2t)7t> 



MILOKOIUM 



MUSA 



benoatli. the tonninal lobe hirge mul eoixlaU^: pixiiielc 

 lax. luspiii. with bliu^rayotl heads of size of ehicory; 

 invohu'ix' sparsely hispid. — Said l>y tlie older botanists 

 to eome from N. Amer, but probably Kuropeau. 



Af. Bour^.Ti. Boiss. = Ij»ct«ca UourKivi, descrilxHi on p. 17(>tK — 

 -U. ttiif^ntfum. Hort. U-iictiira (iiKJiMti'ii, Hort.) IVrcnniiil. 0-S ft.: 

 flsi, bIui»-violi'l. paniculate. Probably of Kartlen orinin. or a form of 

 sonu* r«.>bust spoi'ii'si. — M. /'/ii»ii<Vi, DC. iLaetuca I'lumicri, (irt'ii. 

 A Grtir.). IVreimial. glabrouii: st. erect: Ivs. runcinute-pimiatiful, 

 somewhat glaucous beneath; panicle sub-corynibosc, bearing rather 

 laree bluo-mvcd heatb. Mountains of Cent, and S. Eu. 



L. H. B. 



MDLLEIN: Verbascum. M. Pink: Lychnis Civonaria. 



MURRiEA or MURRAYA lone of the Ruiace.r, 

 naini'ii for J. A. Murray, 1740-1791, jjrofossor in 

 Gottingen) is now referred to Chalc;is (\'olume II, 

 pjijte 729). Tliere is only one of the speeies in general 

 cultivation, the orange jessamine, Chalcax cmlira (or 

 M. exotica), from Inilia, China, Australia and tlu- 

 Pacific islands. P. ,1. Berckmans writes (A. F. 1 1 : IHtu, 

 with picture) that it "needs ain])le jxil room and a 

 liberal sui^ply of plant-food. An animal application of 

 bone-meal when repotting in February intensifies the 

 color of the foli;ige, increases the size of the flowers, and 

 causes it to bloom more frefjuently. When properly 

 treato<l, the first crop of flowers usually ajijiears 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 th(> temperature of a cool 

 greenhouse, but during summer it thrives liest when 

 given full sunshine outdoors." The other speeies of 

 Chalca-s. of which there are perhaps a half-dozen in 

 the IndcvMalay region, are pnibably not in cultivation 

 in this country. Chdlcas jxinirulala, Linn. (M . piiiiK- 

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

 satin wood or cosmetic bark tree. Arboreous: corymbs 

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

 considerably u.seil because of its strength and endurance 

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



C. Kinigii, Kurz. (M. KconiKii, Sprcng.). Lvs. 10-20-foliolate, 

 pubescent or rarely glubrous. Along the foot of the Himalayas in 

 India. — A small, strong-sineihng tree. The bark. lvs. and roots of 

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

 cies occur in India and Indo-China. 



Walter T. Swingle, t 



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: lvs. usually 

 gigantic, entire, oblong or elliptic, pinnately parallel- 

 veined, arranged in a loo.se ro.sette, 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 crim.soned or 

 white; midrib with a deep roimded groove above; 

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

 like structure: fls. uni.sexual, in half-whorl-like clusters 

 in a terminal spike (Fig. 402, Vol. I), each cluster sub- 

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

 borne on a long or short often velvety or i)uberulciit 

 rachis emerging from the center of the leafy envelopes 

 at the top of the fal.se .St.; lower clusters female, ujjpcr 

 male (actually hermaphrodite feinale and hermaphro- 

 dite male, the oppo.sing parts being dwarfed, functionle.ss 

 or sometimes ab.sentj; perianth consisting of a calyx at 

 first tubular but soon splitting down one side with a 

 .'}-.5-t'Kjthed apex and opj)Osite the calyx a single 

 simple or 3-toothed jjetal; stamens normally 6, !> with 

 2-celled vasifixofl anthers, the sixth usually suppres.sed: 

 ovary inferior, :i-celled, cells with many .superfjoseil 

 ovules: fr. a large berry, short or elongated, puli)y or 

 dry, angular, oblong or cylimlrical; .seeds wIk'U pro- 

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

 sure, testa hard, indented at the ba«e and apex, albumen 



mealy, embryo subtruncatc.— Sixty-seven species and 

 over 201) cult, varieties arc known, native of Tro)). 

 .Vsia, .Vfr., .\ustral. and adjac'cul islands. The fruit 

 of (he banana is of great imporlance iti the l-ro])i('s for 

 food. It is imported in large (lUiiutities into the U. S. 

 from \V. Indies and Cent, .\nier. and growTi in the Gulf 

 States (see Banana). Several ornamental .species are 

 grown extensi\'ely in the N. and are hardy from 38° 

 north to 3.">° so\ith latitude. Latest publications: Baker, 

 Species and Principal N'arieties of Musa, K.B. 229-314 

 (IS94). .Schumann, Das Pflanzenreich 4.''):13-2S (1900). 

 I''awcett, The Banana, Its Cultivation, Distribution 

 and Commercial U.scs, 1913. Popenoe, Origin of the 

 Banana, .lournal of Heredity .'") : 27:i-2SO (1914). 



When plants of a most gorgeous tropical effect are 

 wanted, they will always be found among the musas. 

 To grow these plants to ])erfcction, a large greenhouse 

 will be re<iuire<l. The musas (van b(> increased from suck- 

 ers, which are found aroimd old ])lants, and which can 

 readily be separated from the parent plant with a piece 

 of root. The.se suckers may be potted uj) into 4-, .5- or 

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

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



IP"" 



2403. Musa Ensete. 



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

 Pot each sucker firndy. These young plants should be 

 ))laced in a very close and humid atmosphere so as to 

 encourage quick growth. They prefer a night temper.a- 

 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 F^obruary 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 im(il they are in tubs 2 feet 

 square. As the shifts become larger make the compost 

 richer, as they are rank feetlers. 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 

 njomy house where the night temperature does not 

 fall b(^low 6.5°. During the spring .and summer months, 

 let th(! temperature increase in proportion to the out- 

 side conditions, as mus.as delight in a high temperature. 

 They will stand much feeding and shovdd 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 |)l(^nty of sunshine, they are some- 



