. Ord. Myrsin- 

 acece. 



A small genus of tropical shrubs, with un- 

 branched stems, bearing on the top tufts oi 

 holly-like leaves, from the axils of some of 

 which the racemes of flowers are produced. 

 Several of the species are in cultivation in the 

 green-house and are highly esteemed for their 

 beautiful foliage. One of the species, T. Jus- 

 scei, a native of San Domingo, yields a seed 

 from which the natives make a kind of bread. 

 Young plants are obtained from seeds or from 

 cuttings. Introduced in 1818. The showy 

 foliaged species, T. imperialis, is now placed 

 under Chrysophyllum, which see. 



Thermo'psis. From Thermos, a Lupin, and 

 opsis, resemblance; the species are not un- 

 like Lupines. Nat. Ord. Leguminosa. 



A genus of North Asiatic and American 

 hardy, perennial plants, with palmate, downy 

 leaves, and yellow flowers in terminal clus- 

 ters. T. montana, a native species, and T. 

 lanceolata, from Siberia, are both in cultiva- 

 tion. ' They are increased most readily by 

 seeds. 



Thespe'sia. From thespesios, divine. T. po- 

 pulnea is frequently planted about churches 

 in the tropics. Nat. Ord. Malvaceae. 



A small genus of tall herbs or trees found 

 in Madagascar, the West Indies, South Amer- 

 ica and the Pacific Islands. T. populnea, the 

 best known species, a common tree on the 

 sea-shores of most eastern tropical countries, 

 forms a tree forty or fifty feet high, with a 

 dense head of foliage, on account of which it 

 is called the Umbrella Tree in some coun- 

 tries, and is often planted for the sake of its 

 shade and for forming avenues. Its leaves 

 are large and pointed, and its very showy 

 flowers are yellow in color, changing to pur- 

 ple. The wood is considered almost inde- 

 structible under water, and is therefore used 

 largely for boat-building, its durability also 

 rendering it valuable for cabinet-making and 

 building purposes. 



Theve'tia. Named after Andr. Theoet, a French 

 monk, who travelled in Brazil and Guiana. 

 Nat. Ord. Apocynacea. 



A small genus of shrubs or small trees, 

 found from Paraguay to Mexico. The flow- 

 ers are yellow, borne in large, terminal cymes. 

 Three species are in cultivation, but are found 

 only in large collections. They are propa- 

 gated by cuttings. Syn. Cerbera. 



Thibau'dia. Named in honor of Thiebaut de 

 Bemeaud, Secretary of the Linnesan Society 

 of Paris, and a botanical writer. Nat. Ord. 

 yaccmiacece. 



THO 



A beautiful genus of evergreen shrubs, in- 

 habiting Peru and New Grenada, a few spe- 

 cies 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-berry. See Rubus occidentalis. 

 Thin Grass. Ayrostis perennis. 

 Thistle. A common name for the species of 



Carduus, Cnicus, and other plants. 

 Blessed or Holy. Carduus benedictus and Sily- 



bum Marianum. 



Canada or Cursed/ Cirsium arvenxe. 

 Cotton. Onopordon Acanthium. 

 Fish-bone or Herring-bone. Chamcepeuce Ga~ 



sabonce. 



Fuller's. Dipsacus Fullonum. 

 Globe. Echinops sphazrocephalus. 

 Golden. Scolymus Hispanicus. 

 Hedgehog. The genus Echinocactus. 

 Melon. The genus Melocactus. 

 Milk or Our Lady's. Silybum (Carduus] Mari- 

 anum. 



Musk. Carduus nutans. 

 Saffron. Carthamnus tinctorius. 

 Scotch. See Scotch Thistle. 

 Sow. Sonchus oleraceus. 

 Star. Centaurea Calcitrapa. 

 Torch. The genus Cereus. 

 Yellow. Aryemone Mexicana. 

 Thistle on Thistle. Onopordon Acanthium. 

 Thladia'ntha. From thladias, compressed, and 

 antlie, a flower; owing, it is said, to the plant 

 being first described from a pressed specimen. 

 Nat. Ord. Cucurbitacece. 



T. dubia, introduced from China in 1864, Is a 

 handsome perennial with long, climbing stems, 

 bearing a profusion of bright yellow flowers, 

 together with heart-shaped leaves of an agree- 

 able, lively green color. It may be effectually 

 employed for covering arbors, trellises, etc. 

 Thla'spi. From thlas, to bruise, the seeds being 

 bruised as a condiment. Nat. Ord. Cruciferce. 

 T. latifolium is a dwarf but vigorous peren- 

 nial, with large root-leaves and flowers some- 

 what like Arabia albida, but larger. It is suit- 

 able for the front row of the herbaceous border, 

 or for the rock garden, and is increased by 

 division or by seed. None of the other species 

 are worth cultivating. 



Thoma'sia. Named in memory of Peter and 

 Abraham Thomas, collectors of Swiss plants 

 in the time of Haller. Nat. Ord. SterculiacecB. 

 A genus of beautiful green-house shrubs, 

 natives of the southwestern districts of Aus- 

 tralia, having purple, bluish or white flowers, 

 and often lobed or cut leaves. The genus 

 comprises over twenty species, of which five 

 or six are valued as elegant green -house plants, 

 and have very much the general appearance 

 of some species of Solanum. 



Thomas's (St.) Tree. Bauhinia variegata and 

 B. tomentosa. 



Thomso'nia. Named in honor of Dr. A. T. 

 Thompson, author of "An Introduction to 

 Botany." Nat. Ord. Aroidece. 



A genus of two species of ornamental stove- 

 house plants, natives of the Himalayas and 

 Khasya Mountains. The leaves are very much 

 divided, and tiie stems are irregularly spotted 



