MITELLA 



MIT£LLA (diminutive of miti-ii, a cap; applied to the 

 form of the young pod). Saxifriiiiilrnt . Mitrewort. 

 Bishop' s-CAP. Six or 7 species t»f low. sleuder peren- 

 nials, with somewhat creeping' motstocks ami racemes 

 of small and greenish or white H^. Cluselv rehitcd to 

 Tiarella, but tue petals of tin- lattc r ur.- entire, while in 

 Jlitcll.i they are beautifully 

 piiiiKiiitid. Lvs. round. 

 hrari -shaped, alternate, ex- 

 ir|.i in one species, on root- 

 sTnrk or niiiners, with slen- 

 ilir petioles; those on flow- 

 erliiir Kleins opposite, if anv- 

 e.-ilw short, fi-lohed, tlie 

 I'.Ues valvate in the bud, 

 ^I'leading; petals 5, inserted 

 on throat of calyx, very slen- 

 der; stamens 10 or .^i, very 

 short: fr. soon widely de- 

 hiscent. Natives of N. 

 Amer., 2 species in E.Asia. 

 — Offered by some dealers 

 in native plants. 



A. Scapes \isually leafless. 

 B. Fls. numerous. 

 trifida, Graham. Lvs. 

 round-reniforra or cordate, 

 crenately toothed and some- 

 times incised or lobed, 1-3 

 in. across : scape 9-12 in. 

 long: fls. somewhat scattered 

 on one side of spike; petals 

 M-5-parted, small; stamens 

 5, opposite the calyx lobes. 

 N. Calif, to Brit. Col. and 

 Rocky Mts. 



BB. Fls. few (dbouf 

 5). 

 nida, Linn. Fig. 

 1413. Lvs. rounded or kid- 

 ney-shaped, deeply and dou- 

 bly crenate: raceme 4-6 in. 

 long. Does well in moist 

 shady situations, May-duly. 

 Westward to Brit. Col. A. 

 O. 13:518. 



AA. Scapes bearing leaves. 



B. it'.?, on scape alter- 

 nate. 



caulescens, Nutt. Raceme 

 li>ose ; stamens alternate 

 with the pinnatitid petals. 

 Brit. Col. to Ore. 



BB. Lvs. on scape opposite. 

 diphylla, Linn. Lvs. 

 acutely lie;irt-shaped, some- 

 what :!-■) lobed, toothed: ra- 

 ceme G-8 in. long. May. 

 Eastern U. S. V. 12:189.- 

 A good plant for the rockery. ji. b. Coulston. 



MITREWORT. Mitella. False Mitrewort is riacf«a. 



MITRIOSTlGMA (Ureek. miln-'Sha i>eil stigma ; from 

 the conspicuous stigma, which is club-shaped, the 2-cut 

 summit suggesting a cap). Mubidcece. This includes 

 the charming evergreen tender shrub known to the 

 trade as Gardenia citriodora. It makes a low or medium- 

 sized bush of compact and branching habit and bears a 

 great profusion of fls. which resemble those of the 

 orange in odor, size, color and general appearance. The 

 fls. are white, salver-shaped, ,5-lobed, tipped with pink 

 in the bud, and borne in dense axillary clusters. This 

 delightful plant is a favorite in the South, together with 

 the Cape Jessamine, but is little known in northern con- 

 servatories. The genus contains 2 species. For distinc- 

 tions from Gardenia and Randia, see Gardenia. 



axillire, Hochst. (Gardenia ciirioddra, Hook.). Lvs. 

 opposite, petiolate, elliptic-lanceolate, subacuminate, 



MOLUCCELLA 



1025 



1413. Mitella nuda 

 Nearly natural size 



glabrous; stipules awl-shaped from a broad base : calyx 

 not ribbed, lobes lanceolate, acuminate, equal: corolla 

 tube twice as long as the calyx, lobes obovate, obtuse. 

 S. Afr. B.M. 4987. R.H. 1859, p. 175 ; 188G:348 (excel- 

 lent!). F.S. 12:1254. -v^. jj. 



M'MAHON. See p. 9C3. 



MOCCASIN FLOWER. North American name for 

 species of Ct/prijit dium. 



MOCK ORANGE. See Philadelphus. 



MOHRIA (from DanielMohr, aGerman botanist; died 

 1808). Srhiza'dcew. A genus of South African ferns, 

 having the habit of Cheilanthes, but the sporangia of 

 the Schizteaceje. A single species, M. caffrbrum, is rare 

 in cultivation in America. j^, jj. Underwood. 



MOLE PLANT. Euphorbia Lathijris (see Fig. 800, 

 p. 564). 



MOLlNIA (J. Molina, a writer upon Chilean plants). 

 Gramlnea. A genus of perennial grasses allied to Era- 

 grostis, containing a single species. Native of central 

 Europe and temperate Asia, and sparingly introduced 

 in the United States. Panicle contracted: spikelets 2-4- 

 fld., more or less purplish: glumes somewhat unequal: 

 fl. -glume 3-nerved, rounded on back, pointed butawnless. 



caerdlea, Moench (A'ira cariileu, Linn.). Culms tutted, 

 1-3 ft. high: lvs. rather rigid, slender pointed. The 

 usual fiirm in cult, is var. variegata, with striped lvs., 

 used for bedding. a. S. Hitchoook. 



MOLUCCA BALM. MolucceUa Icevis. 



MOLnCC£LLA (diminutive made from Molucca). 

 Also written Mullucella. Labidta^. This includes the 

 Shell Flower, a quaint old annual plant, that self-sows 







1414. MolucceUa laevis (XJ:,) 



in old-fashioned gardens, but is now rarely advertised 

 for sale. Its chief feature is its great cup-shaped calyx 

 an inch long, which is much larger than the inconspicu- 

 ous corolla (See Pig. 1414.) Later four white seeds or 



