AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



363 



Microcaclirys continued. 



FIG. 568. FRUITING BRANCH OF MICROCACHRYS TETRAGONA. 



M. tetragona (four-sided).* Strawberry-fruited Cypress of Tas- 

 mania. I. deep green, ovate, extremely small, in four rows, 

 closely imbricated. Tasmania, 1857. The " Gardener's Chronicle " 

 describes this species as quite a gem among conifers. The 

 female plant is very pretty, having nearly every one of its 

 multitude of little branchlets terminated by a bright red, almost 

 globular, fleshy cone, measuring about Jin. from base to apex. 

 By training up a leader, the lateral branches arrange them- 

 selves in a drooping manner round about. SYN. Dacrydium 

 tetranonum. See Fig. 568. (B. M. 5576.) 



MICROCALIA. A synonym of Lagenophora 

 (which see). 



MICROGASTER. A genus of parasitic insects be- 

 longing to the Braconidce, a family of Ichneumons, very 

 rich in species. They are all of small size, seldom ex- 

 ceeding iin. in length, and in. in spread of wings. The 

 body-colours are almost always black, red, or yellow ; 

 the legs are usually paler, at times almost white. The 

 ovipositor is usually short, and is often hardly visible. 

 The wings are transparent, and show few cross-veins and 

 cells. Some of the Braconidos in the larval state live 

 in the bodies of aphides ; others live in the bodies of 

 caterpillars of butterflies and of moths. To this latter 

 group belongs the genus Microgaster. The most notice- 

 able species is M. glomeratus, which is very helpful 

 to gardeners, because of the number of caterpillars 

 of the White Cabbage Butterfly it destroys. The larvse 

 live on the fat of the caterpillars, usually many in each 

 individual ; and, till full fed, they do not seem greatly 

 to interfere with the "growth of their hosts, as they 

 do not attack any vital organs of the latter. But, when 

 mature, the parasitic larvae eat their way through the 

 skin of their hosts, and each proceeds to spin a small 

 oval, yellow, silken cocoon. These cocoons are fre- 



Microgaster continued. 



quently grouped in masses of nearly lin. across, on the 

 dying or dead caterpillars, and must have often been 

 observed by every gardener. The perfect flies have the 

 body deep black, with very short, white hairs; the belly 

 and legs yellow; and the four wings transparent, and 

 covered with short hairs. See also Ichneumon Flies. 



MICROGLOSSA (from mikros, small, and glossa, a 

 tongue; alluding to the shortness of the straps of the 

 ray-flowers). SYN. Frivaldia. OBD. Composite. This 

 genus comprises about six species of shrubs, inhabiting, 

 for the most part, the warmer regions of Asia and Africa. 

 Flower-heads small; disk pale-coloured; ray white or 

 pale blue. Leaves alternate, ovate or lanceolate, entire. 

 M. albescent, probably the only species yet introduced, 

 is a hardy shrubby perennial, thriving in almost any 

 soil. Propagated by seeds, or by division of the roots. 

 M. albescens (whitish).* fl.. heads pale blue or whitish, Aster- 

 like, small, numerous, in terminal corymbs. I. alternate, lanceo- 

 late, acuminate. Himalayas, 1883. A very handsome and flori- 

 ferous plant SYN. Aster albescens. (B. M. 6672.) 

 MICROGONIUM. See Trichomanes. 

 MICROGRAMME. See Polypodium. 

 MICROLEPIA. Included under Davallia (which 

 see). 



MICROIiICIA (from mikros, small, and olikos, in 

 general; in allusion to the generally dwarf habit of the 

 plants). OBD. Melastomaceae. A genus consisting of a 

 large number of species (of which seventy-seven are 

 regarded, by Bentham and Hooker, as distinct) of small 

 erect stove shrubs. Flowers solitary, axillary, or at the 

 tips of the branchlets, sessile or shortly pedunculate ; 

 calyx lobes five; petals obovate. Leaves small, often 

 imbricated, entire, serrated, or crenulated, often gland- 

 dotted. The species have little or no horticultural 

 value. 



MICBOLOMA (from mikros, small, and loma, a 

 fringe; in reference to the fascicles of hairs in the 

 tube of the corolla). OBD. Asclepiadece. A genus com- 

 prising about five species of greenhouse evergreen 

 twining sub-shrubs, natives of the Cape of Good Hope. 

 Flowers red, in interpetiolar umbels ; corolla urceolate, 

 with a ventricose angular tube, a naked throat, and a 

 short limb. Leaves opposite, often narrow. For cul- 

 ture, see Ceropegia. 

 M. liaeare (linear), fl. blood-coloured; limb of corolla very 



blunt. July. I. linear, glabrous, with reflexed margins. 1823. 

 M. sagittatum (sagittate), fl. scarlet; limb of corolla very 

 blunt. July. I. sagittate, sub-tomentose, linear-hastate, shortly 

 petiolate ; margins reflexed. 1775. 



MICROMERIA (from mikros, small, and meris, a 

 part ; referring to the usually diminutive flowers). STNS. 

 Piperella, Sabbatia (of Moench), and Tendana. OBD. 

 Labiates. A genus comprising about sixty species of 

 hardy or half-hardy unb-shrubs or herbs, dispersed over 

 nearly all the temperate and warmer parts of the globe, 

 but occurring in the greatest abundance in the Mediter- 

 ranean region. Flowers purplish or white, generally 

 small ; whorls axillary or spicate, rarely cyme-formed, 

 sub-panicled. Leaves opposite. With few exceptions, 

 the species are of no horticultural value. M. Piperella 

 is a pretty little rock plant. It thrives in any common 

 garden soil, and may be increased by cuttings. 



M. Piperella (Piperella).* fl., fascicles few-flowered, the common 

 peduncle nearly as long as the floral leaves ; calyx tubular, 

 pubescent, thirteen-ribbed ; teeth subulate ; throat hairy within ; 

 corolla pubescent, twice the length of the calyx. August to 

 October. I. ovate, sometimes cordate at the base. A. 3in. South- 

 west Europe. Half-hardy sub-shrub. (Fl. Ment. 32.) 



MICROMYRTUS (from mikros, small, and Myrtos, 

 Myrtle ; small Myrtles). OBD. Myrtacece. A genus 

 comprising six species of Heath-like, glabrous, greenhouse 

 shrubs, confined to Australia. Flowers white or pink, 

 small, solitary, and shortly pedicellate or almost sessile 

 in the axils of the leaves ; petals five, obovate or orbicular. 



