AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



385 



Morxnodes continued. 



M. p. nnicolor (whole-coloured), fl. deep lemon-yellow, in many- 

 flowered racemes ; sepals and petals ovate, acuminate, concave ; 

 lip cuneate, with three acuminated lobes, the two lateral ones 

 smaller and reflexed ; scape 1ft. and more long. September. 

 1. lanceolate, membranous, strongly striated. (B. M. 3879.) 



M. uncia (uncial). /. whitish externally, 2in. in diameter ; inner 

 surface of perianth pale yellow, covered with dark red spots ; 

 base of lip dark purple, the inner surface yellow, with red 

 streaks ; column green inside, curved ; raceme large, pendulous, 

 many-flowered ; powerfully aromatic. June. 1. narrow-lanceolate, 

 1ft. to Hft. long. Pseudo-bulbs somewhat two-edged. Mexico, 

 1869. (B: M. 5802, under name of M. Greenii.) 



M. Williamsli (Williams'), fl. creamy-white, sweet-scented ; 

 spikes twelve to fifteen - flowered. Mexico. A handsome 

 species. 



MORNA. Included, by the authors of the " Genera 

 Plantarum," under Waitzia (which see). 



MORNING GLORY. A common name for the 



genus Ipomcea. 



MORONOBEA (from Moronobo or Coronobo, the 

 Caribbean name of M. coccinea). OBD. Guttiferce. A 

 genus comprising but one (or perhaps two) species. M. 

 coccinea is a tall tree, with the habit of Platonia. It 

 requires a compost of sandy loam and moderately rough 

 leaf mould. Propagated by cuttings of the ripened shoots, 

 inserted, with the leaves intact, in sand, under a bell glass, 

 in heat. 



M. coccinea (scarlet). Hog Gum-tree, fl. white, large, terminal, 

 solitary, hermaphrodite ; sepals five, imbricated ; petals five, much 

 exceeding the calyx. May. I. oblong, acute at both ends, with 

 an incurved point, coriaceous, dotless. h. 40ft. Guiana, 1825. A 

 fluid pellucid juice issues from incisions in the trunk, which 

 hardens into a valuable medicinal resin. It is said that, in 

 Jamaica, hogs, when injured, rub themselves against the tree, in 

 order to become smeared with the juice hence the common 



Included under Ixia (which see). 

 MORUS (the old Latin name for the Mulberry). 

 Mulberry. OBD. Urticacece. Some ten or twelve species 

 have been referred, by various authors, to this genus; 

 these may probably be reduced to about five. They are 

 milky-juiced, mostly hardy deciduous trees or shrubs, 

 extending over the temperate regions of the Northern 

 hemisphere, and also found on tropical mountains. 

 Flowers greenish-white, inconspicuous, unisexual, borne 

 in separate, axillary, catkin-like spikes. Fruit oblong, 

 juicy, composed of numerous egg-shaped, compressed 

 achenes covered by the enlarged succulent calyces. Leaves 

 alternate, toothed, entire or three-lobed, three-nerved at 

 base ; stipules lateral, small, caducous. M. alba and 

 M. nibra grow well in almost any rather dry soil, the 

 latter being the hardier of the two. Propagated freely by 

 cuttings, which may be inserted in a shady border in 

 spring or autumn. The species here given are those 

 best known to cultivation, and are all hardy. For cultiva- 

 tion of M. nigra, see Mulberry. 



M. alba (white). White Mulberry, fl. greenish-white. May. 

 jr. white or pale red ; ripe in September ; inferior to the Black 

 "in flavour, being less brisk and sharp. I. with a deep scallop 

 at the base, and either cordate or ovate, undivided or lobed, ser- 

 rated with unequal teeth, glossy ; basal sinus equal. A. 20ft. to 

 30ft. Asia, 1596 (naturalised in many countries). There are a 

 great many varieties of this species, those grown in Lombardy and 

 other parts of Italy being the most esteemed. In Europe, the 

 White Mulberry is most generally cultivated for its leaves, which 

 are used for feeding silkworms. 



M. nigra (black). Common Black Mulberry, fl. greenish-white. 

 June. fr. oblong, red or black ; ripe in August. I. cordate. 

 bluntish, or slightly lobed with about five lobes, unequally 

 toothed, rough, h. 20ft. to 30ft. Orient, 1548. This species 

 is cultivated on account of its very wholesome and refreshing 

 fruit ; and also for the leaves, which are used for rearing silk- 

 worms. (B. M. PI. 229 ; W. D. B. ii.159.) See also Mulberry. 

 M. rubra (red), fl. greenish-yellow. July. fr. red, long, pleasant 

 to the taste; ripe in September. I. cordate-ovate, acuminate, 

 three-lobed or palmate, serrated with equal teeth, rough, some- 

 what villous ; under surface very tomentose and soft. . 40ft. to 

 70ft. Northern United States, 1629. 



MOSCHARIA (from Moschos, Musk; alluding to 

 its fragrance). STNS. Gastrocarpha, Mosigia. OBD. Com- 

 posite. A monotypic genus, similar in habit to Sonchus, 



Vol. II. 



Moscharia continued. 



with the involucre of five or six spreading leafy bracts, 

 and the pappus consisting of very short lanceolate, ciliate, 

 chaffy scales. The species is an erect, hardy annual, 

 of easy culture in ordinary soil. Seeds should be sown 

 in April, in a gentle heat, and the plants transferred 

 to the open borders in May or June. 



M. pinnatlfida (pinna tifid). JL -heads white, in loose panicles 

 at the apices of the branches, shortly pedunculate ; involucre 

 sub-globose ; receptacle small, convex. July. I. alternate, pin- 

 natitid. h. 6in. Chili, 1823. (B. R. 1564 ; S. B. F. G. 229, under 

 name of Gastrocarptia runcinata.) 



MOSIGIA. A synonym of Moscharia (which see). 



MOSSES (Musci). These are well-known to every- 

 one, at least as regards their general appearance. They 

 possess distinct leaves and stems, the latter bearing 

 below root-hairs, which act as roots for their benefit. 

 All parts of the plants are made up of cells, without 

 vessels among them ; but some cells are long, and form 

 a kind of central thread in the stem, and also a mid- 

 rib in each leaf. Mosses vary in size from a little over 

 &in. (Buxbaumia) to several feet in length of stem (Fon- 

 tvnalis), but usually range between in. and an inch or 

 two high. The leaves are always small, and are usually 

 numerous. If the life history of any Moss be traced 

 out, it will be found to be nearly as follows, if we com- 

 mence with one of the minute one-celled spores. The 

 spore pushes out a fine filament, which branches, and 

 forms buds here and there on the branches ; each bud 

 grows larger, and forms a plant with stem and leaves. 

 On this plant, at certain periods, grow parts that corre- 

 spond in use to the young seeds (ovules) and the pollen 

 of flowering plants. From their union, there results the 

 so-called fruit of the Moss, or the capsule, usually 

 supported on a stalk. The capsule, with its stalk, is 

 really a new plant, imbedded by the base in the leafy 

 plant, and nourished by absorbing sap from it. The 

 capsule has usually a rod of tissue running up its 

 centre, with a space all round between this and the 

 sides, and in this space are formed the spores. When 

 the spores are ripe, they are set free, either by slits 

 formed in the sides of the capsule, or, more often, by 

 a lid (operculum) falling off. Below this lid, there is 

 usually a row (at times two rows) of membranous 

 teeth, always in multiples of four, forming) the peristome. 

 In the classification of Mosses, considerable stress is laid 

 on the nature of the peristome, and of its teeth. 



Uses. The direct uses of Mosses to mankind are 

 very few. In gardening operations "Moss" is largely 

 used to maintain moisture around plants in pots, &c., 

 or epiphytes, such as many tropical Orchids. This 

 is a Sphagnum, or Bog Moss, a genus of which numerous 

 species and varieties occur in Britain. Its peculiar 

 power of absorbing moisture is due to many of the 

 outer cells having openings into them, so as to permit 

 free ingress and egress of the water, which is sucked 

 up by the Moss, just as in a sponge. Sphagnum is also 

 an excellent material for packing fragile articles which 

 it is necessary to send, by train or by other means, to a 

 distance. The various kinds of Sphagnum love low, 

 swampy ground ; they aid much in the formation of peat. 

 Other uses of Mosses are but few and unimportant. 

 Brushes are at times made of the stems of Hair Moss 

 (Polytrichum). 



Injuries. Direct injuries to man from Mosses are even 

 fewer than direct benefits ; but harm in gardens may 

 result from Moss on trees, and on gravel walks, or on 

 the soil of gardens, lawns, &c. Moss on gravel walks 

 generally indicates damp sub-soil; good drainage is there- 

 fore essential for its prevention. If it appears, it may 

 be kept within bounds by loosening the surface. Watering 

 with a solution of copper sulphate (blue vitriol), or of 

 corrosive sublimate, is useful if the walk is not of large 

 extent. Moss on garden soil, and on lawns, is very hurt- 

 ful in crushing out the plants that are of use, or are 



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