M A L 



M A L 



«bcortlate, pcdlccllcd, surrounding the germ, 

 shorter than the calyx : the stamina have live 

 filaiiMints, capillary, placed on the nectary, united 

 at the base, shorter than the calyx : anthers ob- 

 long, acuminate, erect: the pistillum is a sub- 

 pi,dicclled germ,obovate, five-aiigicd : styles five, 

 bristle-shaped, erect, the length of the petals: 

 stigmas simple: the pcricarpiuni is an ovate 

 capsule, five-celled, five-valvcd : the seeds few, 

 and kidney-form. 



The specif-s cultivated are: I. M. pbiiiafa. 

 Wing-leaved Mahernia ; 2. M. incisa, Cut- 

 Icavtd Mahernia. 



The first rises with a shrubby stem near three 

 feet high, sending out many slender delicate 

 branches, covered with a reddish bark : the 

 flowers come out from the side of the branches 

 in small clusters, are of a lively red when they 

 first open, and hang down like iiitle bells, com- 

 monly two together ; appearing from June to 

 AueuU and September. It is a native of the 

 Cape, 



In the second species, the stalks to the naked 

 eye discover a manifest roughness ; with a mag- 

 nifying glass, it appears that they are beset on 

 every side with little protuberances, whence issue 

 tufts of pellucid hairs, and here and there a 

 single hair is discoverable with a small red viscid 

 globule at its extremity : a portion of the stalk, 

 when highly magnified, somewhat resembles 

 that of the creeping Cereus : the leaves, which 

 arc not so manifestly hairy as the stalk and 

 calyxes, are deeply jagged on the edges, and 

 somewhat resemble tliose of Pelargoniwn Tri- 

 color : the flowers when in bud are of the rich- 

 est crimson : as they open they incline to a deep 

 orange, and finally become yellowish. It is a 

 native of the Cape. 



Culture. — These plants may be increased by 

 planting cuttings of the young branches in the 

 summer season singly, in pots of light mould, 

 watering them, and plunging them in a hot- 

 bed till they have stricken root. When thev 

 Lave become well rooted, they may be removed 

 into the green-house for protection during the 

 winter season ; being managed as the less tender 

 plants of this sort. 



They afford variety among other potted plants 

 of a similar kind. 



MAHOGANY TREE. See Swietenia. 



MAIDENHAIR TREE. See Salisburia. 



MALABAR NUT. See .Iusticia. 



MALE BALSAM APPLE. See Momor- 



BICA. 



MALLOW. See Malva. 

 MALLOW, INDIAN. See Sida. 

 MALLOW TREE. See Lavateua. 



MALLOW, VENICE. See Hiisiscus. 

 MALOi^E, a genus containing a plant of the 

 herbaceous kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Mojutildpli'irt 

 Poh/a/idriri, and ranks in the natural ordtr of 

 Cvlinnniftrcp. 



The characters are: that the calyx is a double 

 perianthium : outer three -leaved, broader : leaf- 

 lets cordate, acute, permanent : inner one-leaf- 

 ed, half-five-cleft, more erect, permanent : the 

 corolla has five obcordate petals, prffimorse, 

 spreading, fastened to the tube of the stamens 

 at the base : the stamina have numerous fila- 

 ments, at bottom united into a tube, above, 

 at, and below the apex of the tube, separate 

 and loose : anthers almost kidney-form : the 

 pistillum has roundish aerms : style simple, the 

 length of the stamens : stigmas many, simple, 

 bristle-shaped : the pcricarpiuni is a roundish 

 capsule, many-celled : ceils z<i many as there 

 are stigmas, conglomerated into a head: the 

 seeds solitary and kidneyi-fornT. 



The species cultivated is M. Malaco'ides, 

 Betony-leavcd Malopc. 



In the whole plant it has greatly the appear- 

 ance of the mallow, but differs from it in hav- 

 ing the cells collected into a button,, soraewhat 

 like a blackberry : the branches spread, and lie 

 almost flat upon the ground, extending a foot 

 or more each way : the flowers are produced 

 singly upon long axillary peduncles, and are in 

 shape and colour like those of the mallow. It is 

 a native of Tuscany, Sec. 



Culture. — This maybe increased bv sowing the 

 seeds, in the places where the plants are design- 

 ed to remain, as it does not bear transplanting 

 well : when they are sown upon a warm border 

 in August, the plants also frequently stand 

 through the winter, and flower early the fol- 

 lowing season, so as to produce good seeds : but 

 when sown in the spring, this is rarely the case. 



The plants sown in the spring in pots should 

 be protected m winter under a frame. They 

 seldom continue longer than two or three years. 



They afford variety among other plants in the 

 borders, &c. 



MALPIGHIA, a genus containing plants of 

 the exotic evergreen shrubby kind, for the stove. 



It belongs to the class and order Decandria 

 Tr'igijnia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Triliilaice. 



The characters are : that the calyx is a five- 

 leaved erect perianthium, very small, perma- 

 nent, converging: there are two melliferous 

 glands, oval and gibbo\is, fastened to the caly- 

 cine leaflets on the outside and at bottom : the 

 corolla has five petals, kidney-form,, large,. 



