404 HORTUS MORTOLENSIS 
It flowered and fruited for the first time at La Mortola in 1879, 
and was figured in Bot. Mag. M. intermedius originated in this 
garden, and is a hybrid between M. comosus and M. major. It is 
more vigorous and taller than the parents. The leaves are of the 
size of M. major, but less glaucous, their stipules are smaller, and 
the rachis is less broadly winged; moreover, they are almost 
glabrous underneath and not tomentose as in M. comosus. The 
inflorescence is not so long as in M. major, but exceeds the length 
of the leaf, whilst in M. comosus it is shorter than the leaf, and 
brighter coloured. The bracts, pedicels and flowers are exactly 
intermediate between the parent species. This hybrid does not 
produce seeds, but has come up again from seeds of M. comosus.* 
MELOCACTUS. 
M. communis does quite well if kept indoors. during winter. 
For various specimens we are indebted to the late Prof. Zacharias, 
Director of the Hamburg Botanic Garden. 
MERYTA. 
M. macrophylla, a dicecious plant, of which we only have a 
pistillate specimen. 
MESEMBRIANTHEMUM. 
Most of the species are quite at home at La Mortola. A great 
many were first brought from Kew by Mr. Daniel Hanbury, and 
others were received through Prof. MacOwan. WM. abyssinicum 
was received from the Berlin Botanic Garden, where it was intro- 
duced by Prof. Schweinfurth. M. acinaciforme is very vigorous. 
Its flowers, the largest of the genus, are very conspicuous in early 
summer. Of M. Bolusi, one of the striking examples of mimicry 
in plants, the single specimen sent us from Kew in October, 1890, 
was for a long time the only one existent in Europe.t It flowered 
every autumn without producing seeds. After this had died the 
late Mr. Harry Bolus, of Cape Town, kindly sent us seeds in 
February, 1902. From these the plant has been grown in 
quantities. Older specimens now produce seeds, so that we have 
been able to distribute it. The resemblance of this Mesem- 
brianthemum to pebbles is surprising, especially during dry 
weather, when it assumes a greyish hue. The species of 
the section Spheroidea, such as M. minutum, M. Wettsteinii, 
M. obcordellum, M. pseudotruncatellum, &c., are equally strik- 
ing examples of mimicry.{ M. Bosscheanwm was named in 
honour of the late Mr. L. van den Bossche, of Tirlemont, 
* An interesting account of the fertilization of these and some other 
ornithophilous flowers is given by Mr. C. F. Scott-Elliott, Annals of Bot., iv. p. 
xiv. (1890). At La Mortola Melianthus is fertilized by insects, chiefly bees. 
t+ See my note with photograph in Monatsschrift fiir Kakteenkunde, ix. 
(1899), p. 39. 
t{ See Sir W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, ‘‘ Morphological Notes,” in Annals of 
Botany, vol. xx., no. lxxviii. (April, 1906), pp. 123-127, tt. vii.—viii.; and my 
handbook, Mesembrianthemen und Portulacaceen, pp. 11-14. 
