MESEMBRYANTHEMUM. 286 MESPILUS. 
selves to the wind at pleasure. It covered with ice. The flowers of 
also looks very well trained to form these plants are white; but there 
a pillar, or to a frame with an um-_ are other Mesembryanthemums with 
brella top, &c. pink or purple flowers, and those of 
Menya’ntues.--Gentidnee.—-The | the commonest and hardiest kind, 
Buck-bean. The European kinds M. pomeridianum, are of a brilliant 
have white flowers, but some of the | yellow. This kind is an annual, the 
exotic species, now called Villarsia, | seeds of which should be sown on 
which are natives of Australia and) a hotbed, and the young plants 
the Cape, are very handsome, with | transferred to the open ground in 
very showy yellow flowers. They | May; and they should be always 
are all marsh plants, and should be | planted out into the open border, as 
sown or planted in the mud or soft | they never flower well in a pot. The 
ground left-by the water. Some of | perennial kinds may be grown either 
the kinds are only half-hardy. in pots, or in the open ground ; but 
Menzie'sia.— Ericdcee.— Little | in the latter case they should either 
heath-like plants, formerly included | _be taken up or carefully protected 
in the genus Erica, natives of Eu- | during winter, as they are killed by 
rope and North America. The/| the slightest frost. They should be 
commonest kind (M. poly folia), St.| grown in sandy or gravelly soil, 
Daboec’s Heath, is found wild in which, for the larger-growing spe- 
Ireland. The flowers are larger| cies, may be mixed with a little 
and more globular than those of the | | loam ; but even of these, the poorer 
common Heaths, and much hand-| and more sandy the soil, the more 
somer. ‘They are quite hardy, and | | brilliant will be the colours of the 
only require to be grown in sandy | flowers, though the leaves and stems 
peat, or heath-mould. will become small and weak. All 
Mesemerya'ntHEMUM. —Ficoidd- | the species should be kept quite dry 
ce@a.—The name of Mesembryan- | when in a dormant state, and abun- 
themum is derived from mesembria, | dantly supplied with water when 
mid-day, and anthos,a flower; and | they are about to flower; and all 
this name admirably expresses the | | the perennial kinds are propagated 
habit of the plants, their flowers | by cuttings, which should be kept dry 
only expanding in the brightest sun- | for several days after they are put into 
shine. The English name of Fig | the ground, till they begin to wither, 
Marigold alludes to the fruit, which ; when they should be supplied with a 
is shaped like a fig, and which is / little water, and they will directly be- 
eaten by the Hottentots ; and to the | gin to throw out roots. The pots in 
flower, which resembles that of a | which these plants are grown should 
Marigold in shape, and sometimes | be well drained with cinders; and 
in colour. There are two kinds of| when planted out in the open air, it 
Mesembryanthemum which are call- | should be on a dry, open, suuny bank. 
ed the Ice-plant-—viz. M. glaci: jle| Mu'spitus.—Rosicee.—This is 
and M. crystallinum, the former be- | one of those genera which have been 
ing an annual, and the latter a bien- | dismantled, and almost annihilated, 
nial—and they take their English | by modern botanists. A few years 
name from the little globular protu- | ago, almost all the flowering shrubs 
berances, or rather blisters (which | and low trees, included in the order 
botanists call papule), filled with a| Rosacew, were referred to Mespilus. 
soft watery matter, which glisten | All the Crateguses, a great number 
over the whole of the plants, and of the Pyruses, the Aronias, Ame- 
make them look as though they were | lanchier, Eriobotrya, and many 
