TET 
lowers are produced in panicle's at the end of the 
branches •, thefe ^panicles are compofed of three or 
four fhort thick fpikes which branch out from the 
lower part of the principal lpike, which is much long- 
er and thicker than the other. The flowers have fix 
thin purple petals of the fame length as the empaie- 
ment, which are very fugacious, fo that they foon fall 
off-, thefe flt upon the germen. After the flowers 
are pad, the four germen become fo many oval cap- 
fules which are reflexed backward *, thefe open length- 
ways on the upper fide, and have each one oblong 
feed indofed. 
This fhrub is very different from that which Dr. Pluk- 
enet tides Fagus Americanus ulmi amplifiimis foliis, 
capfulis bigemellis. Amalth. 87. though Dr. Linnaeus 
has added this Synonime to it. 
This is propagated by feeds, which muft be procured 
from the countries where the plant naturally grows, 
which may probably be found in fome of the Britifh 
iflands in theWeft-Indies. I have received it from the 
ifland of Barmuda, where it was found by the late 
Dr. Crefly, who fent me lpecimens and feeds. Thefe 
feeds are frequently abortive, for, upon examining 
them, there was fcarce more than a twentieth part 
which had any kernels, and others appeared fair but 
were hollow. The feeds fhould be fown in pots filled 
with light earth, and plunged into a moderate hot- 
bed of tanners bark, where they muft be treated in 
the fame way as other exotic feeds from the fame 
countries ; and as the plants feldom come up the fame 
year, the pots fhould be removed into the ftove before 
winter, and plunged into the tan-bed between the 
other pots of plants, where they fhould remain till 
fpring, when they fhould be taken out and plunged 
into a frefh hot-bed of tanners bark, which will bring 
up the plants if the feeds were good. When the plants 
are fit to remove, they fhould be each planted in a 
feparate fmall pot filled with light earth, and plunged 
into a good bed of tan, fhading them from the fun 
till they have taken new root •, after which their treat- 
ment muft be the fame as for the Annona, and the 
like tender exotic plants, which require to be kept al- 
ways in the tan-bed. 
TETRAGONIA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 551. Tetra- 
gonocarpos. Boerh. Ind. alt. 262. 
The Characters are. 
The flower has a permanent coloured empalement , com- 
pofed of four oval, plain, deflex ed leaves fitting upon the 
germen. It has no petals , but about twenty hair-like fta- 
mina which are fhorter than the empalement, terminated 
by oblong proftrate fummits, and a roundifh four-cornered 
germen under the fiozver, fupporting four awl-fljaped ftyles 
zvhich are recurved and as long as the ftamina, with hairy 
fiigmas the length of the ftyles. The germen afterward be- 
comes a thick c'apfule with four cells, having four angles 
which have narrow wings or borders , containing one hard 
oblong feed in each. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the fourth fedtion 
of Linnaeus’s twelfth clafs, which includes thofe plants 
whofe flowers have about twenty ftamina and five 
ftvles. 
<• 
The Species are, 
1. Tetragonia ( Fruticofa ) foliis linearibus. Flor. Leyd. 
Prod. 250. Tetragonia with linear leaves. 'Tetragono- 
carpos Africana fruticans, foliis longis & anguftis. H. 
Amft. 2. p. 205. African fhrubby Tetragonocarpos, with 
long narrow leaves. 
2. Tetragonia ( Decumbens ) foliis ovatis integerrimis, 
caule fruticofo decumbente. Tetragonia with oval en- 
tire leaves, and a fhrubby trailing ftalk. 
3. Tetragonia ( Herbacea ) foliis ovatis. Flor. Leyd. 
Prod. 250. Tetragonia with oval leaves. Tetragono- 
carpos Africana, radice magna crafla & carnofa. Hort. 
Amft. 2. p. 203, Tetragonocarpos with a large flejhy 
root, and oval leaves. 
Thefe plants grow naturally at the Cape of Good 
Hope, from whence they were firft brought to the 
gardens in Llolland. The firft fort has {lender ligne- 
ous ftalks which rife three or four feet high, if they 
TET 
are fupported, otherwife they trail upon the ground ~ 
they are covered with a light gray bark, and divide 
into a great number of trailing branches, which when 
young are fucculent, of an herbaceous colour, and 
covered with fmall pellucid drops, fomewhat like the 
Diamond Ficoides, which refieff the light. As the 
branches are older, they become more ligneous, and 
are garnifhed with thick, fucculent, narrow leaves, 
about half an inch long, and a tenth of an inch broad, 
concave, and blunt-pointed ; thefe are placed alter- 
nate, and at their bafe come out a clufter of fmaller 
leaves, which have the like pellucid drops as the ftalks. 
The flowers are produced from the wings of the 
ftalks, at every joint toward the end of the branches ; 
fometimes they come up fingly, at others there are 
two, and fometimes three flowers at each joint ; thefe 
have empalements of five leaves, which fpread open 
and are a little refiexed ; they are green without, and 
yellow within, each having about forty ftamina, which 
are terminated by oblong proftrate fummits which 
fill up the middle of the flower. They appear in July 
and Auguft, and are fucceeded by large four-corner- 
ed qapfules having four wings or borders, and four 
cells, each containing one oblong feed, which ripens 
in winter. 
The fecond fort has larger ftalks than the former, 
which branch out in like manner*, the branches trail 
upon the ground where they are not fupported ; the 
young branches are very fucculent, and almoft as 
thick as a man’s little finger ; the leaves are two 
inches long, and one broad; their furface are covered 
with very fmall pellucid drops, as are the ftalks. 
The flowers are larger, and ftand upon pretty long 
foot-ftalks, three or four arifingfrom the fame points; 
the empalement, and alfo the fummits, are of a pals 
fulphur colpur. It flowers at the fame time with the 
firft. 
Thefe may be propagated by cuttings, which fhould 
be cut off from the plants a few days before they are 
planted, that the part where they are cut may be heal- 
ed, otherwife they will rot, for the leaves and ftalks 
of this plant are very full of moifture. The beft 
time to plant thefe cuttings is in July*, that they may 
have time to make good roots before winter. Thefe 
cuttings may be planted on a bed of frefh earth, and 
if they are fhaded from the fun in the heat of the day, 
it will be of fervice to them. They fhould be fre- 
quently refrefhed with water, but they muft not have 
it in too great plenty, for that will rot them. In 
about fix weeks after planting, the cuttings will be 
fufficiently rooted to tranfplant, therefore they fhould 
be taken up, and planted into pots filled with light 
frefh undunged earth, and placed in a fhady fituation 
until they have taken new root, after which time 
they may be placed with other hardy exotic plants ia 
a fheltered fituation, where they may remain till the 
middle or latter end of Odtober ; at which time they 
fhould be removed into the green-houfe, and placed 
where they may enjoy as much free air as pofiible in 
mild weather ; for they only require to be protedled 
from the froft, being pretty hardy with refpedt to 
cold, but they fhould not have too much moifture 
in winter. If thefe plants are planted in the full 
ground in the fummer feafon, they will grow prodi- 
gioufly rank and large *, as they alfo will, if they are 
permitted to root into the ground through the holes 
at the bottom of the pots ; therefore the pots fhould 
be frequently removed to prevent it, for when they 
grow too freely, their leaves will be very full of 
moifture ; which, together with the weight of the 
fruit, which are always produced at the extremity of 
the branches, will weigh the branches upon the. 
ground, and render the plants very unfightly. The 
plants of this kind, commonly grow very ftraggling ; 
therefore the more their roots are confined in the pots, 
the more clofe and ftinted will be the heads of the 
plants ; which is what they fhould always be kept ta, 
in order to render them fightly. The flowers of this 
plant have no great beauty, but as the whole face of 
