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This genus of plants is ranged in the firft feciion of 
Linnrcus’s fifth clafs, which includes thole plants 
whofe flowers have five ftamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are,. 
1. Tabernvemontana [Citri folia) foliis glomerato-um- 
bellatis oppofitis ovatis lateralibus. Lin, Sp. Plant. 
308. T abern-amontana with oval leaves which are placed 
oppofite , and flowers growing in glomerated umbels on the . 
fide of the branches. Tabernaemontana laftefcens, ci- 
rri foliis undulatis. Plum. Nov. Gen. 18. Milky Ta- 
bernamontana , with waved Citron leaves. 
2. Tabern^emqntana {Alba) foliis oblongo-ovatis 
acuminatis oppofitis, floribus corymbofis terminali- 
bus. T aberndynoniana with oblong , oval y acute-pointed 
leaves , which are placed oppofite , and flowers growing in ' 
a corymbus terminating the branches. Tabernaemontana 
ladefcens, lauri folio, fiore. albo, filiquis rotundiori- 
bns. Houft. MSS. Milky T 'abernamontana with a Bay 
leaf a white flower , and rounder pod,s. 
3. Tabernsemontana {Laurifolia) foliis oppofitis ova- • 
libus obtufiufculis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 308. Taberna- 
montana with oval obtufe leaves placed oppofite. Neri- 
nm arboreum, folio latiore obtufo, flore luteo mino- 
re. Sloan. Cat. Jam. 154. Tree Oleander with obtufe 
leaves , and fmall yellow flower s.. 
4. Tabernsemontana (. Amfonia ) foliis alternis, cauli- j 
bus fubherbaceis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 308. 'Tabernsemon- 
tana with herbaceous ftalks , and alternate leaves. Ano- 
nymus fuffrutex. Gron. Virg. 26. 
Father Plunder, who conftituted this genus, gave it 
this title in honour of Dr. James Theodore, who was 
called Tabernsemontanus, from a little village in Ger- 
many, where he was born. He was one of the mod 
knowing botanifts of his age, and publilhed at Franc- 
fort a folio,, in a long form, in the year 1 590, in 
which are the figures of two thouiand two hundred 
and fifty plants. 
The firft fort grows naturally in Jamaica, and fome 
of the other iflands in the Weft-Indies. This rifes 
with an upright woody ftalk to the height of fifteen 
or fixteen feet, covered with a fmooth gray bark, 
which abounds with a milky juice, and fends out fe- 
deral branches from the fide, which grow ered, and 
have many joints ; thefe are garnifhed with thick 
leaves which have a milky juice ;- they are from five 
to fix inches long, and two broad in the middle, draw- 
ing to a point at each end ; they are of a lucid green, 
and have many tranfverfe veins from the midrib to 
the border. Handing oppofite on foot-ftalks an inch 
long. The flowers come out in roundilh bunches 
from the wings of the ftalk •, they are fmall, of a 
bright yellow colour, and have an agreeable odour. 
The tube of the flower is half an inch long; the brim 
is cut into five acute points, which fpread open like 
thole of the common Jafmine. Thefe flowers in their 
native foil, are fucceeded by two fwelling capfules 
joined at their bafe, but fpread from each other hori- 
zontally, and are filled with oblong feeds, lying over 
each other like the fcales of fifti, included in a foft 
pulp. 
The fecond fort was difcovered by the late Dr. Wil- 
liam Houftoun in the year 1730, growing naturally 
at La Vera Cruz. This rifes with a woody ftalk ten 
or twelve feet high, covered with a wrinkled gray 
bark, fending out many branches toward the top, 
which are garnifhed with oblong oval leaves of a lu- 
cid green,, and of a thick confiftence ; they are five 
inches long, and two and a half broad, rounded at 
both ends, but terminate with an acute point. Thefe 
are placed oppofite, and have fhort foot-ftalks. The 
flowers come out in pretty large roundifh bunches at 
the end of the branches ; they are fmaller than thofe 
of the firft fort, and are white, having an agreeable 
fcent. Thefe are fucceeded by ftiorter and rounder 
pods, which fpread from each other horizontally like 
the former. 
The third fort grows naturally in Jamaica, and the 
other warm iflands in America. This rifes with a 
flirubby ftalk twelve or fourteen feet high, fending 
TAG 
out a few branches toward the top which grow ere£L 
and are garnifhed with oval obtufe leaves four inches 
long and two broad, placed oppofite, and are of a lu- 
cid green colour. The flowers are produced in a ion 
of umbel from the fide of the branches ; they are 
fmall, yellow, and have. an agreeable odour, but are 
not fucceeded by feeds in England. 
Thefe three forts are very impatient of cold, fo will 
not live in this country, unlefs they are placed in a 
warm ftove ; they may be propagated by feeds, which 
muft be procured from the countries where the plants 
grow naturally ; thefe ftiould be fown early in the 
fpring on a hot-bed, and when the plants are come 
up, and are fit to remove, they muft be carefully 
tranfplanted into fmall pots filled with light rich earth, 
and then plunged into a hot-bed of tanners bark, be- 
ing careful to fhade them in the heat of the day until 
they have taken new root; after which time, they muft 
have free air admitted to them every day when the 
weather is warm ; but if the nights flaould prove cold, 
the glades of the hot-bed ftiould be covered with mats, 
every evening, foon after the fun goes off from the 
bed. Thefe plants muft be often refrefhed with water,, 
but it muft not be given to them in large quantities, 
efpecially while they are young, for as they are full 
of a milky juice, they are very fubjed to rot with 
much moifture. 
The plants may remain during the fummer feafon.. 
in the hot-bed, provided the tan is fiirred up to re- 
new the heat when it wants, and a little new tarn 
added ; but at Michaelmas, when the nights begin- 
to be cold, the plants ftiould be removed, and plung- 
ed into the bark- bed in the ftove ; where, during the 
winter feafon, they muft be kept in a moderate de- 
gree of warmth, and in cold weather they fhould 
have but little water given them, left it ftiould rot 
them. The plants fhould conftantly remain in the 
ftove, where, in warm weather, they may have free 
air admitted to them by opening the glaffes, but in 
cold weather they muft be kept warm. With this 
management the plants will thrive and produce their 
flowers, and as their leaves are always green, they: 
will make a pleafant diverfity amongft the tender ex- 
otic plants in the ftove. 
Thefe plants may alfo be propagated by cuttings dur- 
ing the fummer feafon, which ftiould be cut off from.- 
the old plants, and laid to dry in the ftove five or fix: 
days before they are planted, that the wounded parts, 
may heal, otherwife they will rot. Thefe cuttings 
fnould be planted in pots filled with frefh light earth,, 
and plunged into the hot-bed of tanners bark, and 
elofely covered with a hand-glafs, obferving to fhade- 
them from the fun in the middle of the day in hot- 
weather, as alfo to refrefh them now and then with 
a little water. When the cuttings have taken root, 
they may be tranfplanted into feparate pots,, and treat- 
ed in the fame manner as thofe which are raffed fronr 
feeds. 
The fourth fort is a perennial plant, which grows na- 
turally in Virginia. This fends up in the fpring two* 
or three herbaceous ftalks near a foot high, garnifhed: 
with oblong leaves which are placed alternately ; the 
flowers are produced in fmall bunches, terminating the- 
ftalks ; they are white and have no fcent, nor are they 
fucceeded by feeds in England. 
This plant had the tide of Amfonia given to it by Mr„. 
Clayton, who firft difcovered it in Virginia., 
As it does not produce feeds in England, fo the- 
plants are at prefent very rare in the gardens, for the 
roots do not fend out many offsets. This plant will 
thrive in the open air here, provided it is planted ira, 
a warm fituation ; it loves a light foil, rather moiit 
than otherwife ; but, if it is planted in dry ground, it 
fhould be frequently watered in dry weather. 
TACAMAHACA, See Populus. 
TAGETES. Tourn. Lift. R. H. 478. tab. 278, 
Lin. Gen. Plant. 865. African or French Marigold 
in French, Oeillet d’Inde . ... 
Th& 
