MICONIA 



MICROKENTIA 



2047 



or campanulate and truncate or dentate. They propa- 

 gate by cuttings of the firm wood over bottom heat. 

 The plants should be screened from the direct glare of 

 the sun, and be given abundance of water. Use a fibrous 

 soil. Since the plants are known to gardeners mostly 

 for their foliage, it is probable that some of the trade 

 species are referred to wrong genera. Flowers are not 

 always known when the plants are named. Some of the 

 names have no standing in botanical literature. For 

 culture, see Melastoma and Medinilla. 



magmfica, Triana (Cyanophyllum magnificum, Hort.). 

 Fig. 2370. Reaching several feet in height as grown 

 under glass (probably a tree in its native place), ro- 

 bust: Ivs. very large (becoming 2-2 Y^ ft. long), broad- 

 ovate and wavy-edged, arched, rugose, upper surface 

 lustrous green, lower surface red, the very prominent 

 veins white or light-colored: fls. small, panicled. Mex. 

 R.H. 1859, p. 359. Discovered by Ghiesbrecht and 

 first shown by Linden in 1857. One of the best and most 

 striking of all conservatory foliage subjects. Voss 

 (Blumengartnerei) refers this species to the genus 

 Tamonea and calls it T. magnifica, Voss. M. velfttina, 

 Lind. & Rod. (I.H. 41 :21), of Brazil, is perhaps a form 

 of it; the Ivs. are not arched and colors are more 

 bronzy. 



spectanda, Rod. (Cyanophyllum spectdndum, Nichols.) . 

 Lvs. oval, 1J^ ft. or less long, 6-7 in. broad in the mid- 

 dle, the upper surface dark lustrous green, under side 

 greenish red, the midrib prominent and gray. Brazil. 



denticulata, Naudin (Melastoma denticuldtum, Bonpl., 

 not Hort.?). Branches obtusely 4-angled; the young 

 branches, Ivs. and calyx furfuraceous: Ivs. narrow- 

 ovate, somewhat obtuse, 3-nerved, base rounded, 

 minutely serrulate: fls. pedicillate, aggregated in pani- 

 cles; petals subrotund, small; calyx somewhat hemi- 

 spherical. Ecuador. L jj B_ 



MICRANTHUS (small flower). Acanthdcese. Two 

 genera, one iridaceous and one acanthaceous, bear the 

 name Micranthus. The acanthaceous genus now 

 becomes Phaulopsis (or Phaylopsis), which see. The 

 iridaceous genus Micranthus comprises two species 

 from the Cape, allied to Watsonia but differing in the 

 very short tube of the small straight perianth, the fls. 

 in long dense distichous spikes. They appear to be not 

 in regular cult. The species are M. spicdtus, Pers., 

 rose-colored, and M. plantagineus, Eckl., blue. 



MICROCITRUS (from the Greek for small and 

 Citrus). Rutdcese, tribe Citrese. Small spiny trees or 

 shrubs, closely related to Citrus, but differing in hav- 

 ing dimorphic foliage, very small fls., free stamens, 

 very short pistil, few-celled, ovary and in the presence 

 of cataphylls in the seedling. 



Four species of this new Australian genus (see Swingle 

 in Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 5:570) are at present known. 



australasica, Swingle (Citrus australasica, F. Muell.). 

 FINGER-LIME. Spiny shrub or small tree, 15-30 or even 

 40 ft. in height, native to the mountain scrubs of N. New 

 S. Wales and Queensland : juvenile Ivs. very small, oval 

 or ovate, on stiff spreading branchlets; mature Ivs. 

 small, obovate, cuneate or rhomboidal, l /<-\ % x Y^-Y^ 

 in.: frs. finger-shaped, 2>-4 x %-l in., smooth-skinned. 

 111. Wash. Acad. Sci. 5:572, figs. 1-4. Young plants of 

 the finger-lime are very ornamental, haying successive 

 tiers of horizontal spiny branchlets with juvenile foliage 

 somewhat like a young araucaria. They flower and fruit 

 when but a few years old. The finger-shaped frs. contain 

 a rather disagreeably pungent acid juice. This species 

 is promising for breeding purposes because of its hardi- 

 ness. It is also promising for use as a hedge plant in 

 warm climates because of its dense spiny branches, dwarf 

 habit, and ability to grow from cuttings. A variety of this 

 species (M. australasica var. sanguinea), the red-fruited 

 finger-lime, has blood-red frs. with a pinkish pulp. 



Garrowayi, Swingle (Citrus Gdrrowayi, F. M. Bailey.) 

 GARROWAY'S FINGER-LIME. Small spiny tree from N. 

 Queensland: juvenile Ivs. very small, on stiff spreading 

 branchlets: frs. oval, 2-23^ x 1-1 % m -> rough-skinned, 

 5-celled. This species, recently introduced into this 

 country, is very closely related to M. australasica. 



australis, Swingle (Citrus australis, Planch.). DOOJA. 

 Round-fruited Australian lime, native to the subtropical 

 coastal forests of New S. Wales and Queensland: juve- 

 nile Ivs. linear, on flexuose branches; mature Ivs. ovate 

 or elongate-rhomboidal, l-2x^-^in.; frs. round, 

 rough-skinned, 1-23^ or even 3 in. diam., 5- (rarely 6- 

 or 7-) celled. 111. Penzig, Studi s. Agrumi, pi. 21, figs. 

 8-12. The dooja is one of the most interesting Austral- 

 ian citrous frs. It reaches a- height of 30 to 60 ft. and 

 bears frs. said to reach 2^ or even 3 in. diam. The 

 growing shoots and immature Ivs. on plants cult, in the 

 open are of a deep wine-red color. Because of its vigor 

 this species is of interest for use as a stock. It shows 

 considerable resistance to winter cold in Calif. 



inod&ra, Swingle (Citrus inoddra, F. M. Bailey). THE 

 RUSSELL RIVER LIME. A spiny tree, bearing ribbed frs., 

 native to Queensland: Ivs. large, 3-7 x \Yr^Yi in., lan- 

 ceolate, not articulated with the petiole which is very 

 short; fls. inodorous: frs. ribbed, 22 3^ x 1% m -> oval, 

 8-celled. 111. Bail. Fl. Queensland, 1, pi. 10, 1899. The 

 Russell River lime in the wild state bears edible frs. said 

 to equal in flavor the West India lime. This has not 

 yet been intro. into culture. WALTER T. SWINGLE. 



MICROC^CAS (small cycas). Cycaddcese. One spe- 

 cies in Cuba, differing from Zamia in the character of 

 the floral scales (masculine scales plane and obtuse, the 

 feminine thickened at the apex and truncate); caudex 

 cylindrical, covered with bases of the petioles. M. 

 calocoma, A. DC. (Zamia caldcoma, Miq.), has a 

 dwarf trunk and Ivs. 3 ft. long: Ifts. about 80 pairs, 

 long-linear, acuminate, revolute, parallel-nerved: foli- 

 age pubescent. Probably not offered. 



MICROGLOSSA (small tongue, because the ligules 

 are short). Compdsitse. Nine or 10 Asiatic and African 

 shrubs, sometimes climbing, allied to Erigeron and 

 Aster, very little grown: Ivs. mostly entire and alter- 

 nate: fls. in small corymbose or panicled heads with 

 very small white or bluish rays; ray-fls. in 1 to many 

 series, pistillate and fertile; disk-fls. perfect and fertile, 

 with 3-4-toothed dilated limb; involucre of many- 

 rowed narrow bracts, the outer shorter; receptacle flat, 

 nearly or quite naked: achene angled, bearing copious 

 slender pappus-hairs. M. albescens, Clarke (Aster 

 albescens, Wall.), occurs in horticultural literature: 

 erect, with faintly grooved branches: Ivs. lanceolate, 

 entire or slightly serrate, hoary beneath: heads 3^m. 

 diam., with bluish or whitish ligules. Temperate 

 Himalaya. R.H. 1907, p. 523. 



MICROKENTIA (smatt or minute Kentia). Pal- 

 mdcese. Here may belong the plant known to the trade 

 as Kentia gracilis. Microkentia is a genus of 6 species 

 of palms from New Caledonia. They are unarmed, with 

 slender bamboo-like ringed trunks. The Ivs. are 

 terminal, pinnatisect, and the If.-segms. are long- 

 sword-shaped and distinct, or the upper ones grown 

 together into a broad 2-cut blade. The frs. in this genus 

 are amongst the smallest in the palm family. The fls. 

 also are minute. The true kentias, of which perhaps 

 none is cult., have larger fls. and frs., the former white, 

 the latter vermilion. The anthers are fixed at the base 

 in Kentia, but dorsifixed and versatile in Microkentia. 

 Microkentia is nearer Clinostigma and Cyphosperma, 

 but in these the If.-segms. are irregularly cut off at the 

 apex. Kentia gracilis, Brongn. & Gris. = Microkentia 

 gracilis, Benth. & Hook. It is possible that the Kentia 

 gracilis of the trade is Kentiopsis divaricata. None of 

 the other species is known in cult. jq-. TAYLOR.! 



