syzy] 



EIjs QLxz&iuxQ at botany. 



1118 



This mode of fructification is without any 

 parallel amongst Fungi. [M. J. B.] 



SYZYGIUM. A genus of Myrtacece, con- 

 sisting of trees or shrubs, natives of Asia 

 and Tropical Africa. The flowers are in 

 cymes or corymbs, the limb of the calyx 

 undivided; the petals four or five, inserted 

 on to the throat of the calyx, united to- 

 gether into a hood and soon falling off; 

 the stamens numerous, inserted with the 

 petals ; the style simple; and the fruit 

 baccate, one-celled by abortion, and con- 

 , taining only one or two seeds. S. guine- 

 ense is an object of worship to the natives 

 of the Gambia district, and they also eat the 

 ripe fruits; in Senegal the plant is used in 

 rheumatism. 8. Jambolanum, a native of 

 India, has an edible fruit; itsbark.which is 

 astringent, is used medicinally, and also in 

 dyeing ; the timber is hard and durable. 

 Two or three of the Indian species are in 

 cultivation in this country. [M. T. M.] 



SZOVITSIA. A genus of Umbelliferce, 

 the fruit of which is oblong-elliptical, each 

 half with five primary ribs, which are nar- 

 row and hairy, and four secondary thick 

 ribs having transverse folds. The only 

 species is a smooth annual plant, with re- 

 peatedly divided leaves, the divisions long 

 and narrow; the flowers are white. [G. D.] 



TAAG. The Bengal or Sunn Hemp,, 

 Crotalaria juncea. 



TABAC. (Fr.) Nicotiana Tabacum. — 

 DES PAYSANS Nicotiana rustica. — 

 DES VOSGES. Arnica montana. 



TABACHIR, or TABASHEER. A sub- 

 stance secreted in the joints of bamboos, 

 in bluish-white masses with a pearly lustre. 

 It is mainly composed of siliceous matter 

 which the plant is unable to incorporate 

 in its tissues, and is reputed to possess 

 tonic properties. 



TABACINUS. Tobacco-coloured; a pale 

 brown, like common kanaster. 

 TABEBUIA. Tecoma. 



TABERN.EMONTANA. An extensive 

 and wide-spread tropical genus of Apocy- 

 nacece, characterised by its flowers having 

 a five-parted (in T. coronaria five-cleft) 

 calyx, furnished with from four to seven 

 narrow glands near the bottom of each 

 lobe on the inside ; a salver-shaped corolla, 

 usually with the tube inflated at the inser- 

 tion of the stamens; the latter having 

 very short filamentsor none, and generally 

 j long taper-pointed anthers shaped like 

 arrow-heads ; and a double ovary, with a 

 long style bearing a two-lobed stigma 

 supported by a broad ring. The numerous 

 species are either shrubs or trees, some- 

 times attaining a great height. They have 

 opposite entire mostly smooth leaves, on 

 short stalks dilated at the base and form- 

 ins false stipules; and cymes of fragrant 

 yellow or white flowers, generally in pairs 

 at the points of the branches, each flower 

 producins a double or, by abortion, single 

 more or less fleshy fruit, containing few 



or many seeds marked with a longitudinal 

 groove, and angular by mutual pressure. 



Like most other dogbanes, the Tabernce- 

 montanas possess a milky juice; but the 

 milk, instead of being exceedingly acrid 

 and drastic like that of many allied genera, 

 is, in some species at least, perfectly bland 

 and wholesome. This is particularly the 

 case with the Hya-Hya or Cow-tree of 

 British Guiana, T. utilis, which when 

 tapped yields a copious supply of thick 

 sweet milk, resembling that of the cow in 

 appearance, but rather sticky from the 

 presence of caoutchouc. The tree yields a 

 soft white wood; and its bark is used 

 medicinally by the Indians. French : Ta- 

 berne. [A. S.] 



TABES. A wasting : a disease which 

 consists in a gradual decay of the power of 

 growth. 



TABLA. A Peruvian name for Cinchona- 

 bark peeled from the trunk of the tree, 

 which is of a higher value than that taken 

 from the branches. 



TABOURET. (Fr.) Thlaspi. 



TABULA. The pileus of certain fungals. 



TACAMAHAC, or TACAMAHACA. A 

 balsamic, bitter resin attributed to Idea 

 Tacamahaca, to Calophyllum Inophyllum, 

 and to Elaphrium tomentosum; also an 

 American name for the resin obtained 

 from the buds of the Tacamahac Poplar, 

 Populus balsamifera. — , EAST INDIAN. 

 The resin of Calophyllum Calaba. 



TACAMAQUE. (Fr.~) Populus balsami- 

 fera, — , DE BOURBON. Calophyllum 

 Inophyllum. 



TACAZZEA. A genus of Asclepiadacece, 

 chiefly differing from Periploca in the 

 corolla and stamens being smooth, not 

 hairy ; in the anthersnot cohering together 

 at the apex ; and in the stigma having a 

 little notched point at the summit. T. ve- 

 nosa, the only species, is an erect twiggy- 

 branched shrub, native of Abyssinia, 

 where it is found growing on the banks of 

 the River Tacazze, and hence the generic 

 name. It has narrow oblong taper-pointed 

 leaves, marked on both sides with netted 

 veins, smooth on the upper surface and 

 hoary underneath ; flowers disposed in 

 loose somewhat forking panicles; and 

 smooth woody thin fruits, in pairs spread- 

 ing widely apart, containing smooth 

 brown-skinned seeds furnished with hair- 

 tufts. [A. S.] 



TACCA.TACCACEiE. The tropical genus 

 Tacca, belonging to the regular-flowered 

 monocotyledons with an inferior ovary, 

 lias been considered sufficiently distinct 

 in organisation to form an order of itself, 

 under the name of Taccacece. It would 

 appear, however, that it might yery well 

 be included in Bunnanniacece, of which it 

 has the one-celled ovary with three parie- 

 tal placentas, and the stamens inserted on 

 the six-cleft perianth ; while the differen- 

 ces in the structure of the seed are not so 

 great as had been supposed. It consists 



