1127 



Clje Crrasury of aSatanjj. 



[tea 



but that it exists, in greater or less quanti- 

 ties, both in the leaves and in the green 

 bark. The leaves are more dangerous iu a 

 half-dry state than when fresh. 



The wood is hard, compact, of a fine and 

 close grain, flexible, elastic, splitting rea- 

 dily, and incorruptible. Itisof a fine orange- 

 red or deep-brown ; and the sapwood, 



I which does not extend to a very great 

 depth, is white and also very hard. The 

 fineness of its grain is owing to the thin- 



! ness of its annual layers (for the yew is a 



; tree of exceedingly slow growth)— 280 of 

 these being sometimes found in a piece 

 not more than twenty inches in diameter. 

 The yew is a native of most of the tempe- 

 rate parts of Europe and Asia, growing in 

 its wild state in situations little exposed 



1 to the direct rays of the sun, and generally 

 in a clayey loamy or calcareous soil. 



Yew-trees of great antiquity and large 

 size are often to be met with growing in 

 churchyards, but from what motive they 

 were planted in such situations is not 

 positively known. The reason assigned by 

 some is, that the poisonous foliage of the 

 yew typefied death,— others that its dura- 

 bility and slowly-altering features sym- 

 bolised the Resurrection— others, in order 

 that it might afford a supply of twigs to be 

 worn on Palm Sunday— and others again, 



j taking a still more utilitarian view, that 

 there might be always at hand a supply of 

 wood for making bows. Yews are in exist- 

 ence which are supposed to be above a 

 thousand years old. The dimensions of 

 the largest range from thirty to fifty feet 

 in circumference. The yew is the badge of 

 the Frasers. French : If. [C. A. J.] 



The succulent fruit of the yew has a 

 sweet sickly taste, and is not unwholesome, 

 though it is stated that the contained seed 

 is noxious. The leaves are poisonous to 

 some animals, especially to cows and 

 horses. On the human subject yew-leaves 

 < have an effect similar to that of Digitalis, 

 ' but do not produce the remarkable and 

 1 dangerous cumulative effects which are 

 to be dreaded from the incautious use of 

 that plant. Medicinally, yew-leaves might 

 be used as a sedative. In poisonous doses 

 the following effects have been remarked 

 —giddiness, irregular and depressed action 

 of the heart,convulsions, and insensibility. 

 Yew-leaves or preparations therefrom 

 have been used in calculous complaints, in 

 epilepsy and convulsions, and also in gouty 

 disorders. 'Yew-tree tea,' an infusion of 

 the leaves, is, according to Dr. Taylor, 

 sometimes used by the poor and ignorant 

 for the same purposes as savin, but with 

 equal danger. [M. T. M.] 



TAYA. Xanthosoma peregrinum. 

 TAYLORIA. A remarkable genus of 

 splachnoid mosses, with acute leaves, a 

 mitriform veil, a capsule with a long neck, 

 and sixteen or thirty-two entire or bifid 

 teeth, disposed in pairs, springing far 

 below its mouth and highly hydroscopic, 

 especially in T. splachnoides. There are 

 but three European species, of which T. 

 aerrata occurs in this country. T. splach- 



noides:, one of the most beautiful of mosses, 

 figured in Hooker's Musci Exoiici, occurs 

 in North America. The species are peren- 

 nial, and grow on decayed animal or vege- 

 table substances in alpine situations. 

 The genus was named after Dr. Taylor, Sir 

 W. J. Hooker's associate in the preparation 

 of the Mascologia Britannica. . [M. J. B.] 



TAYOYE. (Fr.) Calocasia macrorhiza 

 and Oaladium esculentwm. 



TCHOUMA. A Chinese name for the 

 fibre of Bbhmerin nivea. 



TE. A Panama name for an infusion of 

 the leaves of Corchorus siliquosus. 



TEA. Thea. Also a name applied to the 

 dried leaves of various plants, and to 

 the infusions prepared from them and 

 used either as beverages or medicinally. 

 ABYSSINIAN. Catha edulis. —, APPA- 

 LACHIAN. Viburnum cassinoides, and 

 Prinos glaber. — , ARABIAN. Catha edu- 

 lis. — , ASSAM. Tliea assamica; in com- 

 merce the cultivated tea-plant grown in 

 Assam. — , AUSTRALIAN. The name of 

 several species of Leptospermum and Me- 

 laleuca. — , BENCOOLEN. Glaphyria ni- 

 tida. — , BLACK. Thea Bohea ; also com- 

 mercially applied to the leaves of the Tea- 

 plant when prepared by fermentation. — , 

 BOTANY BAY. Smilax glycyphylla. — , 

 BOURBON. Angrcecum fragrans. —.BRA- 

 ZILIAN. Stachytarpha jamaicensis. — , 

 BUSH, of Africa, Cyclopia genistoides. — , 

 CANARY. Sida canarieyisis. — , CARO- 

 LINA. Bex vomitoria. — , COFFEE. An in- 

 fusion of the leaves of Coffea arabico, drunk 

 by the natives of Sumatra. "— , FAHAM. 

 Angrcecum fragrans, an infusion of which 

 is drunk to promote digestion ; its odour is 

 owing to the presence of coumarin. — , 

 GREEN. Thea viridis ; also commercially 

 applied to tea-leaves prepared in a particu- 

 lar manner, and often imitated by artificial 

 colouring. —.HIMALAYA. The tea cul- 

 tivated in the mountainous districts of 

 Northern India is imported under this 

 name. — , JESUIT'S. Psoralea glandulosa. 

 — , LABRADOR. Ledum latifolium. — , 

 LEMON-GRASS. An infusion of the leaves 

 of Andropogon Schaznanthus, substituted 

 for tea in many of the interior districts of 

 India. — .MALAY. Glaphyria vitida; also 

 Eugenia, variabilis. — , MEXICAN. Am- 

 brina ambrosioid.es ; also Psoralea glandu- 

 losa. — , MOUNTAIN. Gaultheria pro- 

 cumbens. — , NEW JERSEY. Ceanothus 

 americanus. — , NEW ZEALAND. Lep- 

 tospermum scoparium. — OF HEAVEN. 

 A Japanese name for the leaves of Hy- 

 drangea Thunbergii. — , OSWEGO. Mo- 

 no.rda didyma. —, PAIGLE. An infusion 

 of the dried blossoms of the Cowslip, which 

 is drunk in some counties of England. — , 

 PARAGUAY. Ilex paraguayensis. — , 

 SASSAFRAS. Saloop. -, SOUTH-SEA. 

 Ilex vomitoria. —, SWEET. An Australian 

 name for Smilax glycyphylla. — , THEE- 

 ZAN. Sageretia theezans. — , WEST 

 INDIAN. Capraria biflora. — , WILD. 

 Amorpha canescens. 



