178G 



TESTUDINARIA 



ti]>s of the slfiide 



sive aiipoanuico ot the same thiiig. From the top of 

 the rnotst'M-k ;::ro\vs a twining vine which attains a 

 llei^^ht -if ,s-li) ft., thiwers from July to Nov., and dies 

 down each .season. Tlie plant twine-s by means of the 

 hranchlets. It is a weak-looking^ 

 growth to issue from such a 

 niiy,hty tuber. 



The* inner part of this "bulb" 

 has lieen compared to a turnip for 

 t(.^xture and color. The Hotten- 

 tots us.-d to <-ut it in pieces, bake 

 it in the (.'inbers and eat it. Old 

 and grotesque bulbs have from 

 time to time been brought from 

 the Cape as curiosities. A hirgc 

 specimen recently sold for $100. 



a-^ \ 'f^'y^ There are probablv no large bulbs 



-jB !y/ in the U. 8., but seeds and seed- 



lings are procurable in this 

 country. The plaiit is of easy 

 cultivation in a cool greenhonse. 

 No method of propagating by the 

 bulb is known. 



Testudinaria is a genus of '.'. 

 species, all South African. It is 

 closely related to the important 

 geiuis Dioscorea, differing essentially in the seeds, which 

 are samara-like, having a broad wing at the apex, while 

 in Diosi-oroa the seed is winged all around or only at the 

 base. ANo the tubers of Dioscorea are all below ground 

 and tlesliy. while those of Testudinaria are half above 

 grouu"! and woody outsitie. Other generic characters of 

 Testudinaria: fls. di<:ecious; male perianth beU-shaped, 

 with a short tube and G subequal, oblanceolate seg- 

 ments; stamens 0; female perianth smaller: ovary 3- 

 locuhi-d; ovules 2 in a locule, superposed; stigmas 3, re- 

 ciirved. 2-lo)ied : capsule rigid, acute I v triquetrous. 

 Flora Capeusis G:2.52 (1896-97)^ 



Eleph^ntipes, Salisli. Rootstock studded with angu- 

 lar woolly protuberances: stems slender, glabrous, much 

 branch e<l : I vs. alternate, suliorbicnlar, 1-2 in. broad, 

 entire, Itright green or glaucous, mucronate: fls. small, 

 incf^nisiiicuous, in raeonies, greenish j'ellow or whitish. 



2490. Nut of Tropical 



Almond — Terminalia 



Catappa ( ■ ~:; i. 



(Seepage ITSJJ 



S.Africa. B.M. i:!47. B.R. 11:021. 



W. M. 



TETRAD^MIA is a genus of low, rigid shrubs of the 

 '■otiiiiosil e family native to the arid regions of western 

 Xortli Anieriea. The original species, T. coiu'scru.^, is 

 the best known. Its heads have only 4 flowers. They 

 are yellow and about }4-'^i in. long. This plant was of- 

 ered in tlie East in lM.^1 for western collectors but has 

 n<i Ijoi'ticultural standing. Frn- a full botanical account, 

 see Ixray's Synoptical Flora of N. A. 



TETRAGONIA (Greek, fnnr-o tu/led; referring to the 

 usn;dly 4-aiigled fruit}. Fir>))i]i>(_i? or Mi'Se)i)hri/-)crit'. 

 Herhs or snb-s!irnl,s from the southern hemisiihere and 

 -lapan. Usually dei-uinbent: Ivs. alternate, short-peti- 

 oled, sonn-what fh-sliy : tls, yellow, green or reddisli, 

 axillary, apetalnus; (.-alyx :i-5-h.)bed. Only one s^jecies 

 known iu cultivation. 



expansa, Thnnb. Xew Zealand Spinach. New Zea- 

 LVNi) b'E 1*LANT. Fig. 2491. A hardy or half-hardy an- 

 nual :!-fj in. big]], often spreading 4-G ft.: Ivs. triangu- 

 lar, larger ones 4-o in. long bv 2-:i in. broad: fls. small, 

 yellowish green. New Zealand. B.M. 2;.U.;2. 



New Zealand Spinach is chiefly useful for furnishing 

 greens during the summer when the common spinach 

 cannot be grown. Tt tastes a good deal like Spinach but 

 is somewhat tougher as a rule. It is grown to some ex- 

 tent in California I)oth for man and sheep. It readily 

 self-sows. 



For an early outdoor crop fresh seed should he sown 

 in rieh soil in a warm room early in Januarv. The seed 

 usually re(|uires about 4 weeks to germinate. After 

 growing about 2 weeks the seedlings should be trans- 

 planted to tluimb-pots and about a month later to 4-inch 

 pots. Growing vigorously in this condition they will be 

 large enough to move into the garden toward the end of 

 April, where they should bo set .""M ft. apart each way. 

 and as the plants grow will entirely cover the ground. 

 They should be handled with great care in transplant- 

 ing, otherwise growth will be^so checked tlnit it will 



TETRAGONIA 



require several weeks for recuperation. Again, plants 

 should never be allowed to become potbound, as this 

 will immediately bring them into flower and fruit and 

 thus stunt their further growth, as well as greatly 

 shorten their jieriod of productiveness. Well-grown 

 plants should be ready for use by June 1 and, if they 

 continue vigorous, nearly a peck of greens can be gath- 

 ered from each plant once a week until heavy autumn 

 frosts. In gathering only 4 or .5 inches of the tip ends 

 i>f the larger plants should be taken. In the South, it is 

 usually dwarf, not generally exceeding 6-8 inches. 



There is another and somewhat easier method of 

 growing the crop, though a given area will be less pro- 

 ductive. Inasmuch as the plant is a hardy annual, 

 many seetls wdjich ripen late in autumn will fall to tlie 

 ground and germinate early in spring, though not early 

 enough for the plants to be injured by spring frosts. 

 These wdll be large enough for use toward the end of 

 June. Annual crops are thus grown on the same 

 ground several successive seasons with no care except 

 removinu' old plants and keeping the new ones free 

 from wee{ls. 



For the forcing-house crop, seed should be sown dur- 

 ing July in seed-beds where the plants remain until the 

 latter part of September, when they should be taken 

 directly to the benches and will Ite ready for use early 



Tetragonia expansa (X Vj 



in Noveiidier. It is best to set the plants about 18 in. 

 ai)art in benehes at least G in. deep. No further atten- 

 tion is necessary except to give plenty of water, aufl 

 under good conditions a peck of greens will be produced 

 on.-e a week on 4 stputre feet from November to May 

 inidnsive. A crop may also be grown beneath the 

 ben(dies near the walks", as well as in the grapery bor- 

 <lers. Space tlnit eannot l.)e used for other purposes 

 nuiy thus lie utilized to very good advantage, though 

 they will not produce a.s abundanlly. 



This crop may also be grown in houses with portable 

 roofs by starting the plants during summer in houses 

 with the roofs removed, the roofs being replaced on 

 the approacdi of cold weather. The plants will continue 

 ])n>during the entire winter and following spring, when 

 they sluMild be uneoverc-d and will reproduce them- 

 selves in tin.' same manner as the summer crop. 



H. C. Ikish. 



