T E T 



by the flowers having four ftyles, or piftils. This order 

 is better founded, and more invariable, in fome clafles than 

 others. With the TetrandRIA, (fee that article,) it na- 

 turally correfponds, and is well exemplified in the genera 

 Polamogeton and RuMia. In Oclandna, though of rare oc- 

 currence, it is no lets certain. In Icofandna and Polyandna 

 it is very fallible, of which we have lately given examples. 

 (Sec Tetracera and Tetkagosia ; alfo Polyandria.) 

 The order Tetragynia in tlie clafTes Pnitandria and Dodc- 

 candria is, however, fufficiently well-founded. In Decan- 

 dria no example of it occurs, nor fcarcely in Hexandrla. 



TETRAHIT, an old name, fuppofcd to allude to the 

 four-cornered item. See Galeopsis. 



TETRALOGIA,.in the Dramatic Poetry of the ytncients, 

 denoted four dramatic pieces of the fame author, of which 

 the three firil were tragedies, and the laft of the fatyric 

 kind. Their defign was to celebrate a viftory in the hte- 

 rary contells. jt!,fchylus and Euripides have written fome 

 pieces of this kind. Encycl. 



TETRAMETER, in the ylnciait Poetry, an iambic 

 verfe confilling of four feet. 



The word is formed from Tilfncyfour, and nsljov, meafurc ; 

 q. d. four metres. — Wc meet with none of thefe but in the 

 comic poets, as Terence, &c. 



TETRANDRIA, in Botany, the fourth clafs in the 

 Linnasan artificial fyftem, is fo called from TSTf:^, and y.-/r,^, 

 a man, becaufe it is characterized by having four flamens, 

 in the fame flower with the piftil or piftils. Thefe are of 

 equal length, the flower being regular, by which this clals 

 is dillinguiflied from the 14th, whofe flowers are ringent, and 

 two of their four ftamens, which ftand next each other, are 

 longer than the reft:. See Didvnamia. 



The orders of this fourth clafs are three, diftinguifhed by 

 the number of their piftils. I. Monogynia, a numerous and 

 various order, comprifing the ample tribe of Proteacee ; and 

 the intricate family of the Stellata, to which Galium and 

 Rubia belong. The large genera of Scabtofa and Plantago 

 likewife range under the Tetrandria Monogynia ; the former 

 of which exhibits a curious example of aberration in 

 number between the corolla and Jiamens. Some of its 

 fpecies have a four-cleft corolla, aniw'ering in that refpedl 

 to the Jiamens, whilft others have five fegments in the 

 former, though the number of the latter remains invaria- 

 bly but four. 2. Digynia is a fmall order, to which, 

 amongft a few other genera, Linnxus has referred Cufcuta, 

 but ft rather belongs to Pentandria Digynia, the greater 

 number of the fpecies having five-cleft pentandrous flowers. 

 This order will, however, receive a very curious acceffion in 

 Tetrarrhesa. (See that article.) 3. Tetragynia contains 

 Ilex, Potamogeton, and Ruppia, Britifli genera, all of which 

 have four fefl51e ftigmas ; with feveral others, not naturally 

 related, but for the moft part feparated, by the artificial 

 character of number, from their alhes in other parts of the 

 fyftem. That charadler however is fufficiently conftant in 

 the prefent inftance. 



Tetrakdria is likewife the denomination of feveral 

 orders in the Linnaian Syftem, as in Gynandria, if Stylidium 

 (fee that article) be judged to have four ftamens ; and cer- 

 tainly in Monoecia and Dioecia, where there are feveral really 

 tetrandrous genera. 



. TETRANGURIA, a name ufed by fome authors for 

 the citrul, a plant of the gourd kind, whofe feeds are ufed 

 in medicine. 



TETRANTHERA, fo named by Jacquin, from TST^a, 

 and av8>ip, becaufe of the four feparate cells, which have the 

 appearance of four diftincl anthers, on the dilated fummit of 

 each filament, and were indeed confidered as fuch by the 



12 



T E T 



author. We greatly prefer this name to that of Litfea, ufed 

 by Lamarck and Jullieu ; becaufe the latter is of barbaroucs 

 origin, and becaufe we are happy to follow the example of 

 Mr. Brown, who juftly prefers, in this cafe, the claffical 

 authority of Jacquin. To the learned Juflieii nevcrthelcfs 

 belongs the honour of having firft afl^embled under this 

 genus feveral plants, which authors had either confidered 

 as diftindt genera, or erroneoufly referred to others already 

 eilabliflied, as will appear by the various fynonyms we 

 are about to exhibit. — Jacq. Hort. Schoenbr. v. i. 59. 

 Dryandr. in Roxb. Coromand. v. 2. 25. Brown Prodr. 

 Nov. HoU. V. I. 408. (Litfea ; Lamarck Dift. v. 3. 574. 

 JufT. in Bull, des Sciences, v. 3. 73. Tomex ; Thunb. 

 Jap. 10. Nov. Gen. 65. Schreb. Gen. 315. Willd. 

 Sp. PI. V. 2. 839. Mart.* Mill. Didl. v. 4. Jufl". 440-. 

 Hexanthus ; Loureir. Cochinch. 195. Sebifera ; Loureir. 

 ibid. 637. See Tomex, Hexanthus, and Sebifera.) — 

 Clafs and order, Dodecandria Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Lauri, 

 JufT. Laur'mae, Brown. 



Gen. Ch, Cal. Involucrum of four or five ovate, con- 

 cave, deciduous leaves, containing feveral ftalked flowers. 

 Perianth none, unlefs the corolla be taken for fuch. Cor. 

 of one petal, tubular, more or lefs deeply divided into 

 from four to fix elliptic-oblong equal fegments ; fometimes 

 ;;brupt and entire, the limb being deficient. Neftary of 

 feveral fl;alked glands or fcales intermixed with the ftamens. 

 Slam. Filaments from twelve to eighteen, fometimes but 

 fix, thread-lhaped, eredt, the outer ones longeft ; anthers 

 with four lateral cells at their inner fide. Pi/l. Germen 

 fuperior, ovate ; ftyle thread-fliaped ; ftigma notched. 

 Peric. Ben-y ovate or globofe, of one cell. Seed folitary , 

 the ihape of the berry. 



Obf. The ftamens are ufually imperfeft in the flowers of 

 one ti'ee, and the piftil in thofe of another ; but this is hardly 

 a fufficient reafon for placing this genus in the clafs Dioecia, 

 the ftrufture of the flowers being alike, and both organs, at 

 leaft their rudiments, prefent in each. The four cells of 

 the anthers, as Mr. Brown obferves, diftinguifli Tetranthera 

 from Lauras. 



EflT. Ch. Involucrum of four or five leaves, deciduous. 

 Corolla with about five fegments. Neftary of feveral 

 ftalked glands. Anthers of four lateral cells. Stigma 

 fomewhat lobed. Berry fuperior, with one feed. 



1. T.japonica. Japan Tetranthera. (Tomex japonica ; 

 WiUd. n. I. Thunb. Jap. 190.) — Stamens twelve. Leaves 

 obtufe; downy beneath, as well as the involucrum. Flower- 

 ftalks fimple — Common at Kofido in Japan, flowering in 



Oftober and November It is there known by the name 



of Fi-Ma. TheJIem is arboreous, tall, branching, above two 

 feet in diameter. Branches downy, knotty ; angular when 

 young. Leaves alternate, ftalked, oblong, obtufe, entire, 

 ereft, with parallel ribs ; fmooth and green above ; hoary 

 and downy beneath ; three or four inches long. Footjlalks 

 angular, ftriated, downy, an inch in length. Flowers 

 axillary, capitate, dioecious, on folitary, angular, downy, 

 brafteated ftalks, half an inch long. The involucrum confifts 

 of five or fix leaves, the outer ones fmalleft, and contains 

 the fame number of flowers. Thunberg. 



2. T. laurifoUa. Laurel-leaved Teti'anthera. Jacq. 

 Hort. Schoenbr. v. i. 59. t. 113. (Tomex Tetranthera; 

 Willd. n. 2. ) — Stamens about fifteen. Leaves obtufe, 

 fmooth, as well as the involucrum. Flower-ftalks fomewhat 

 umbellate. — Native of China. Cultivated at the Mauritius 

 by the name of Cerifier de la Cliine, or Chinefe Cherry-tree. 

 From thence it was brought to Schoenbrun gardens, where 

 it beai's the open air in fummer, and flowers in the hot- 

 houfe in September and Oftober It is there a tree, ten 



feet 



