246 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



MAT 



termediate Stock is an excellent kind to grow 

 in pots for early spring decoration. The 

 seed should be sown about midsummer for 

 this purpose, and the young plants, after 

 being potted, should be brought up as robust 

 as possible ; keeping them in frames through 

 the winter until they are in bloom, when they 

 tend to make the green-house gay in March, 

 and in April may be turned into the flower 

 garden, where they continue to bloom for a 

 length of time. Double varieties may be per- 

 petuated by striking the side shoots at mid- 

 summer, under a hand glass, as is practiced 

 with pinks, but this trouble is hardly neces- 

 sary if the foregoing directions are observed. 

 There are several other species included in 

 the genus, only one of which, however, is 

 often seen beyond the precincts of the purely 

 botanical collection, this one is the Matthiola 

 tristis, or Night-scented Stock. It is a curious 

 looking plant, with narrow, glaucous foliage, 

 and small, lurid colored flowers, emitting an 

 agreeable fragrance in the evening, and on 

 this account is yet preserved along with its 

 more gay associates. It requires to be grown 

 in the green-house, with the ordinary man- 

 agement of plants belonging to that structure, 

 and is readily increased by cuttings. M. 

 annua is the original of all the varieties of 

 the Ten-Week Stocks, and M. Grceca of the 

 wall-leaved or smooth-leaved Annual Stock; 

 both of which are natives of the South of 

 Europe, and were favorably mentioned as 

 " flowers for the garden for pleasure " by 

 Parkinson in 1629. 



Matrimony Vine. See Lycium. 



Maturation. The process of ripening ; also the 

 time when fruits are ripe. 



Maura'ndya. Named after Professor Maurandy, 

 of Carthagena. Nat. Ord. Scrophulariaceoe. 



A handsome genus of tender climbing per- 

 ennial plants from Me.Kico, with violet, pink, 

 purple, and white colored flowers. All the 

 species are profuse bloomers, and may be 

 treated as annuals, or increased by cuttings. 

 The seed should be sown in February or 

 March, in a hot-bed or in the green-house, and 

 pricked out into shallow boxes, and then into 

 small pots, and grown on until it is time to 

 plant out tender annuals. They are admirable 

 for any sunny situation where a delicate 

 climbing plant is required. They commence 

 to flower in August, and continue until after 

 there has been six to eight degrees of frost. 

 By taking the roots up in the fall, potting, and 

 placing them in a cool green-house or warm 

 cellar, they can be planted out again in spring, 

 and will come into flower much earlier than 

 plants grown from seed. There are two erect 

 growing species from California that we have 

 not yet had an opportunity' to test. The genus 

 is allied to Antirrhinum, to which the flowers 

 have a great resemblance. Lophospermum is 

 included in this genus by some authors. In- 

 troduced in 1796. 



Mauri'tia. Named after Prince Maurice of Nas- 

 sau. Nat. Ord. Palmacece. 



A genus of Palms peculiar to tropical South 

 America. They grow to an immense size, 

 some species attaining the height of 100 or 150 

 feet. They bear a crown of enormous fan- 

 shaped leaves, from among which the pendu- 

 lous flower-spikes are produced. The species 

 are abundant on the banks of the Amazon, 



MED 



Rio Negro, and Orinoco Rivers. They usually 

 o(;cupy swampy tracts of ground, which are at 

 times completely inundated, and present the 

 appearance of forests rising out of the water 



Mawseed. The seeds of Papaver somniferum. 



MaxiUa'ria. From maxillcB, the jaws of an in- 

 sect; referring to a resemblance of the 

 columns and labellum. Nat. Ord. OrchidaceoR. 

 An extensive genus of epiphytal Orchids. 

 Many of the species are very beautiful, and of 

 delicious fragrance ; others, on account of 

 their small flowers, are not worthy of cultiva- 

 tion. Some of them have their flowers hang- 

 ing down from the pseudo-bulbs, and are 

 grown in baskets of moss or on pieces of cork, 

 or hung by wires to the rafters of the Orchid 

 house. All of them are adapted to the cool 

 house. 



Maximilia'na. Named after Prince Ma^milian. 

 Nat. Ord. PalmacecB. 



M. regia, the only known species, is an im- 

 mense-growing Palm of the Amazon. Its 

 trunk often exceeds 100 feet in height, and is 

 crowned with leaves from thirty to fifty feet 

 long, and its woody spathes, when open, fre- 

 quently measure as much as five or six feet in 

 length, by about two feet in width, tapering 

 to a long point or beak. These spathes are so 

 hard that when filled with water they will 

 stand the fire, and are sometimes used by the 

 Indians as cooking utensils, but more fre- 

 quently as baskets for carrying their stores. 



May Apple. See Podophyllum. 



May Flower. See Epigaa. 



Mayte'nus. From Mnyten, the Chilian name 

 of the genus. Nat. Ord. CelastraceoB. 



A genus of evergreen shrubs or small trees 

 with alternate coriaceous leaves, and small 

 flowers, solitary', or clustered in the axils. The 

 arborescent species have very hard wood, and 

 the leaves of the commonest Peruvian species, 

 although astringent, are said to be greedily 

 devoured by cattle. They are seldom found 

 in cultivation. 



May Tree or May Bush. See Cratcegus. 



May Weed. The popular name of the genus 

 Maruta. 



Meadow Beauty. See Rhexia. 



Meadow Clary. Salvia pratensis. 



Meado'w Grass. See Poa pratensis. 



Meadow Pink. A common name of Dianthua 

 deltoides. 



Meadow Rue. See Thalictrum. 



Meadow Saffron. See Colchicum. 



Meadow Sweet. See Spircsa Ulmaria. 



Msaly. Covered with a scurfy powder. 



Mealy Bug. See Insects. 



Mecono'psis. From mekon, the poppj', and 

 opsis, like. Nat. Ord. PapaveracecB. 



A genus of hardy herbaceous perennials, 

 natives of Britain, north-west America, and 

 the Himalayas. M. cambrica, common in 

 "Wales where it is known as Welsh Poppy, is 

 a showy plant, growing about one foot high, 

 with bright-green pinnate, hairy leaves, 

 slender stems, and large terminal, short-lived 

 flowers, of a delicate sulphur yellow color. 

 Propagated by seeds or by division. 



Mede'ola. Indian Cucumber root. Named after 

 Medea, the sorceress. Nat. Ord. lAlia^^eoe. 



