2068 



MORINGA 



MORMODES 



across: pod often 1J^ ft. long, 9-ribbed, bearing 3- 

 angled, winged seeds. India, but now spontaneous in 

 parts of the W. Indies. The horse-radish tree is so 

 named from the pungent taste of the root, which is 



2388. Moringa oleif era 



the horse-radish tree. 



(XJO 



sometimes eaten. The 

 young fr. is also edible. 

 The seeds (called ben- 

 nuts) yield an oil which 

 is more or less used in 

 the arts. The tree is 

 sometimes cult, in the 

 extreme S. U. S.; it has 

 been grown in S. Calif, 

 for many years. 



L. H. B. 



MORISIA (G. G. Moris, 1796-1869, Italian botanist). 

 Cruciferse. One perennial, excellent in alpine gardening, 

 from Corsica and Sardinia, M. hypogaea, Gay. Fig. 

 2389. Sts. short or none, the underground part spreading 

 horizontally and sending up many linear, pinnatisect or 

 pinnatifid Ivs. 3 in. long: fls. golden yellow, in spring 

 and early summer, solitary but numerous and large 

 (%in. diam.); sepals erect, linear-oblong and obtuse; 

 petals spatulate: scape decurving and burying the fr., 

 the latter J^in. or more long and ripening under ground. 

 B.M. 7598. G. 34:323. L. H. B. 



MORISONIA (Robert Morison, British botanist, 

 1628-1683). Capparidacese. Woody plants of very 

 few species, in the West Indies and South America, one 

 of which is listed abroad: a warmhouse subject, grown 

 for its bloom. 



Plants unarmed: Ivs. simple, petioled, coriaceous: fls. 

 in many-fld. axillary or terminal clusters, large or 

 small; calyx tubular or campanulate, splitting; corolla 

 of 4 obtuse petals; stamens 6-20, shorter or longer than 

 the corolla, with subulate filaments; ovary 4-celled, 

 stalked: fr. a globose berry. M. americana, Linn. Low 

 tree: Ivs. oblong, at first with lepidote scales, shining, 

 about 6 in. long: fls. white, petals and the infl. scurfy: 

 berry 1 J^-2 in. diam. W.Indies, Colombia. L jj, g 



MORMODES (Greek, a grotesque creature). Orchi- 

 dacese. Rather large plants remarkable for the inter- 

 esting form of their flowers, which suggested the name 

 given to the genus by Lindley. 



Pseudobulbs long, tapering, sheathed by the dry 

 bases of the fallen Ivs. : Ivs. long, plaited, deciduous in 

 the autumn: raceme from the base of the pseudobulbs, 

 bearing many showy fls.; sepals and petals subequal, 

 mostly narrow; labellum firmly united with the column, 

 with revolute margins, rarely concave, turned to one 

 side; column without appendages, twisted in the oppo- 

 site direction from the labellum. Distinguished from 

 the closely related genus Catasetum by its perfect fls. 

 and wingless column. About 20 species in Colombia, 

 Cent. Amer. and Mex. 



Mormodes are commonly found in poor condition 

 among the collections, which is the result of neglect 

 rather than difficulty of cultivation. They should be 

 grown in small baskets suspended from the roof, in a 

 compost of equal parts of clean chopped peat fiber, 

 sphagnum and sod, interspersed by nodules of charcoal, 

 and the whole pressed in firmly around the roots. The 

 roots like to work among the charcoal, and this also 

 serves the purpose of dividing the compost, thereby 

 allowing it to dry out more readily. Mormodes do not 

 require an abundance of water at any time, and the 

 compost should be allowed to dry out frequently during 

 the growing season. When at rest, an occasional appli- 

 cation will suffice to keep the soil moist and the pseudo- 

 bulbs from shriveling. Re-basketing should take place 

 at the commencement of new growth in spring. They 

 all require warmhouse temperature; the cattleya or 

 cypripedium department affords them a proper loca- 

 tion as to temperature and moisture. (Robert M. 

 Grey.) 



Colossus, Reichb. f. Pseudobulbs 6-12 in. long, 

 clothed with brown sheaths: Ivs. elliptic-ovate, 10-15 

 in. long, plaited: raceme inclined, 2 ft. long, with the 

 stalk; fls. 5-6 in. across; sepals and petals narrow- 

 lanceolate, spreading or reflexed, with recurved mar- 

 gins, pink below, changing to yellow toward the upper 

 portion; labellum ovate, long-acuminate, very revolute, 

 yellow, somewhat sprinkled with pink dots. March. 

 Cent. Amer. B.M. 5840. A plant of striking appear- 

 ance. 



pardina, Batem. Pseudobulbs 4-7 in. high, st.-like, 

 sheathed by the bases of the lanceolate, striate Ivs., 

 which are 4 times as long: raceme nodding, many-fld., 

 shorter than the Ivs.; fls. yellow, spotted with reddish 

 purple, fragrant, crowded on the upper end of the stalk; 

 sepals and petals ovate, pointed, convergent; labellum 

 nearly like the segms. but with 2 lateral acute lobes. 

 July, Aug. Mex. B.M. 3900. F.C. 3:113. A curious 

 and rather rare plant. Var. unicolor, Hook. (M . citrina, 

 Hort.). Fls. of one color, all yellow. B.M. 3879. I.H. 

 1:25. G.C. III. 14:181. Var. aurantiaca, Rolfe. 

 Sepals and petals golden yellow; labellum yellow. 

 I.H. 39:144. 



Buccinator, Lindl. Plants 1-2 ft. high: Ivs. lanceo- 

 late, membranous, striate: fls. pale green, with an 



2389. Morisia hypogaea. ( X K) 



ivory-white lip; sepals linear-oblong, the lateral ones 

 reflexed; petals erect; labellum subrotund-cuneate, with 

 the sides rolled back, giving it the appearance of a 

 trumpet. April. Mex. B.M. 4455 (M. lentiginosa) . 

 Var. aurantiaca, Rolfe. Differs in its golden fls. B.M. 

 8041. Var. Rolfei, Hort. Sepals and petals 



