21)96 



RIYRSIXE 



MYSTACIDIUM 



:235r=' 



of branches, leatliery, obovato-obloiip, romidotl or 

 notohctl at top, nnoliito at margin, rusty ami (lotted 

 beneath. i1c\'ok1 of ix-lliieid dots: fis. sessile or very 

 neiurly so: corolla rotate, whitish, nuieli louf^er than 

 the purple-spot tod sc^kxIs: dnipe small I'c.in. diaiu.), 

 bluish or black. .S. Kla. to 

 Brazil and Paraguay. 



L.H. B. 

 MYRSIPHYLLUM : .l.sjx.ra- 



MYRTILLOCACTUS 



{htrri/ and ciiclii.':). ('(jc/iicivc. 

 I'siially large trees or shrubs 

 with very many branches in 

 the wiki state, but in culti- 

 vation often small, with 

 few or no branches. 



Stems with few angles or 

 ribs: fls. very small, several 

 in a cluster, diiwnal, witli 

 short tubes and widely 

 spreading petals: fr. 

 a small edible berry. 

 — The gemis con- 

 tains 3 or 4 si)ecies. 



g e m e t r i z a n s , 

 Console (Cereus geo- 

 III (Hrizans, Mart.). 

 Plants 10-1.') ft. high: 

 ribs 5-9, obtuse, with 

 broad intervals: 

 spines 3-6, the cen- 

 tral one much longer 

 and dagger-shapcvl : 

 fr. the size of an olive, 

 bluish, much eaten by 

 the Mexicans. Com- 

 mon on the tableland 

 of Cent, and S. Mex. 

 Cdchal, Brit. & Rose {Cereus Cochal, On^utt). Said 

 to grow 10 ft. high: ribs 4-8, obtuse: si)in(« few, the 

 central not so long as in the last: fr. said to be red. Low. 

 Calif. — Not C(jmmon, and not to be recommended for 

 small collections. j \ Rose. 



MYRTLE: Miirtun community. Crape M.: LagrrslriFmia. 

 Running M.: I'inca minor and otiiers. Ssaid M..: Leiuphyllum. 



MYRTUS (Myrloa, the ancient Greek name). Myrtd- 

 cese. Myrtle. Mostly shrubs, ftrown for the aromatic 

 qualities, attractive foliage, flowers and fruits. 



Leaves opposite, entire, jicnniveined, u.sually 

 aromatic: fls. white or rose-tinged, axillary, 1 to many, 

 the central on short lateral or long pedicels; calyx-tube 

 turbinate, .5- frankly 4-i lobed, usually per.si.stetit; petals 

 5 (rarely i); .stamens numerous, in several rows, free; 

 ovule 2-3-celled: fr. a berry, adnate to, or includetl in 

 the calyx-tube. — A genus of jierhaps 70 si)ecies, mostly 

 subtropical natives of S. Amer. and Austral., but also 

 in S. Eu. and W. .Vsia. Some of the myrtles are now 

 referred to Eugenia and other genera. In common 

 speech, the word myrtle is applied to other small- 

 Ivd. evergreens a.s to the vincas or periwinkles. 



MjTtles are grown in pots for greenhouse, window or 

 room decorations, or in California and the South as out- 

 door ornamental .shrubs. In pots, they make excellent 

 lawn and terrace plant.S, being given protection in 

 winter. They are easily cultivated and readily propa- 

 gated from firm or partially ripened cuttings. They like 

 an abun'larice of water in summer. 



commtinis, Linn. The cla.ssic Myrtle. Fig. 2427. A 

 hand.sorne evergreen shrub, 3-10 ft. or more (.sometimes 

 a siriall tree) high, both fls. and Ivs. strongly scented: 

 Ivs, small in the variety usually cult., ovate or lanceo- 

 late, entire, .smooth and .shining, acute, coriaceous: 

 pc<luncles solitary, 1-fId., length of Ivs. or shorter, bear- 



^ 



2427. Myrtus communis. ( X '/il 



ing 2 linear bractlets below the white and reddish 

 pretty fls,: berry bhie-black. Azores to Beluchistan; 

 well known in the iSledit. region. Ct'. III. 4.'): IS. — 

 Se\-eral varieties are cult., which ililTer chiefly in the 

 sliaiie and size of the Ivs. and in stature; there is also a 

 variegated form. Makes a good hedge in S. Fla. Ever- 

 bloonuug ill S. Calif. It blooms in 2-3 years from cut- 

 tings in England. Following are .■<onie of the impor- 

 tant named forms: Var. melanocarpa, DC. Fr, black. 

 Var. leucocarpa, DC. Fr. white. Var. latifolia, llort. 

 Lvs. very broad. G.W. 6, p. SiW. Var. microphylla, 

 llort. Lvs. small, dark green, linear-lanceolate and 

 long-pointed. Var. mucronata, Linn. Lvs. linear-lan- 

 ceolate, acuminate. Var. lusitanica, Linn. Lvs. lanceo- 

 late-ovate, acute. Var. italica, Mill. Shoots or branches 

 nearly or quite erect, I lie lvs. rather small, ovate-lanceo- 

 late, sliai-p-piiiiited. Var. boetica, Mill. Branches short, 

 lvs. crowded and tliickisli rather large, broadly ovate- 

 lanceolate. Var. belgica, Mill. Lvs. broad-lanceolate, 

 long-shar|)-i)ointed. Var. angustifolia, llort. Lvs. me- 

 dium size, lanceolate. Var. romana, Mill. Lvs. broad- 

 ovate, large, sliarp-iiointed, light green, often 3-4 at a 

 node. Var. tarentina, Mill. Shoots short, lvs. ranged 

 in 4 rows, short, ovate, shar))-pointed. Of some of the 

 above, there are forms with variegated and white-mar- 

 gined lvs. and double forms. The different manifesta^ 

 tions of Mijrliis coiiiiiiunis appear not to have been 

 given adequate trial. It is not unlikely that the sum- 

 mers are too hot for them even where the winters are 

 not too frosty; but there must be localities where they 

 can be grown and treatments under protection of build- 

 ings or walls that would oau.se them to thrive. In ancient 

 times, wreaths of myrtle were worn by magistrates and 

 by victors. The plant yields perfumery, and the green 

 and dried frs. are sometimes used as condiments. The 

 wood is very hard and of interesting te.xture and grain. 



Arayan, HBK. Lvs. 1-2 in. long, ovate-oblong, 

 acute, membranaceous, reticulate, glabrous and shining: 

 pedicels axillary, .solitary, 1-fld., 2-bracted; fls. .size of 

 M. communis; calyx 5-parted: fr. globose, red, 2- 

 celled and 2-seeded. Peru. — Listed in S. Calif. 



IJgni, Molina (Eugenia Ugni, Hook. & Arn. Ugni 

 it/o/JH;/, Turcz.). Ugni or Chilean GuAVA. As usually 

 seen under cult., a shrub 4 ft. high, but in its native 

 habitat it is said to become a tree 100 ft. high : pedicels 

 1-fld.: berry purple, glossy, edible, with a pleasant 

 odor and taste. Chile; hardy in S. Calif. B.M. 4626. 

 R.H. 1879, ]). 409. — Wood very hard and heavy, much 

 used in Chile for press-screws, and select implements. 



M. /.u7Wi=^Eugeni:i apirulata. p. 1103. — M. macrophylla, 

 .Sprcng.^Eugenia malacccnsis, p. 11G3. — M. tomentdsa, Soland.^ 

 Khodomyrtus tomentosa. j Buji^T Davy. L. H. B.f 



MYSTACtDIUM (Greek, on account of bearded 

 ajipiaidages of the column). Orchidaccse. In habit 

 resembling Angra>cum. Sepals and jietals similar, 

 lip immovably attached to ba,se of column, furnished 

 with a long thin basal spur, either entire 

 or 3-lobed ; column short, straight; 

 pollina upon 2 separate stalks. — About 

 20 spc'cies, in Afr. Cult, of angrxcum. 



distichum, Pfitz. (Angriirum 

 dUtichiim, Lindl.). Fig. 242S. 

 Sts. 3-6 in. long, simple or 

 brancht'd: lvs. fleshy, distich- 

 ous, groovfid above, 

 laterally compressed: ^f 



fls. axillary, small, 

 white. Sierra Leonid 

 B. M. 414,5. B. R. 

 1781. 



M. {/rarlllimum, Rolf**. 

 Srapes very sk-nder; fls. 

 whitf': spur loriK and very 

 Blender. Uganda. 



Geouce v. Nash. 2428. Mystacidium distichum. {X>i) 



