MELANTHIUM—MERENDERA—MILLA. 231 
MEADOW SAFFRON. 
See Colchicum, Page 59. 
MELANTHIUM. 
A small genus of early spring flowering bulbs, some- 
what resembling the Ixias, Page 166, and requiring the 
same general treatment, being natives of the Cape of 
Good Hope. 
M. junceum (The Rush-leaved Melanthium).— 
This is a very beautiful little Cape plant, with flowers 
like a small Ixia. The flowers are stained within with 
dark crimson spots, nearly black, and hence the name of 
the genus, which signifies black flowers. The propaga- 
tion is by offsets. 
M. uniflorum.—This has but one flower, as its 
name implies. Neither of the species are worth 
cultivating. 
MERENDERA. 
The best known species, WM. caucasica, is a pretty 
little plant, differing from the Colchicums, Page 59, by 
the leaves and flowers appearing at the same time, and 
should be treated in the same manner. 
MILLA. 
This is a much abused bulb. Having been included 
in the genus Triteleia, where it does not belong, and the 
specific name, biflora (two-flowered), entirely misrepre- 
senting its character. It has, moreover, been repre- 
sented as difficult to manage, when, in fact, it can be 
grown as easily, and more satisfactorily, than almost 
any of our summer-flowering bulbs. Our experience 
with the Milla has been as follows: When it was first 
sent here from Mexico we procured a large quantity of 
the bulbs, which were about the size of small crocus 
corms, or even smaller; these grew rapidly, and we soon 
saw that the name dzflora did not belong to a plant pro- 
