M R 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



M OR 



139 



2. Monsonia Lobata; Broad-leaved Monsonia. Leaves 

 cordate-lobed, toothed. Native of the Cape. 



3. Monsonia Ovata ; Undulated Monsonia. Leaves oblong, 

 subcordate, crenate. waved. Native of the Cape. 



4. Monsonia Spinosa; Thorny Monsonia. Leaves elliptical, 

 pointed, entire; footstalks permanent, hardened into thorns. 

 Stem shrubby, branched, beset with thorns. Native place 

 uncertain. 



Montia ; a genus of the class Triandria, order Trigynia. 

 GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth two-leaved; 

 leaflets ovate, concave, blunt, erect, permanent. Corolla: 

 one-petalled, five-parted, three of the segments alternate, 

 smaller, staminiferous. Stamina: filamenta three, capillary, 

 the length of the corolla, into which they are inserted ; antherce 

 small. Pistil: germen turbinate; styles three, villose, spread- 

 ing; stigmas simple. Pericarp: capsule turbinate, blunt, 

 covered, one-celled, three-valved. Seeds: three, roundish. 

 Observe. The calix often varies with three leaflets, and then 

 it often produces five stamina. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. 

 Calix: two-leaved. Corolla: one-petalled, irregular. Cap- 

 sule: one-celled, two-valved. The only known species is, 



1. Montia Fontana ; Water Chichweed. Root annual, 

 fibrous; stalks numerous, round, smooth, succulent, reddish, 

 spreading on the ground, and sometimes striking root, two 

 or three inches in length, branched and jointed; leaves oppo- 

 site, sessile, oblong, rather fleshy, smooth, and of a pale 

 green colour; peduncles generally three together, each sup- 

 porting a flower; corolla white. The flowers usually appear 

 in a half-opened state, whence o'ne of the English names 

 Blinks : but when the sun shines on them, they expand. 

 Native of many parts of Europe ; flowering in May, and 

 ripening its seed early in June. In England it is found on 

 Black-heath, Hampstead-heath, Hanging-wood, Charlton, 

 about Streatham and Sydenham ; on Harefield Common ; 

 and on the wet heaths in Norfolk; on the Hill of Health, 

 and Gamlingay Heath, Cambridgeshire ; at Badby in North- 

 amptonshire ; Bridgeford in Nottinghamshire ; Hockley Pool 

 Grate, near Birmingham ; Shotover-hill and South Leigh- 

 heath in Oxfordshire ; and Marazion-marsh in Cornwall. 



Montinia; a genus of the class Dioecia, order Tetrandria; 

 (according to Smith, class Tetrandria, order Monogynia.) 

 GENERIC CHARACTER. Male. Calix: perianth four- 

 toothed, very short, erect. Corolla: petals four, ovate, very 

 blunt, spreading, inserted into the calix. Stamina : filamenta 

 four. Female. Calix: superior, and as in the male. Co- 

 rolla: as in the male. Stamina: filamenta four, within the 

 teeth of the calix, very short; aritherse none. Pistil: ger- 

 men inferior, concave-plane, smooth ; style cylindric, thick, 

 bifid, shorter than the corolla ; stigmas kindney-form. Peri- 

 carp: capsule ovate-oblong, two-celled, gapinglongitudinally ; 

 partition thick, two-lobed. Seeds: very many, imbricate, 

 ovate, compressed, winged at the edge. Observe. The male 

 flowers are sometimes five-cleft, five-stamined. ESSENTIAL 

 CHARACTER. Male. Calix: four-toothed, superior. Petals: 

 four. Female. Filamenta: barren. Style: bifid. Capsule: 

 oblong, two-celled. The only "known species is, 



1. Montinia Acris; Glaucous Montinia. Leaves alternate, 

 oblong-oval, blunt, nerved, veined, quite entire, smooth, 

 thickish, erect; root woody; stem shrubby, a foot high, 

 flowers terminating, solitary, white. Native of the Cape. 



Moon-seed. See Menispermum. 



Moon Trefoil. See Medicago. 



Moonwort. See Lunaria and Osmunda. 



Morcea ; a genus of the class Triandria, order Monogynia. 

 GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: spathes two-valved. 

 Corolla: six-petalled ; three inner parts spreading, the rest 

 VOL. it. 77. 



as in Iris. Stamina: filamenta three, short; anthers oblong. 

 Pistil: germen inferior; style simple; stigmas three, bifid. 

 Pericarp: capsule three-cornered, three-grooved, three- 

 celled. Seeds: very many, round. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. 

 Corolla: six-petalled, the three innerparts spreading, narrower; 

 stigma trifid. The plants of this genus are propagated by 

 seeds, offsets, or partings of the roots ; all which operations are 

 best performed in August. Sow the seeds in small pots, 

 plunged into a bed of old tanner's bark, under a common frame. 

 They also require this sort of shelter in winter, being apt to 

 draw up weak when placed in the dry-stove. If they can enjoy 

 the free air even in winter when the weather is not cold, and 

 are secured from frost and hard rain, they flower and ripen 

 their seeds better than with more tender management. In sum- 

 mer tuey should be fully exposed to the open air till October, 



when they may be removed into shelter. The species are, 



* Scape ancipital. 



1. Morsea Melaleuca; Dark-flowered Morcea. Scape 

 ancipital ; leaves subfalcate ; flowers subsolitary. Petals 

 alternate, the three outer white, the three inner smaller and 

 black ; stigma many-parted. Native of the Cape. 



2. Morsea Spiralis ; Spiral-flowered Morcea. Scape com- 

 pressed, jointed ; leaves erect ; flowers alternate, mostly di- 

 rected one way. Corolla equal, greenish-white on the out- 

 side, white within, rolled spirally during the night. Native of 

 the Cape. 



3. Morsea Pusilla ; Dwarf Morcea. Scape ancipital; leaves 

 distich ; flowers subsolitary. Corolla blue, becoming spiral 

 when it is past. Native of the Cape. 



4. Morsea Magellanica ; Magellanic Morcea. Stem anci- 

 pital, leafy ; leaves distich, sickle-shaped ; flower terminating, 

 solitary ; corolla white. Native of the Straits of Magellan. 



5. Moreea Gladiata; Sword-leaved Morcea. Scape and 

 leaves compressed; spike lateral, solitary; involucre only 

 half the length of it. Corolla yellow. Native of the Cape. 



6. Morsea Aphylla ; Leafless Morcea. Scape and leaves 

 compressed; spike lateral, solitary; involucre many times 

 shorter. Native of the Cape. 



7. Moroea Filiformis ; Filiform Morcea. Scape and leaves 

 compressed, subfiliform ; flower solitary, terminating. Native 

 of the Cape. 



** Scape round. 



8. Morsea Spathacea ; Sheathy Morcea. Scape and leaves 

 round, hanging down; spikes lateral, aggregate. Corolla 

 yellow. It abounds on the hills near the Cape. 



9. Morssa Flexuosa. Scape round, jointed ; leaf reflex, 

 somewhat waved, nerved. Native of the Cape. 



10. Morsea Polyanthos. Scape round; leaves flexuose, 

 erect, alternate ; segments of the corolla smaller. Flowers 

 one, two, or three ; corolla blue. Native of the Cape. 



1 1. Morsea Coerulea. Scape round ; leaves distich; heads 

 of flowers alternate; spathes membranaceous, entire. Flowers 

 lateral, spike-headed, very many; corolla blue; antheree 

 yellow. Native of the Cape. 



12. Morsea Plicata. Scape round ; leaves petioled, oblong, 

 nerved, plaited; racemes bifid. Flowers white. Native of the 

 West Indies, as in the mountainous pastures of the western 

 parts of Jamaica; flowering the whole year, opening at four 

 o'clock in the afternoon, only one flower coming out at a time. 



13. Morsea Umbellata. Scape round, striated; spikes of 

 flowers umbel-panicled ; involucres two-leaved, very long. 

 Flowers blue. Native of the Cape. 



14. Morsea Crispa. Scape round, jointed; leaf convoluted, 

 curled, reflex. Flowers terminating, peduncled, few of a blue 

 colour. Native of the Cape. 



15. Moreea Iriopetala. Scape round; leaves linear; stigma 

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