M A U 



M E D 



in a hemispherical disk : females in the ray se- 

 veral : proper of the hermaphrodite funnel-form, 

 I -cleft, spreading: female oblong, three-tooth- 

 ed : the stamina to the herroaphrodii 

 five capillary filaments, very short: anthers cy- 

 lindrical, tubular : the pistilltim to the herma- 

 phrodites an oblong germ, naked: style filiform, 

 the length of the stamens: stigma bifid, spread- 

 ing: to the females germ naked: style filiform, 

 almost the length of the hermaphrodite : stigmas 

 two, revolute: there is no pericardium; calyx 

 unchanged: the seeds solitary, oblong,' without 

 any pappus or down, to both sorts of florets : the 

 receptacle naked, and convex. 



The species cultivated is M. par t hen i urn, 

 Common Feverfew. 



It has a perennial or biennial root, composed 

 of a great number of libres, and spreading wide 

 on every side : the stem from two to three feet 

 high, erect, firm, round, striated, slightly hairy, 

 branched on every side : the leaves petioled, al- 

 ternate, pale green, soft and tender, pinnatifid 

 with two or three pairs of ovate jagged pinnas, 

 and a larger one terminating, tbree-lobed, wedge- 

 shaped, the middle lobe tritid, the side-lobes 

 notched, roughish, slightly hairy : when mag- 

 nitied they appear as if sprinkled with minute 

 spangles : the flowering heads solitary, some- 

 times on simple, but oftener on branched pe- 

 duncles, forming together a loose umbel or rather 

 corymb, hairy; the peduncles are thickest just 

 beneath the flower, and about two inches Ions*. 

 It is a native of many parts of Europe, flower- 

 ing in June. 



There are several varieties, as with full double 

 flowers, with double flowers, having the florets 

 of the ray plane, of the disk fistular ; with very 

 small rays ; with very short fistular florets ; with 

 naked heads, having no rays ; with naked sul- 



fihur-coloured heads, and with elegant curled 

 eaves. 



Culture. — These plants may be raised from 

 seeds, by parting the roots and cuttings. 



The seeds should be sown in the spring, as 

 M^rch, upon a bed of" light earth, and, when 

 they are come up, planted out into nursery-U 

 at about eight inches asunder, where thev may- 

 remain t:ll the middle < t Mav <* hen thev should 

 be taken up, with a ball of earth to their roots, 

 and planted in the middle of large borders, or 

 other parts, for flowering. 



They should not be permitted to seed, as it 

 often weakens and decays the roots ; therefore, 

 when their flowers are past, their stems should 

 be cut down, which will cause them to push out 

 fre.-h heads, whereby the roots may be preserved. 



MALRITIA, a genus containing a plant of 

 the exotic tree kindt 



It belongs to the Appendix Palmce, and rank; 

 in t'ne natural order ot 



The characters are : that the male-flowers are 

 in in oblong ament, covered all round with flow- 

 approximating, with blunt scales be- 

 tween the flowers : the calyx is a one-leafed, cup- 

 shaped periant hi urn, truncated, entire, three sided, 

 short: the corolla is one-petalled : tube short, 

 the length of the calyx : border three-parted : 

 segments equal, spreading a little, lanceolate, 

 rigid (in a manner woody), blunt : the stamina 

 have six filaments inserted into the throat of 

 the tube, thick, very short: anthers linear, an- 

 gular, the length of the segments of the co- 

 rolla; three alternate ones extended between 

 the segments of the corolla, and horizontal ; 

 the three others are generally erect, and pressed 

 close to the channel or the segments : female, 

 unknown. 



The species is M. Jle.ruma, Maidenhair 

 Tree, or Ginkgo. 



It is a singular tree, almost without leaves : 

 the branches are angular, flexuose, smooth, 

 with short joints, thickening upwards, some- 

 what recurved, terminated by embracing sheaths : 

 with a cup-shaped and sharper knee joint: from 

 the axils of these come out over the whole 

 stem, strobile-shaped aments, in two rows, 

 spreading very much, sessile, with two large- 

 upright scales, sickle-shaped upwards at the 

 base: theamentsovate-oblong,cylindric, covered 

 with closely approximating, ferruginous flowers, 

 spreading very much ; falling off and leaving 

 the ament, with its scales. It is a native of 

 the woods of Surinam. 



Culture. — It may be increased by laying the 

 young branches in the summer season, and 

 when they have stricken root fully, taking them 

 oft' and planting them with earth about their 

 roots in pots filled with light fresh mould, plac- 

 ing them in the green-house, where they must 

 be kept. 



Cuttings of theyoungshoots mavalso be plant- 

 ed in pots in the same manner, plunging them 

 in a moderate hot-bed till thev have suieken 

 root, when they may be managed as the other 

 plants. 



It affords variety in the green -house, and 

 when trained against walls; but in the last case 

 must be sheltered by mats, in severe weather in 

 winter. 



MEALY-TREE. See Viburnum. 



MKDEOLA, a genus comprising plants of 

 the herbaceous climbing kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Hexandria 

 Trigynia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Sarmentu 



The characters are : that there is no calyx, 



3 



