252 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



MIC 



with purple, and are arranged in a pyra- 

 midal candelabra-like head, which malies 

 it very striking and distinct. It flourishes 

 best in a moist and deep sandy loam, and 

 should be treated as a hardy biennial, seed- 

 lings being raised annually so as always to 

 have good flowering plants. Its fine stately 

 form and tall stature are very effective, either 

 in the mixed border or when given a nook to 

 itself in a choice bed of evergreen shrubs. 

 They are all of easy culture, were first intro- 

 duced in 1787, and are propagated by seeds. 



Miche'lia. Named after P. A. Michele, a famous 

 Florentine botanist, who died in 1757. Nat. 

 Ord. MagnoliacecB. 



Lofty evergreen trees, natives of India and 

 the islands of the Eastern Archipelago. M. 

 Champaca is cultivated in India for the power- 

 ful fragrance of its flowers, which is said to be 

 so strong that bees seldom if ever alight on 

 them. The tree is sacred to Vishnu, and is 

 therefore an object of superstitious regard on 

 the part of the Hindoos, who adorn their dark 

 hair with the rich orange-colored flowers. It 

 has seldom been introduced into the green- 

 house, and where tried it has not proved an 

 acquisition. 



Mico'nia. Named after D. Micon, a Spanish 

 botanist. Nat. Ord. Melastomacece. 



A large genus of trees and shrubs, natives 

 of tropical America and Asia. The flowers 

 are white, pink, purple, red, or yellow, gen- 

 erally in terminal panicles. A few of the spe- 

 cies are grown for their beautiful foliage. The 

 genus contains nearly 300 species. 



Microca'chrys. From mikroa, small, and 

 kachrys, a cone; referring to the very small 

 cones. Nat. Ord. ConifercB. 



M. tetragana, the only species, is a prostrate, 

 much -branched evergreen shrub, introduced 

 to cultivation from the mountains of Tas- 

 mania in 1857. It is called the " Strawberry- 

 fruited Cypress of Tasmania," and is described 

 in the Gardener's Chronicle " as quite a gem 

 among conifers." The female plant is very 

 pretty, having nearly every one of its multi- 

 tude of little branchlets terminated by a 

 bright-red, almost globular, fleshy cone, 

 measuring about one-quarter of an inch from 

 base to apex. By training up a leader, the 

 lateral branches arrange themselves in a 

 drooping manner round about. Syn. Dacry- 

 dium tetragonum. 



Microglo'ssa. From mikros, small, and glossa, 

 a tongue ; alluding to the shortness of the 

 straps of the ray-flowers. Nat. Ord. Com- 

 positce. 



A genus of about six species of small shrubs, 

 natives of the warmer parts of Asia and Africa. 

 M. albeacens (syn. Aster albescens) is a hand- 

 some, hardy shrub, introduced from the Him- 

 alayas in 1883. The flower-headfe are small, 

 in a diffuse corymb, and are of a beautiful 

 blue color. Propagated by seeds or by divi- 

 sion of the roots. 



Microle'pia. From micros, small, and lepis, a 

 scale ; in allusion to the appearance of the 

 spore, or seed-cases. Nat. Ord. Polypodiacece. 

 A genus of strong-growing evergreen Ferns, 

 closely allied to Davallia, under which genus 

 they are included by some authors. The spe- 

 cies are plants of easy culture, and of great 



MIG 



beauty, all well adapted for amateur collec- 

 tions, as they thrive well in a moderate tem- 

 perature. They are found in nearly all the 

 sub-tropical parts of the world. Introduced 

 in 1836. 

 Microli'cia. From mikros, small, and alikia, 

 stature ; the plants are dwarf. Nat. Ord. Me- 

 lastomacece. 



A large genus, comprising over seventy 

 species, few of which are of any horticultural 

 value. AI. bivalvis and M. recurva, introduced 

 from Trinidad in 1822, are pretty dwarf plants 

 with purple flowers, and are increased by 

 seeds or division. 



Microme'ria. From micros, small, and meris, a 

 part ; referring to the usually diminutive flow- 

 ers. Nat. Ord. LabiatcB. 



A genus of hardy or half-hardy shrubs or 

 herbs, comprising about sixty species, dis- 

 persed over nearly all the temperate and 

 warmer parts of the globe, but occurring in 

 the greatest abundance in the Mediterranean 

 region. Some of the species have an odor 

 like common Thyme, others smell like Mint. 

 M. Piperella is a pretty little rock plant, and 

 may be increased by cuttings. 



Micromy'rtus. From micros, small, and Mi/rto8, 

 Mj'rtle ; small Myrtles. Nat. Ord. Myrtacece. 

 A genus of heath-like green-house shrubs, 

 natives of Australia, il. microphylla, the only 

 species yet introduced, forms a neat little 

 green-house plant, with small white flowers, 

 borne in racemes on the upper branches. It 

 is propagated by cuttings of the half-ripened 

 wood, and was introduced to cultivation in 

 1870. 



Microspe'rma. From mikros, small, and sperma, 

 a seed. Nat. Ord. Loasacem. 



M. bartonioides, is a very pretty little yellow 

 California annual, now included by Bentham 

 and Hooker under MentzeUxi. It is also in 

 cultivation under the name of Eucnide bar- 

 tonioides. 



Micro'stylis. From mikros, small, and stylos, a 

 column. Nat. Ord. Orchidacece. 



A small genus of terrestrial or epiphytal 

 orchids, natives of tropical America and 

 India. But few of the species are under cul- 

 tivation. M. discolor, a native of Ceylon, 

 is a veiy interesting plant, worthy of 

 a place in every collection. It is char- 

 acterized by Sir William Hooker " as 

 among the most lovely of terrestrial orchids. 

 The foliage is a rich purple, sometimes with a 

 green edge plaited longitudinally and much 

 crisped at the margin, nor are the flowers, 

 though minute, wanting in singularity of 

 structure, when seen under the microscope. 

 They have the property of changing color, be- 

 ing at flnst yellow, then orange, or purple." 

 It requires the same treatment as the Ancec- 

 tochilus. 



Midday Flower. The Australian settlers' 

 name for Mesembryanthemum. 



Midrib. The large vein extending along the 

 middle of a leaf, from its petiole nearly or 

 quite to the other end. 



Midsliipman's Butter. See Persea. 



Mid-winter Sunflower. See Leptosyne. 



Mignonette. Reseda odorata. This well- 

 known plant is generally treated as an annual 

 and sown every year as such ; but it is, in 



