M A U 



M E D 



in a hemispherical dislt : females in the ray se- 

 vtnil : proper o!' the hermaphrodite f'lmnel-f'onii, 

 live-cleit, spreading: female oblong, three-tooth- 

 ed : the stamina to the hermaphrodites have 

 live capillary lilaments, very short: aniiicrscv- 

 liadrical, tubular: the pisiillum to tiie herma- 

 phrodites an oblong germ, nai<ed : style filiform, 

 the length of the stamens: stigma bilid, spread- 

 ing: to the females germ naked: style (iliform, 

 almost the length of the hermaphrodite : stigmas 

 two, revolute: there is no periearpium : calyx 

 »nc4ianged: the seeds solitarv, oblong, without 

 any pappus or down, to both sorts of florets : the 

 receptacle naked, and convex. 



The species cultivated is M. partJiemum, 

 Conunon Feverfew. 



It has a perennial or biennial root, composed 

 of a great number of libres, and spreading wide 

 on every side : the stem from two to three feet 

 high, erect, firm, round, striated, slightly hairy, 

 branched on every side : the leaves petioled, al- 

 ternate, pale green, soft and tender, pinnatifld 

 with two or three pairs of ovate jagged pinnas, 

 and a larger one terminating, three-lobed, wedge- 

 shaped, the middle lobe trifid, the side-lobes 

 notched, roughish, slightly hairy : when mag- 

 nified they appear as if sprinkled with minute 

 spangles : the flowering heads solitary, some- 

 times on simple, but oftener on branched pe- 

 duncles, forming together a loose umbel or rather 

 corymb, hairy ; the peduncles are thickest just 

 beneath the flower, and about two inches long. 

 It is a native of many parts of Europe, flower- 

 ing in June. 



There are several varieties, as with full double 

 flowers, with double flowers, having the florets 

 of the ray plane, of tlie disk fistular ; with very 

 small rays ; with very short fistular florets ; with 

 naked heads, having no rays; with naked sul- 

 phur-coloured heads, and with elegant curled 

 kaves. 



Culture. — These plants may be raised from 

 seeds, by parting the roots and cuttings. 



The seeds should be sown in the spring, as 

 March, upon a bed of light earth, and, when 

 they are come up, planted out into nursery-beds, 

 at about eight inches asunder, where they may 

 remain till the middle of May when they should 

 be taken up, with a ball of earth to their roots, 

 and planted in the middle of large borders, or 

 other parts, for flowering. 



They should not be permitted to seed, as it 

 often weakens and decays the roots ; therefore, 

 when their flowers are past, their stems should 

 be cut down, which will cause them to push out 

 fresh heads, whereby the roots may be preserved. 



MAURITIA, a genus containing a plant of 

 the exotic tree kind. 



It belongs to ihe j^lppendix Palmer, and ranks 

 in the natural order of Palms. 



The characters are : that the male-flowers arc 

 in an oblong anient, covered all round with flow- 

 ers, cloiicly approximaling, witli blunt LJcales be- 

 tween tlic flowers : the calyx is a one-leafed, cuj)- 

 shapcdperianthium, truncated, entire, three- sided, 

 short : the corolla is one-petalled : tube short, 

 the length of the calyx : border three-parted : 

 segments equal, spreading a little, lanceolate, 

 rigid (in a manner woody), blunt : the stamina 

 have six filaments inserted into the throat of 

 the tube, thick, very short: anthers linear, an- 

 gular, the length of the segments of the co- 

 rolla; three alternate ones extended between 

 the segments of the corolla, and horizontal ; 

 the three others are generally erect, and pressed 

 close to the channel or the segments : female, 

 unknown. 



The species is M. Jlexuosa, Maidenhair 

 Tree, or Ginkgo. 



It is a singular tree, almost without leaves : 

 the branches are angular, flexuose, smooth, 

 with short joints, thickening up.vards, some- 

 what recurved, terminated by embracing sheaths : 

 with a cup-shaped and sharper knee joint: from 

 the axils of these come out over the whole 

 stem, strobile-shaped aments, in two rows, 

 spreading very much, sessile, with two large 

 upright scales, sickle-shaped upwards at the 

 base: theamentsovate-oblong,cylindric, covered 

 with closely approximating, ferruginous flowers, 

 spreading very much ; falling ofl" and leaving 

 the anient, with its scales. It is a native of 

 the woods of Surinam. 



Culture. — It may be increased by laying the 

 young branches in the summer season, and 

 when they have stricken root fully, taking them 

 oft" and planting them with earth about their 

 roots in pots filled with light fresh mould, plac- 

 ing them in the green-house, where they must 

 be kept. 



Cuttings of the young shoots may also be plant- 

 ed in pots in the same manner, plunging them 

 in a moderate hot-bed till they have stricken 

 root, when they may be managed as the other 

 plants. 



It affords variety in the green-house, and 

 when trained against walls; but in the last case 

 must be sheltered by mats, in severe weather in 

 winter. 



MEALY-TREE. See Viburnum. 

 MEDEOLA, a genus comprising plants of 

 the herbaceous climbing kind. 



It belongs to the class and order Hexandria 

 Trigi/nia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Sarnienlacece. 

 The characters are : that there is no calyx, 



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