2076 



MULGEDIUM 



MUSA 



beneath, the terminal lobe large and cordate: panicle 

 lax, hispid, with blue-rayed heads of size of chicory; 

 involucre sparsely hispid. Said by the older botanists 

 to come from N. Amer., but probably European. 



M. Bourgxi, Boiss.=Lactuca Bourgai, described on p. 1766. 

 M. gigantbum, Hort. (Lactuca gigantea, Hort.) Perennial, 6-8 ft.: 

 fls. blue-violet, paniculate. Probably of garden origin, or a form of 

 some robust species. M. Plumieri, DC. (Lactuca Plumieri, Gren. 

 & Godr.). Perennial, glabrous: st. erect: Ivs. runcinate-pinnatifid, 

 somewhat glaucous beneath : panicle sub-corymbose, bearing rather 

 large blue-rayed heads. Mountains of Cent, and S. Eu. 



L. H. B. 



MULLEIN: Verbascum. M. Pink: Lychnis Coronaria. 



MURRJEA or MURRAYA (one of the Rutacese, 

 named for J. A. Murray, 1740-1791, professor in 

 Gottingen) is now referred to Chalcas (Volume II, 

 page 729). There is only one of the species in general 

 cultivation, the orange jessamine, Chalcas exotica (or 

 M. exotica), from India, China, Australia and the 

 Pacific islands. P. J. Berckmans writes (A. F. 11:1367, 

 with picture) that it "needs ample pot room and a 

 liberal supply of plant-food. An annual application of 

 bone-meal when repotting in February intensifies the 

 color of the foliage, increases the size of the flowers, and 

 causes it to bloom more frequently. When properly 

 treated, the first crop of flowers usually appears here 

 [Georgia] during May, another during July, and this is 

 succeeded at intervals of from four -to six weeks until 

 fall. For winter, give it the temperature of a cool 

 greenhouse, but during summer it thrives best when 

 given full sunshine outdoors." The other species of 

 Chalcas, of which there are perhaps a half-dozen in 

 the Indo-Malay region, are probably not in cultivation 

 in this country. Chalcas paniculdta, Linn. (M. panic- 

 uldta, Jack), is probably a form of C. exotica. It is the 

 satinwood or cosmetic bark tree. Arboreous: corymbs 

 few-fld. or fls. solitary. The wood of this species is 

 considerably used because of its strength and endurance 

 and light yellow color. The bark is used as a cosmetic. 



C. Kamigii, Kurz. (M. Koenigii, Spreng.). Lvs. 10-20-foliolate, 



a" escent or rarely glabrous. Along the foot of the Himalayas in 

 a. A small, strong-smelling tree. The bark, Ivs. and roots of 

 this species are used in India as a tonic. Other little-known spe- 

 cies occur in India and Indo-China. 



WALTER T. SWINGLE, f 



MUSA (named after Antonio Musa, physician to 

 Octavius Augustus, first emperor of Rome, 63-14 B. 

 C.). Musacese. The largest of tree-like herbs, grown 

 for the ornament of their large striking foliage, for fruit, 

 and for fiber. 



Bulbous or with perennial rootstocks: Ivs. usually 

 gigantic, entire, oblong or elliptic, pinnately parallel- 

 veined, arranged in a loose rosette, sometimes dark 

 above and glaucous beneath, with a narrow red edge, 

 usually bright green on both sides; in the young state 

 with narrow hyaline margins beautifully crimsoned or 

 white; midrib with a deep rounded groove above; 

 sheathing petioles long or short, forming a false st.- 

 like structure: fls. unisexual, in half -whorl-like clusters 

 in a terminal spike (Fig. 462, Vol. I), each cluster sub- 

 tended by a large spathe-like, colored bract, and all 

 borne on a long or short often velvety or puberulent 

 rachis emerging from the center of the leafy envelopes 

 at the top of the false st.; lower clusters female, upper 

 male (actually hermaphrodite female and hermaphro- 

 dite male, the opposing parts being dwarfed, functionless - 

 or sometimes absent) ; perianth consisting of a calyx at 

 first tubular but soon splitting down one side with a 

 3-5-toothed apex and opposite the calyx a single 

 simple or 3-toothed petal; stamens normally 6, 5 with 

 2-celled vasifixed anthers, the sixth usually suppressed; 

 ovary inferior, 3-celled, cells with many superposed 

 ovules: fr. a large berry, short or elongated, pulpy or 

 dry, angular, oblong or cylindrical; seeds when pro- 

 duced are J^-^in. diam., subglobose or angled by pres- 

 sure, testa hard, indented at the base and apex, albumen 



mealy, embryo subtruncate. Sixty-seven species and 

 over 200 cult, varieties are known, native of Trop. 

 Asia, Afr., Austral, and adjacent islands. The fruit 

 of the banana is of great importance in the tropics for 

 food. It is imported in large quantities into the U. S. 

 from W. Indies and Cent. Amer. and grown in the Gulf 

 States (see Banana). Several ornamental species are 

 grown extensively in the N. and are hardy from 38 

 north to 35 south latitude. Latest publications : Baker, 

 Species and Principal Varieties of Musa, K.B. 229-314 

 (1894). Schumann, Das Pflanzenreich 45 : 13-28 (1900). 

 Fawcett, The Banana, Its Cultivation, Distribution 

 and Commercial Uses, 1913. Popenoe, Origin of the 

 Banana, Journal of Heredity 5:273-280 (1914). 



When plants of a most gorgeous tropical effect are 

 wanted, they will always be found among the musas. 

 To grow these plants to perfection, a large greenhouse 

 will be required. The musas can be increased from suck- 

 ers, which are found around old plants, and which can 

 readily be separated from the parent plant with a piece 

 of root. These suckers may be potted up into 4-, 5- or 

 6-inch pots, using a compost of fibrous loam three parts, 

 well-decayed cow-manure one part, enough sand to 



2403. Musa Ensete. 



keep it open and porous, and a good dash of bone-meal. 

 Pot each sucker firmly. These young plants should be 

 placed in a very close and humid atmosphere so as to 

 encourage quick growth. They prefer a night tempera- 

 ture of not less than 68 with about 10 to 20 more 

 during the day. These young plants may be started 

 anywhere from the middle of February up to the first 

 of April. When they have filled their pots with roots, 

 they can be shifted into pots two sizes larger. These 

 shifts can be kept up until they are in tubs 2 feet 

 square. As the shifts become larger make the compost 

 richer, as they are rank feeders. When musas are grown 

 for decorative purposes, it will be found convenient to 

 have them in tubs as they are more easily moved. 

 When they are wanted to show the production of fine 

 fruit, they should be planted out in the middle of a 

 roomy house where the night temperature does not 

 fall below 65. During the spring and summer months, 

 let the temperature increase in proportion to the out- 

 side conditions, as musas delight in a high temperature. 

 They will stand much feeding and should be given 

 liquid manure once or twice a week during the spring 

 and summer months. By giving care to watering, 

 syringing and ventilation, they will grow rapidly. 

 While musas like plenty of sunshine, they are some- 



