TKIC 



Ctje fEm^urg of 28otanj?. 



1168 



simple or twice or thrice divided tendrils, 

 heart-shaped entire or three to flve-lobed 

 leaves, and flowers of separate sexes, but 

 usually borne on the same plant— the males 

 being.generally in racemes, and the females 

 solirary. These produce very long or round- 

 ish fleshy fruits, containing flat irregular- 

 shaped seeds embedded in pulp. 



T. cucumerina, the Doommaala, a com- 

 mon Cingalese and South Indian plant, is 

 much valued by the native doctors in 

 Ceylon as a remedy for fevers ; and, from 

 experiments made in the hospital at Ba- 

 dulla,it would seem to possess considerable 

 efficacy. It contains tannic acid ; and the 

 infusion of it, which is the form used, is 

 very bitter. T. colubrina, the Serpent Cu- 

 cumber or Viper Gourd, is so called from 

 the remarkable snake-like appearance of 

 its fruits, which are frequently six or 

 more feet long, and at first striped with 

 different shades of green, but ultimately 

 change to a bright orange-colour. It is a 

 native of Central America. Another spe- 

 cies, T. anguina, a native of India and 

 China, is called the Snake Gourd, but its 

 fruits are seldom more than half as long 

 as the above. [A. S.] 



TRICHOSMA. A section of Eria, with 

 terete two-leaved stems, smooth glabrous 

 leaves, and terminal few-flowered spikes. 

 It is represented by E. suavis. [T. M.] 



TRICHOSPERMTJM. A genus of Tilia- 

 cece, of which only two species are known- 

 one inhabiting Java, the other the Feejees. 

 They are middle-sized trees, with entire 

 ovate leaves, and small cymose flowers. 

 The sepals are distinct, and like the petals 

 are five in number; whilst the stamens 

 are numerous, free, all of them bearing 

 anthers. The capsule is two-valved, some- 

 what wedge-shaped, containing numerous 

 seeds. The Feejean species, T. Rieliii, 

 yields a useful timber. [B. S.J 



TRICHOSPORANGIA. See Oosporan- 



GTA. 



TRICHOSTEMMA. A genus of Labiatce, 

 natives of North America, consisting of 

 low annuals with entire leaves, and mostly 

 solitary one-flowered pedicels terminating 

 the branches. The oblique bell-shaped 

 calyx is deeply five-cleft, its three upper 

 teeth long and partly united, and the two 

 lower ones very short ; the corolla is 

 divided into five nearly equal oblong lobes, 

 the three lower of which are more or less 

 united ; and the four stamens have very 

 long capillary filaments, exserted consider- 

 ably beyond the corolla. [W. C.J 



TRICHOSTOMEI. A natural order of 

 acrocarpous mosses distinguished by a 

 peristome with thirty thread-shaped teeth, 

 frequently disposed in pairs,and sometimes 

 spirally twisted. It abounds in species 

 which are principally European, and some 

 of which ascend to very high latitudes, the 

 only three mosses in lat. 64° 57' S. belong- 

 ing to this order. It is worthy of remark, 

 that when the teeth are spiral, the cells of 

 the lid which immediately covers them 



follow the same arrangement. The typical 

 genus Trichostomum, of which we have 

 nine species, differs from Tortula only in 

 the straight teeth; and even this character 

 fails in Trichostomum rigidulum, which is 

 perhaps our most common species. T. 

 glaucescens, a very rare plant, is remark- 

 able for its glaucous hue, which depends 

 upon some extraneous substance whose 

 nature has not at present been ascertained. 

 A similar appearance occurs also in Bartra- 

 mia. [M. J. B.] 



TRICHOTHECITJM. A genus of thread- 

 moulds (Hyphomycetes) formerly proposed 

 on erroneous characters, and, so far as T. 

 roseum is concerned (about which alone we 

 wish to speak), identical with Dactylium. 

 This T. roseum consists of a creeping myce- 

 lium, from which arise short erect threads, 

 crowned above with a few obovate unisep- 

 tate spores. The mass is at first white, but 

 at length acquires a pale rose-colour, by 

 which it is readily distinguished. The plant 

 grows very abundantly on various objects, 

 whether dead or living ; and is sometimes 

 highly destructive to cucumber-plants, 

 forming broad patches on the leaves and 

 stem. It occurs also not unfrequently in 

 closed cavities, as in nuts, to which it must 

 have made its way from without, through 

 the tissues. Hoffmann has observed a se- 

 cond form of fruit in the shape of globose 

 granules which he calls spermatia; these 

 bodies germinate, and have apparently 

 nothing to do with impregnation. As in 

 the case of bunt, and some other Fungi 

 which occur in the tissues of plants, it is 

 possible that the germination of these mi- 

 nute bodies may facilitate the entrance of 

 the mycelium into the plant. A solution of 

 bisulphite of soda, or indeed anything 

 which contains sulphurous acid, properly 

 applied, may facilitate the destruction of 

 the mould, when requisite. [M. J. B.] 



TRICHOTOMOUS. Having the divisions 

 always in threes. 



TRICOCCE. A name under which 

 Klotzsch and some others have desig- 

 nated the large order Euphorbiacece, taken 

 in its most enlarged sense. 



TRICOCCUS. A fruit consisting of three 

 cocci, or elastically dehiscing shells. 



TRICOLOR. The garden name for Ama- 

 ranth.ua tricolor. 



TRICOLOR. Consisting of three colours. 



TRICOMARI A. A shrub, native of Chili, 

 constituting a genus of Malpighiacece. The 

 leaves clasp the stem ; the branches are 

 spiny ; and the flowers are orange-coloured. 

 The calyx is five-parted, the four outer seg- 

 ments having each two glands at the base ; 

 the petals are five, stalked, hairy on the 

 outer surface, there are ten stamens, all 

 fertile, three filaments united at the base; 

 the ovary is tri-lobed three-celled, each 

 with a single ovule, and there are three 

 styles. The fruit is succulent, three-celled, 

 and hairy on the outer surface. [M. T. M.] 



TRICOSTATE. Having three ribs. 



