414 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



T. 



TAB 



Tabebu'ia. Said to be the native name in 

 Brazil. Nat. Ord. Bignoniacem. 

 A lai-ge genus of plant-stove trees or shrubs, 

 natives of tropical America ; few of the species 

 are in cultivation. They require the same 

 treatment as Tecoma, under which genus they 

 are sometimes included. T. speclabilia is now 

 given as the correct name of the species culti- 

 vated as Bignonia or Tecoma speclabilis. 

 Tabernaemonta'na. East Indian Eose Bay. 

 Named in honor of James Theodore Tabernm- 

 montanust, of Heidelberg, a celebrated physi- 

 cian and botanist. Nat. Ord. Apocynacew. 



This genus is composed of very handsome, 

 hot-house shrubs, with deep green foliage and 

 large, white or yellow flowers, possessing an 

 agreeable fragrance. After blooming they 

 should receive a moderate pruning to keep 

 them bushy and inci'ease the number of 

 flower heads. The large, leathery leaves of 

 tilts and other similar genera are inducements, 

 in the way of shelter, to many troublesome 

 insects, such as thrips, scale and mealy bug ; 

 to eradicate these, and keep the plants 

 healthy, they sliould be frequently washed, 

 each leaf separately, with a sponge and soap 

 and water, or the latter alone, and at intervals 

 I'SCeive a sprinkling with a syringe to clean 

 them of dust, which in itself is prejudicial to 

 all plants, and gives encouragement to the 

 insects by causing a languid action in the 

 li'iivos. The several species are mostly 

 natives of the East Indies, but a few are dis- 

 iifbuted throughout the West Indies and 

 South America. T. coronaria flore-pleno, the 

 species most generally cultivated, bears a 

 jiure while flower something like a Gardenia, 

 Hud-is very fragrant at night. It is sometimes 

 met with under the old name of Nerium coro- 

 iiarium. Its native country is unknown, but 

 it is cultivated throughout India, whence it 

 was introduced in 1770. It is easily in- 

 creased by cuttings. 



Table, Stage and Bench. These are the 

 different terms used for the structure whereon 

 plants are set in the green-house. The bench 

 or table more particularly refers to one flat 

 platform, which, if in the front of the green- 

 house, is from three to four feet wide ; if in 

 the middle or centre of the house, seven or 

 ciglit feet wide, and from two to three feet in 

 height, according to the style of the house. 

 These widths and heights are important as 

 being the most convenient for use, as well as 

 to show the plants to the best advan- 

 tage. The Stage is a series of platforms, 

 lilaced usually in the centre of the green- 

 house, being of various widths, from one to 

 three feet. For instance, if the base width of 

 the plattc>rm be nine feet, three stagings of 

 three feet each would be required (each 

 nlevated a foot above the other) to make the 

 width. This style of green-house benching, 

 liowever, is less to be recommended than one 

 platform of the same height, as the latter is 

 not only more convenient to work with, but 

 the plants sliow on it to better advantage 

 than if elevated too high. 



TAC 



The ^reen-house benches are usually made 

 of inch boards, but in our own practice we 

 have for the past three years had all the 

 " sheeting " for our benches made of rough 

 roofing slate, over which is laid half an inch 

 of cement. These materials cost only about 

 25 per cent, more than the board benches, 

 and are an immense saving, as the wooden 

 benches rot out from the heat and moisture 

 in four or five years. The skeleton or frame- 

 work of the benches we make of Yellow Pine. 

 If the frame-work were made of iron, such 

 benches would be indestructible; but even 

 with the pine wood frame-work tliey will 

 stand for twenty years, as the cement cover- 

 ing laid over the slates prevents the water 

 getting to the wood work. Care, however, 

 must be taken to leave spaces every ten feet 

 or so, where the water can escape through 

 the bench. For the material covering the' 

 bench on which to set the plants, see Drain- 

 age. 



Tacamahac. A common name for Populus bat- 

 samiferd, or the Balsam Poplar. 



Ta'cca. The Malay name of the species. Nat. 

 Ord. TaccacecB. 



A genus of East Indian plants, grown by 

 the natives for their bulbs, which resemble 

 new Potatoes, and contain a large amount of 

 starch. The various species grow in the open 

 country ; T. pinnatifida is generally found in 

 sandy places near the sea. The leaf-stalks of 

 this species are plaited into bonnets by the 

 natives of the Society Islands, but the princi- 

 pal use made of all the species is that of their 

 tubers, which, resembling new Potatoes, con- 

 tain a great deal of starch, known as South 

 Sea Arrowroot, and far preferable to any other 

 Arrowroot in cases of dysentery. The tubers 

 are dug up after the leaves have died away, 

 and are rasped and macerated four or five 

 days in water, when the fecula separates in 

 the same manner as Sago does. It is largely 

 employed as an article of diet throughout the 

 tropics, and is a favorite ingredient for pud- 

 dings and cakes in the South Sea Islands. 

 The species are rarely seen in plant collec- 

 tions. Syn. Alacda. 



Taoca'ceae. A small, natural order of perennial 

 herbs, with creeping or tuberous rhizomes, 

 found in tropical America, Africa, Asia and 

 the Pacific Islands. The order consists of 

 two genera, Shizoeapaa and Tacca, and in- 

 cludes about ten species. Ataccia is placed 

 as a sub-division of Tacca. 



Taccada Plant. The Malay Eice Paper' Plants 

 (See SccBvola.) 



Tacca'rum The name is adapted from Tacca, 

 which genus they resemble. Nat. Ord. Aroi- 

 d&B. 



A small genus of tall, tuberous herbs, na- 

 tives of Brazil. Two species, T. peregrinum 

 and T. Warmingianum,, are in cultivation. 

 They are very showy, large-leaved, plant-stov^ 

 species, and are useful for lawn-decoration io 

 summer. Syns. Endera and Ijysiatigma. 



