AND GENERAL HORTICULTURE. 



463 



TRI 



Tripha'sia. From triphasios, triple ; alluding 

 to the number of sepals and petals. Nat. 

 Ord. RutacecB. 



T. trifoliata, the only species, is a spiny, 

 evergreen shrub, a native of southern China, 

 but now naturalized in many parts of the East 

 Indies and also cultivated in the West Indies. 

 Its fruits, which are as large as hazel-nuts, 

 have an agreeable, sweet taste when ripe, and 

 are sometimes preserved whole in syrup and 

 exported under the name of Lime-berries. It 

 is under cultivation, and may be propagated 

 by cuttings. 



Tripinnate. "When the leaflets of a bi-pinnate 

 leaf become themselves pinnate. 



Tri'psacum. From tribo, to thresh ; in allusion 

 to the purpose to which its grain may be ap- 

 plied. Nat. Ord. Graminacece. 



A small genus of grasses confined to the 

 Southern States and to South America. T. 

 dactyloidex, commonly called Gama-Grass and 

 Buffalo Grass, is common from Connecticut 

 to Illinois and southward. This is one of the 

 largest and most remarkable grasses, grow- 

 ing from four to seven feet high, with leaves 

 like those of Indian Corn ; in the absence of a 

 better, this grass is sometimes used at the 

 South for fodder. This species is also grown 

 among ornamental grasses. 



Trise'tum. From treis, three, and seta, a bris- 

 tle, on account of the three awns of the flower. 

 Nat. Ord. Graminacece. 



An extensive genus of annual and perennial 

 grasses, nearly allied to the oat-grass, widely 

 distributed over the different quarters of the 

 globe. They are chiefly natives of the tem- 

 perate zones, where some of them are useful 

 pasture grasses. T. flavescens and T. pubes- 

 cens, natives of Great Britain, are considered 

 valuable for agricultural purposes ; the for- 

 mer generally forms a portion of all produc- 

 tive meadows. 



Trista'nia. Named in honor of J. M. C. Tristan, 

 a French botanist. Nat. Ord. Myrtacece. 



A genus of green-house shrubs, mostly na- 

 tives of Australia. They are very pretty 

 plants, thriving well in a compost of loam 

 and sandy peat. T. conferta, the Australian 

 Turpentine-tree, and T. neriifolia, the Water 

 Gum-tree, are both in cultivation and are in- 

 creased by cuttings of the half-ripened wood. 



Tristichous. In three rows or ranks. 



Tritelei'a. From treis, three, and teleios, com- 

 plete ; the parts of the flower and fruit are in 

 threes. Nat. Ord. Liliacece. 



A small family of very pretty bulbs, natives 

 of California and South America, often con- 

 founded with Milla. T. uniflora, or Spring 

 Star Flower, is a delicately colored, free- 

 flowering, hardy plant, four to six inches high. 

 The flowers are clear white with a grayish - 

 violet stripe on each division of the corolla. 

 They open with the morning sun, are conspic- 

 uously beautiful on bright days, and close in 

 dull, sunless weather. It comes into flower 

 with or before Scilla Sibirica, and is still in 

 effective bloom when the vivid blue of the 

 Squill has been long replaced by green leaves. 

 T. laxa, the Californian species, has glaucous 

 leaves, and a many flowered umbel of deep 

 blue flowers. All the species are desirable, 

 and suited either to green-house culture or 



TRI 



the open border. They were first introduced 

 in 1832, and are propagated by offsets. 



Tri'ticum. Wheat. From tritum, rubbed ; in 

 allusion to its being originally rubbed down 

 to make it eatable. Nat. Ord. GraminacecB. 



This genus includes annual and perennial 

 grasses, some of which are the most useful 

 and important plants in cultivation, while 

 others are the most troublesome pests the 

 farmer and gardener have to contend against. 

 T. vulgare, Wheat, has more intrinsic value 

 than any other plant grown. The native 

 country of the Wheat is unknown ; in its 

 present form it is older than history. There 

 is no record of it having been found growing 

 wild. Those who have given the most time 

 and study to ascertain its origin, presume it is 

 a native of southern Europe and Western 

 Asia, a development of the genus ^Egilops. 

 This is, however, mere speculation. Many 

 varieties of Wheat have been produced by 

 culture and cross-breeding, without, however, 

 materially changing the grain. T. repens is 

 the pest commonly known as Couch or Quick 

 Grass, a perennial that is most tenacious of 

 life, and which, when once established, will 

 destroy all other crops, and can be extermi- 

 nated only with the greatest exertion and 

 difficulty. 



Tri'toma. From treis, three, and temno, to cut ; 

 in allusion to the three sharp edges at the 

 ends of the leaves. Nat. Ord. Liliacece. 



The Tritoma, or Red-hot Poker plant, and 

 also Flame Flower, as it is popularly known, 

 is a very beautiful, half-hardy, herbaceous 

 plant, native of the south of Africa. The 

 genus consists of about half a dozen species, 

 the finest being T.Uvaria grandiflora, a plant 

 admirably adapted for single clumps on the 

 lawn, or among shrubbery, where its tall 

 spikes of orange-red flowers make an effective 

 display from August until December. This 

 plant will usually live through the winter 

 in the latitude of New York without pro- 

 tection, if planted in a dry soil; but it will 

 well repay the slight protection required of 

 three or four inches of dry leaves around the 

 stem to secure it against all danger from 

 frost. The flowers are not at all injured by a 

 few degrees of frost, and it is not an uncom- 

 mon sight to see its tall spikes in perfect 

 flower in December. They are readily in- 

 creased by seed or by division of .the roots, 

 which should be done in early spring. This 

 genus was first introduced in 1707, and is now 

 placed under Kniphqfia by many botanists, 

 but it is best known in cultivation as Tri- 

 toma. 



Trito'nia. From trilon, a weathercock, in al- 

 lusion to the variable direction of the stamens 

 in the various species. Nat. Ord. Iridacece. 



A very pretty genus of low-growing, bulbous 

 plants, from the Cape of Good Hope. The flow- 

 ers are tubular, borne on slender scapes, the 

 colors being orange, white, yellow and blue. 

 They are half-hardy and should have the pro- 

 tection of a frame during winter, and may be 

 allowed to remain undisturbed for a number 

 of years. T. aurea, now called Crocosma 

 aurea, bearing beautiful orange-colored flow- 

 ers, is one of the best, and is much esteemed. 

 They were first introduced in 1815, and are in- 

 creased by offsets. 



