TELF 



ULlyz CreaSurn of Saotanp. 



1130 



and an incompletely three or four-celled 

 capsule containing numerous seeds, They 

 are smooth glaucous herbs or undershrubs, 

 with many nearly simple procumbent 

 stems, clothed with oblong or oval leaves, 

 furnished with small stipules, and termi- 

 I nated by cymose clusters of small white 

 or greenish flowers, disposed in a racemose 

 manner. [J. T. S.j 



TELFAIRIA. A genus of Cucurbit acea, 

 of which there is only one species at pre- 

 sent known— T. pedata, a tall climbing 

 plant, native of the coast of Zanzibar. 

 This has slender woody stems, fifty to a 

 hundred feet long, climbing to the tops of 

 the highest trees, and supporting them- 

 selves by means of very long two-parted 

 tendrils. The leaves are large long-stalked 

 pedate, of a shining green, paler and spot- 

 ted with white underneath ; and the flow- 

 ers are of separate sexes, borne on different 

 plants— the males growing six or eight 

 together upon stalks produced from the 

 leaf-axils, and the females singly. They 

 have a deeply five-cut calyx with sharply- 

 serrated segments, and a corolla of five 

 purple petals spotted with white, mark- 

 ed with a broad bright-green band towards 

 the base inside, and beautifully fringed at 

 the top ; the males containing five stamens, 

 with wedge-shaped filaments, and distinct 

 straight anthers ; and the females a ten or 

 more furrowed ovary ending in a short 

 style, and a three to five-lobed stigma. The 

 fruit, like that of many cucurbits, is of a 

 very large size, frequently two or three 

 feet in length, and eight or ten inches 

 thick; it is green, and has ten or twelve 

 deep longitudinal furrows outside ; the 

 inside being divided into from three to 

 six cells, each of which contains a large 

 number of flat almost circular seeds about 

 an inch and a half across, a single fruit* 

 frequently containing upwards of 250. By 

 pressure these seeds yield an excellent 

 bland oil ; and they are, moreover, as 

 palatable as almonds. [A. S.] 



TELIPOGON. A genus of orchids from 

 South America, belonging to the tribe 

 Vandece. Eleven species have been de- 

 scribed. Perianth spreading ; sepals nar- 

 row, acute; petals broadly ovate; lip of 

 the same form as the petals, but larger; 

 column hairy. They are epiphytal herbs, 

 with leafy few-flowered stems, and termi- 

 nal yellow or yellow-and-purple flowers of 

 no great beauty. [W. B. HJ 



TELLIMA. A genus of Saxifragacece. 

 from North-western America, comprising 

 a few perennial or annual herbs, with few 

 usually alternate stem-leaves, and nu- 

 merous root-leaves; the flowers racemose, 

 with greenish or rose-coloured petals ; the 

 calyx bell-shaped, usually adhering to the 

 ovary at its base ; the petals five ; stamens 

 ten ; styles two or three, distinct ; capsule 

 one-celled. This genus is restricted to 

 T. grand/flora by Professor A. Gray, the 

 others being placed in Lithophragma on 

 account of having the top of the calyx- 



tube not enlarged, and the styles three 

 in number instead of two. [J. T. S.] 



TELMISSA sedoides. The only known 

 representative of Crassulacece, found near 

 Aleppo ; a small herb, with alternate terete 

 fleshy leaves, and minute white flowers. 

 The calyx is from three to five-cleft ; the 

 petals from three to five ; and there are 

 as many ovaries and capsules. [B. S.] 



TELOPEA. Few if any genera of Pro- 

 teacece excel the plants of this genus in 

 the splendour of their flowers. The spe- 

 cies are large shrubs, natives of New 

 South Wales and Tasmania, with entire or 

 slightly-toothed leaves, and scarlet flowers 

 in terminal clusters, surrounded by a 

 deciduous involucre. The flowers are 

 somewhat irregular and four-toothed, and 

 conceal within them four stamens, a semi- 

 circular gland at the base, and a many- 

 seeded ovary. Each seed has a delicate 

 wing surrounding it. T. speciosissima, the 

 Waratah, is grown in this country as a 

 greenhouse shrub. [M. T. MJ 



TELOXYS. A genus of Clienopodiacece, 

 founded upon the Siberian and North 

 American Chenopodium aristatum, which 

 has a distinct annular disk round the base 

 of the ovary. It is a branched annual, 

 with lanceolate or linear entire leaves, and 

 small flowers in axillary dichotomous 

 cymes; the uppermost branches sterile, 

 awn-like. [J. T. S.] 



TEMBOTJL. (Fr.) Chavica Betel. 



TEMPLETONIA. Robert Brown applied 

 this name to a genus of New Holland 

 shrubs of the family Leguminosce, in 

 honour of an Irish botanist. The leaves are 

 wedge-shaped mucronate, and the flowers 

 large solitary axillary crimson. The calyx 

 is five-toothed, the lowest tooth being 

 longer than the rest; the corolla is papi- 

 lionaceous, with a spreading standard, 

 straight wings shorter than the keel; the 

 stamens are partially diadelphous ; the 

 style awl-shaped ; and the pod stalked com- 

 pressed many-seeded. Two or three spe- 

 cies are grown in greenhouses for the sake 

 of their flowers. [M. T. M.] 



TENCHWEED. Potamogeton. 



TENDRIL. A twisting thread-like pro- 

 cess by which one plant clings to another. 



TENGA. An Indian name for the Cocoa- 

 nut. 



TENNEY. The Tamil name for Setaria 

 italica. 



TENORIA. A name given by Sprengel 

 to some species of Bivpleurum. 



TENTWORT. Asplenium Ruta-muraria. 



TENUIS. Thin. 



TEORA. An Indian name for Lathyrus j 

 sativus. 



TEPAL. Another name for petal. Also | 

 the pieces of a perianth, being of an 

 ambiguous nature, between calyx and co- I 

 rolla. 



