MIRABILIS 



MITCHELLA 



2057 



spring from self-sown seeds. Even as far north as 

 New York, it often produces tviberous roots large 

 enough to be lifted and stored like dahlias. 



A.\. Ini'olucn' contaiiiing IS Jh.: plant liscid-pubescenl. 



calif6mica, ("iray. Plant 1-3 ft. tall, the many sts. 



ascending from a somewhat woody base: Ivs. thick or 



almost flp.shy, 

 ovate-oblong to 

 roun<l-o vat e, 

 short -stalked: 

 involucres .5- 

 cleft, short - pe- 

 duncled, con- 

 taining 1-3 rose- 

 Ife purple fls. J'2in. 

 - long, with sta- 

 s>^5V>r <S:i •JL'^'Vt^^'^j? > '^-i-it^li-^N mens sometimes 

 ^'^<.-H*"^4^i-:-M# protruded. S. 



\^%i^r^%^ ?«' Calif, to Utah 



%»^4;-^.>J|| and S.,. on sunny 



2378. Miscanthus 

 sinensis. IXH) 



slopes, blooming aU 

 winter in milder cli- 

 mates. — Little known 

 in cult. 



.WA. Involucre corir 

 taining 3 or more 

 long-tuhed fls. 

 multiflora, Gray. 

 Stout and tall (2-3 

 ft.), much-branched, some- 

 what pubescent or some- 

 times glabrous: Ivs. rather 

 thin, gray - green, lance- 

 ovate to broad-ovate, more 

 or less cordate, short- 

 stalked, acute or acuminate: 

 involucre }^in. long, stalked ; 

 fls. 6, with a tube often 2 

 in. long, rose to purjjle, the 

 style and the 5 stamens 

 protruded. Var. pubescens, 

 Wats. (.1/. Froehelii, 

 Greene), is very pubescent 

 throughout. The .1/. niulliflora of B.M. 6266 is prob- 

 ably this variety. The sjiecies ranges from Colo, and 

 Texa-s to .'^. Calif, and south. Little known in cult. 



longifldra, Linn. Plant 2-3 ft., glandular-pubescent 

 above: Ivs. cordate and usually acuminate, short- 

 stalked, pubescent: fls. pubescent, with a very narrow 

 tube .5-6 in. long, and a small, flaring white, rose or 

 violet limb, very fragrant at evening. Mex. — An old 

 garden plant, but less frequent than .1/. Jalapa; easily 

 gro-mi from seeds. It has been hybridized with .1/. 

 Jalapa. L. H. B. 



MIRASdLIA: Tithonia. 



MISCANTHUS (Greek, miskos, a stem, and anthos, 

 a flower). Grnimnes'. Eul.\lia. Tall perennial grasses 

 with ample terminal featherj' fan-shaped panicles, 

 allied to the sugar-cane and Erianthus; often planted 

 for bold lawn specimens and in borders. 



Spikelets 1-fld., in pairs at the joints of the rachis, 

 one nearly sessile, the other pedicellate, visually awncfl; 

 clusters of silky hairs arising from the bases of the 

 spikelets give the panicle its beautiful featherj- appear- 

 ance. — Comprises about 6 species in S. and E. Asia, 

 several of which are cult, for ornament. Includes the 

 eulalias of the trade hut not Eulalia, Kunth, which is 

 referred to PoUinia, by Hackel. 



-\lthough many progressive nurserj'men now a<lver- 

 tise these favorite grasses as Miscanthus, the name 

 eulalia will probably remain in the English language 

 as a thoroughly naturalized word, like geranium anil 

 chrj'santhemum. P^ulahas probably rank among the 



first half-<lozen most popular grasses cultivated for 

 ornament. They are remarkably hanly and are uni- 

 versal favorites for bedding. One of the commonest 

 and best designs for a bed of ornamental gras.ses 

 em|5loys Aniiulo Donax as a tall centerpiece, sur- 

 rounded by eulalias. Propagated by .seed or division 

 of roots. 



saccharifer, Benth. (sometimes written nacchari- 

 flurus. Impcrdta sacchriflora, Maxim.). Distinguished 

 by its neiirly or quite awnless spikelets. China. Cit. 

 18()2:3.")7. — Procurable of dealers in Japanese plants. 



nepalensis, Hack. HiM.'iLAYA Fairy-Grass. Spike- 

 lets one-ft)urth as long as the brown involucral hairs: Ivs. 

 smooth on the margin. Himalayas. — Occasionally cult. 



sinensis, Anders. (Eulalia japdnica, Trin.). Figs. 

 2378, 2379. Spikelets about equaling the white or sub- 

 violet involucral hairs: culm 4-9 ft. : Ivs. 2-3 ft., margins 

 scabrous: ])ani(ie 6-12 in., formed late in the season. — 

 Established plants form clumjjs as much as 18 ft. in 

 circum. Sometimes found escaped from cult. The 

 forms in cult, are mostly the following varieties: Var. 

 variegatus, with Ivs. strijjed; var. zebrinus, Ivs. 

 banded. These two varieties are not quite so hardy as 

 the t}-pe, and are usually prop, by division, as the seeds 

 are not so sure to come true. Gn. 61, p. 74. Gng. 4: 

 37.5; 6:107. B.M. 7.304. G.W. 3:423. Var. gracfllimus 

 {Eulalia graclllima unimttata, E. japdnica gracilliina, 

 etc.). Lvs. much narrower than the type. Gn. .50, p. 

 108. Gng. 5:273. R.B. 21, p. 179. 



A. S. Hitchcock. 



MISCHOPHLCEUS (stem and bark, of no evident 

 application). Palnidcese. One unarmed palm of medium 

 height with pinnatisect lvs., from the island of Ternate 

 in the Malay Archipelago, listed abroad. It is allied to 

 Areca, from which it differs in having more stamens (9), 

 in having the inferior fls. on the spadix branches in 3's 

 rather than in 2's or solitary, and in other technical 

 characters. The species is M. paniculata, Scheff. 

 Lvs. terminal, unequally pinnatisect, the segms. lanceo- 

 late and double- toothed and mostly many-nerved: fls. 

 small, in double-branched spadices: fr. ovoid, with 

 terminal stigma, the pericarp fleshy or fibrous. 



MISTLETOE of the Old World is Viscum album; of .\merira, 

 Phoratlfudrijn flave><cens. See. also. Loranthus. 



MITCHELLA (Dr. John Mitchell, of Virginia, one of 

 the first American botanists, correspondent of Lin- 

 na;us). Rnbiacese. Partridge-Berry. Twin-Berry. 

 Squaw-Berry. A very attractive native trailer. 



There are two species of Mitchella, one of which (M. 

 undulata, Sieb. & Zucc.) grows in Japan. The native 

 partridge-berry has small shining evergreen roundish 

 lvs., .sometimes marked with white lines, and bright 

 scarlet berries, often borne in 

 pairs, which remain all winter. 

 This plant can be easily collected, 

 and is also procurable from deal- 

 ers in hardy plants. It thrives 

 under evergreen trees, forming 

 mats. Little pans with fruiting 

 plants are often sold by florists in 

 midwinter, particularly about 

 Christmas time. The fls., which 

 are borne in spring, are small, 

 white, with pinkish throats, and 

 are fragrant. The berries are edi- 

 ble, but nearly tastele.ss. Fls. 

 twin, the ovaries united into one; 

 calyx 4-toothed; corolla funnel- 

 shaped, 4-lobed; lobes .spreading, ,_ ,, . . 



.lenselv bear.led inside, valvate in ""• y""=e^"°° !° 



.\ I ' 1 c .» I i_ 1 Miscanthus sinensis, 



the bud: fr. a 2-eyed berry or.lou- At,,,,c.inf,, tnr.Voafu.; 



ble berry, red (rarely white), per- middle, ^chrinus; 



sisting through the winter. rinht, oracitUmua. 



