1131 



C1)E Cr£a£ttni of ESotauy. 



[terg 



TEPEJILOTE. A Central American 

 name for the flowers of a species of 

 Chamcedorea, which while still enclosed in 

 the spathes, are highly esteemed as a 

 culinary vegetable. 



TEPESTA. A genus of Cinchonacece, 

 comprising a shrub, native of Chili, of 

 which little is yet known. The calyx has 

 a four-toothed limb, two segments of 

 which are larger than the other two. The 

 fruit is a four-celled berry, surmounted by 

 the limb of the calyx. [M. T. MJ 



TEPHRO. In Greek compounds = ash- 

 grey. 



TEPHROSIA. A widely distributed 

 genus of Leguminosce, containing many 

 species, some trees, some shrubs, some 

 even herbaceous, growing for the most 

 part in the tropical or subtropical regions 

 of both hemispheres. The leaves are 

 unequally pinnate, covered with a grey 

 silky down. The flowers are usually in 

 terminal clusters, but occasionally stalked 

 in the axils of the leaves ; they are either 

 white flesh-coloured or purple ; the calyx 

 is somewhat bell-shaped, five-cleft, the 

 two upper segments longer than the rest ; 

 the vexillum or standard of the corolla is 

 somewhat circular in outline, bent back- 

 ward, hairy externally, scarcely exceeding 

 in size the side-petals or wings, which 

 latter are adherent to the keel formed by 

 the two lower petals ; stamens monadel- 

 phous or diadelphous. The legume or pod 



Tephrosia apollinea. 



is linear compressed, straight or curved, 

 sessile or on a short stalk, sometimes 

 transversely jointed; seeds numerous. 



Some of the species require notice, as 

 they possess medicinal and other useful 

 properties. Thus T. apollinea, a native of 

 Egypt and Nubia, furnishes a kind of 

 indigo. The seeds moreover are made into 

 an ointment, used to heal the wounds of 



camels. The leaves and seed-vessels 

 of this plant are occasionally found mixed 

 with Alexandrian senna. The leaves may 

 be recognised by their silky hairs, and by 

 the lamina on two sides of the midrib 

 being very nearly equal in size and shape, 

 not larger on one side at the base as is the 

 case with all samples of senna-leaves. The 

 linear pods of the present plant are very 

 different from any description of true 

 senna-pod. See Cassia. 



T. cinerea is employed in the "West 

 Indies to stupefy fish. The leaves and 

 stems of T. toxicaria are used for the same 

 purpose in the West Indies, the Feejee 

 Islands, and elsewhere. The stems and 

 leaves are pounded and thrown into the 

 river or pond, when the fish speedily be- 

 come stupefied ; the larger fish are stated 

 to recover if placed in fresh water, but 

 the smaller ones perish. The roots of this 

 plant are employed as an application in 

 certain skin-diseases in the Mauritius 

 and Surinam. 



T. purpurea is used medicinally in vari- 

 ous ways by the natives of India. Thus 

 the roots, pounded and mixed with arrack, 

 are used as a wash for the mouth. In the 

 form of ointment they are applied in 

 cases of elephantiasis ; they are also given, 

 in the state of infusion or decoction, in cer- 

 tain cases of indigestion and to check 

 vomiting. The juice of the plant mixed 

 with honey is used as an application to 

 pustular eruptions on the face. Several 

 species are in cultivation. The generic 

 name is derived from the Greek tephros 

 'ash-coloured,' in allusion to the colour of 

 the leaves. [M. T. M.] 



TERAMNUS. Glycine. 



TERASPIC. (Fr.) Iberis umbellata. 



TERATOLOGY. The same as Morpho- 

 logy. 



TERCINE. A supposed third integu- 

 ment of an ovule, but in reality a layer of 

 the primine or secundine, or the secundine 

 itself. 



TEREBENTHINE DE BOSTON. (Fr.) 

 Pinus palustris. 



TEREBINTHACEiE. An order of poly- 

 petalous dicotyledons established by Jus- 

 sieu, and adopted by all botanists who 

 unite Anacardiacece with Burseracece ; hut 

 as these are now definitively separated, 

 Jussieu's common name has been aban- 

 doned. 



TEREBINTHS. (Fr.) Pistacia Tere- 

 binthus. 



TEREDO. Any disease in plants pro- 

 duced by the boring of insects. 



TERES, TERETE. Tapering ; free from 

 angles ; cylindrical or nearly so. 



TERGEMINATE. When each of two 

 secondary petioles bears towards its sum- 

 mit one pair of leaflets, and the common i 

 petiole bears a third pair at the origin of ! 

 the two secondary petioles ; as in Mimosa i 

 tercjemina. 



