TROP] 



&\)z Crcasurg of 3Sotany. 



■y 



1178 ' 



of Pelargonium. The genus Magallana, 

 usually added to Tropceolacece, is founded 

 on a mistake. 



TROPJEOLUM. An extensive ger.us of 

 herbs, mostly of climbing habit, repre- 

 senting the group or order Tropceolacece. 

 Many of the species, which are all South 

 American, are in cultivation, and are of a 

 very ornamental character. The genus is 

 known by its irregular flowers, with five 

 sepals produced into a spur behind, and 

 five petals (fewer by abortion), of which the 

 two upper are more or less dissimilar from 

 the rest ; and by its equal free stamens, its 

 sessile tri-lobed three-celled ovary, and 

 its subcarnoseindehiscent one-seeded car- 

 pels. The leaves are alternate peltate or pal- 

 mate, angulate lohate or dissected ; and the 

 flowers solitary and axillary, orange-red. or 

 yellow, rarely blue or purple. [T. M.] 



The Tropceolums are remarkable for pos- 

 sessing an acrid taste, similar to that 

 which exists among the Cruciferce. The 

 only species grown for culinary purposes 

 are T. ma jus and T. minus. 



T. majus, the great Indian Cress or Nas- 

 turtium, is a hardy annual, a native of 

 Peru, from whence it was introduced in 

 a.d. 1686. The plant is of a trailing habit, but 

 when its succulent stems can obtain any 

 bush for support, they will attach them- 

 selves by means of the long twining 

 petioles, and attain a considerable height. 

 The leaves are alternate entire, nearly 

 round, and somewhat undulated or lobed, 

 with the stalk inserted towards the centre 

 instead of at the margin. The flowers, 

 which are borne on long footstalks, are 

 large and showy, being of a rich orange 

 colour, and having the two upper petals 

 marked with deep reddish-brown. The 

 seeds consist of three conjoined berries or 

 nuts, with grooved wrinkled gibbous 

 husks, which become fungous when dry. 

 The flowers and young leaves are fre- 

 quently used to mix in salads. They have 

 a warm taste, not unlike that of the com- 

 mon cress, from which circumstance the 

 plant has obtained the name of Nastur- 

 tium. The flowers are also used to garnish 

 dishes, and have an excellent effect when 

 tastefully arranged with other flowers of a 

 complementary colour. The berries are 

 gathered when youngand quite green, and, 

 without the aid of spice, make an agreeable 

 pickle, which, as well as the green leaves 

 steeped in vinegar, is accounted a good 

 antiscorbutic, and is also an excellent sub- 

 stitute for capers. 



It is worthy of remark that, in certain 

 conditions of the atmosphere, the flowers, 

 like those of the Dictamnus Fraxinella, 

 have the power of emitting electric sparks 

 towards evening— a circumstance first ob- 

 served by the daughter of the great 

 Linnaeus. 



The small Indian Cress or Nasturtium, 

 T. minus, is a hardy annual, a native of 

 Peru, and has been cultivated in this 

 country since a.d. 1596. It is very similar 

 in appearance to T.majiis, already noticed, 

 but is of a different habit, being much 



smaller in every respect, and of dwarf weak 

 growth. The seed-pods are also small, 

 on which account alone they are considered 

 preferable to those of T. majus for pickling 

 as a substitute for capers. [TV. B. B.] 



TROPHIS. Under this name is desig- 

 nated a genus of Artocarpacece, consisting 

 of certain milky-juiced trees with entire 

 leaves, and dioecious flowers arranged in 

 axillary clusters. In the male flowers the 

 four stamens are placed in front of the 

 four segments of the perianth ; in the 

 female flowers the ovate ovary contains a 

 single ovule attached to its inner surface 

 near the top, and the stigma is bifid. The 

 fruit is succulent, with one globular pen- 

 dent seed; the cotyledons fleshy, and of un- 

 equal size. The species are natives of Tro- 

 pical Asia and America. The leaves of T 

 aspera are used in the East Indies to polish 

 wood, while those of T.americana, a West 

 Indian species, are said to be occasionally 

 , used as fodder for cattle. [M. T. M.] 



I TROPHYWORT. Tropceolum. 



| TROPIDOCARPUM. A small genus of 

 ■ Cruciferce, inhabiting North-western Ame- 

 rica, and consisting of annuals with pin- 

 natifid leaves, and small yellow flowers in 

 leafy racemes. The pod is linear or lan- 

 ceolate-linear, compressed contrary to the 

 septum, the valves somewhat keeled, the 

 septum narrow often incomplete, and the 

 i seeds oblong, compressed. [J. T. S.] 



' TROPIS. In Greek compounds=the keel 

 of a papilionaceous flower, or any part re- 

 sembling it. 



i TROSCART. (Pr.) Triglochin. 



TROTTLES. An old name for Symphy- 

 tum asperrimum. 



TROXIMON. A genus of perennial Com- 

 positce, the species of which are natives of 

 North America. The lower leaves are 

 lobed, the upper entire, sheathing. The 

 flower-heads are each surrounded by an 

 involucre of two rows of bracts; the co- 

 rollas are ligulate, yellow ; and the fruits 

 vre quadrangular, surmounted by a pappus 

 arranged in two rows— the outer row of 

 numerous very short persistent scales, the 

 inner of deciduous hairs, [M. T, M.] 



TRUBS, or TRUBBES. Truffles. 



TRUE-LOVE. Paris quaclrifolia; more 

 correctly written Trulove, according to 

 Dr. Prior. 



TRUFFE. (Fr.) Tuber melanosporum. 

 — D'E A U. Trapa natans. 



TRUFFLE. Tuber. -, AFRICAN. Ter- 

 fezia. — , ENGLISH. Tuber cestivum. — , 

 FALSE. A name sometimes applied to 

 species of Elaphonnices and Scleroderma, of 

 which the former is really allied to Tuber, 

 the latter to the puffballs. It is also given 

 occasionally to the fungi noticed under 

 Bi/pngcei. — , FRENCH. Tuber melano- 

 .*■;■„■„•»<;). — , HART'S. Elaphomyces. -, 

 PIEDMONTESE. Tuber magnatuvi. — , 



