AND GENEliAL HORTICULTURE. 



467 



TUR 



Turgid. Swollen, puffed up. 



Turio. A scaly sucker, which afterwards be- 

 comes a stem, as in Asparagus. 



Turkey Corn. A common name for Dicentra 

 formosa. 



Turkey Oak. Quercus Cerris. 



Turkey's Beard. See Xerophyllum. 



Turkish Rhubarb. See Rheum palmalum. 



Turk's Cap. Melocactus communis. 



Turmeric. See Curcuma. 



Turmeric-Root. A common name for Hydras- 

 tis Canadensis. 



Tu'rnera. Dedicated by Linnaeus to the mem- 

 ory of William Turner, author of "A New 

 Herbal," 1551. Nat. Ord. Turneracece. 



A genus of very handsome plants when in 

 flower. Some are annuals, and others green- 

 house shrubs and herbaceous plants, with 

 yellow flowers, some of which resemble those 

 of the Tliunbergia. They should be grown in 

 a light, rich soil. They are propagated by 

 cuttings or by seeds. Introduced from South 

 America in 1774. 



Turnera'ceee. A small, natural order, consist- 

 ing of herbs or under-shrubs, natives chiefly 

 of tropical Africa and America, with alternate 

 leaves and yellowish or blue axillary flowers. 

 The order embraces three genera and nearly 

 eighty species. 



Turnip. (See Brassica.) The field and garden 

 Turnip is supposed to have originated by 

 long cultivation of the wild Brassica rapa, a 

 native of Great Britain and other parts of 

 Europe. At what period it was first brought 

 into notice in its native countries, or how its 

 improvement from its native wild and useless 

 state was brought about, is entirely un- 

 known. It was in use as a vegetable before 

 the Christian era, but we have no account of 

 its being cultivated to any extent as a field 

 crop previous to 1600. It does not seem that 

 there was any rapid development in its im- 

 provement worthy of mention by the early 

 writers previous to 1650, but from that period 

 its increase in cultivation was rapid, and 

 many new sorts are mentioned. At the pres- 

 ent day, every country adapted to its growth 

 boasts of the varieties it has produced. The 

 Swedish Turnip, or Ruta Baga, one of the 

 best known, originated from B. campestris; 

 its varieties are numerous, and generally cul- 

 tivated. The French Turnip is considered 

 sweeter and freer from any acrid properties 

 than most others, and is highly prized for the 

 table. Several varieties are designated as 

 American, and the Purple and White Strap- 

 leafed Turnips justly so, but where or by 

 whom they originated, or the parentage, we 

 are without knowledge. "We only know that 

 they were long grown here previous to their 

 being known in Europe, and that they have 

 always been regarded as American varieties 

 there. A variety known as the White Egg, 

 evidently a selection from the Long White 

 or Cow-horn Turnip, is one of the best 

 for the table. The Turnip is used both as 

 a spring and fall crop. For spring, sow as 

 early as the ground is dry enough, and for 

 fall, in the latitude of New York, sow Ruta 

 Bagas in July, and other varieties during the 

 latter part of August and in September, ac- 

 cording to the kind. Seeds may be sown as 



TWI 



the ground becomes vacant. In every case, 



when the soil is dry, firm the seeds well in 



the soil by the feet or by rolling. 

 Turnip. Devil's. A common name for Bryonia 



dioica. 

 Turnip. Indian. A common name for Ariscema 



triphylla, which see. 

 Turnip. Lion's. The roots of Leontice Leonto- 



petalum. 

 Turnip-rooted Celery. Celeriac. See Celery. 



Turnip. St. Anthony's. A common name for 

 Ranunculus bulbosus. 



Turnsole. Croton tinctorium, also the genus 

 Heliotrope. 



Turpentine Tree. A common name for vari- 

 ous species^of Abies, Pinus, Pistacia, Bursera, 

 etc. 



Tu'rreea. Named in honor of George Turra, once 

 Professor of Botany at Padua, and author of 

 several botanical works. Nat. Ord. Melia- 

 ceoB. 



A genus of tropical shrubs and large trees 

 confined to the Old World. Some of the spe- 

 cies have edible fruit, and a few are grown for 

 the beauty of their flowers. 



Tu'rritis. A genus of Cruciferce now included 

 under Arabis. 



Turtle-Head. One of the popular names for 

 Chelone, which see. 



Tussa'cia. Named after F. R. de Tussac, a 

 French botanist, who wrote a "Flora of the 

 Antilles" in 1808. Nat. Ord. Gesneraceaz. 



A small genus of plant-stove herbs with 

 creeping, branched rhizomes, natives of the 

 West Indies, Guiana, etc. The flowers are 

 yellow, lined with purple and the calyx scar- 

 let, forming a very showy, terminal corymb of 

 flowers. They require the same culture as 

 the Gesnera, to which they are closely allied. 



Tu'ssilago. Colt's Foot. From tussis, a cough ; 

 for curing which the flowers have been em- 

 ployed. Nat. Ord. CompositcB. 



Hardy and half-hardy perennials, natives 

 of central Europe. One of the species, T. 

 Farfara, is common in wet places in the 

 Middle and New England States, having be- 

 come thoroughly naturalized. The variegated 

 variety, the leaves margined with creamy- 

 white, is a very ornamental plant, and can be 

 used with good effect in shady positions, 

 where other plants will not thrive. It does 

 well as an edging to clumps of Ferns, or as a 

 ground-work to other plants with graceful 

 foliage. T. fragrans is named the Winter Helio- 

 trope on account of the delicious fragrance of 

 its purplish flowers in early spring ; a waste 

 corner cannot be better occupied than by this 

 sweet flower. They are of easy cultivation 

 and are propagated by division of the roots, 

 which are inclined to increase rapidly. 



Tutsan. A common name for Hypericum An- 

 droscemum. 



Twayblade. See Listera. 



Twig Rush. The popular name for the com- 

 mon bog or marsh plant, Cladium mariscoides. 



Twin Flower. A name applied to Linncea bo- 

 realis, which see. 



Twin Flower. Scarlet. Bravoa geminiflora. 



