1000 MELALEUCA 



i-pccics, with ninny changeable ami uncertain rariatintis, 

 found throughout tropical Asia, isiie.'ially thi- linli.in 

 Archipelago. The plants range in six.- I'luiii shruli-< to 

 trees 80 ft. high, the large trees liavin- nI.ihI. r. in n.ln- 

 lous branches, the small trees ami slirulis riL'i'l. i r.'-t 

 branches: Ivs. often vertical, elliptical or lanceolate, 

 straight, oblique or falcate, acuminate, acute or obtuse, 

 when broad 2-4 in. long, when narrow G-8 in. long, nar- 

 rowed into a petiole, thin or rigid: fl. -spikes more or 

 less interrupted, solitary or 2 or 3 together, from less 

 than 2 to more than 6 "in. long: fls. numerous, white, 

 elongated; stamens greenish yellow, whitish, pink or 

 purple, glabrous, 5-9 in each bundle, less than 3'2">- 

 lonii; claws sometimes very short, sometimes exceeding 

 the i"t:ils, .aeh with 0-8 filaments at the end. The Ivs. 

 \ i, |.| 111.- Will-known green aromatic ca,japut oil used in 

 iiiniii-iiM-. 'I'he bark is pale buff, in many thin, easily 

 si-|. united layers; it is very diiralile, lasting longer than 



timber, and is siii.l l-.li.-iii -I iiii|"-i\ h.us to water; it 



is valuable for j. . l i, i ' ! i ■ -1 f.n- root's and 



-for boats. TIm ; i 



.-ilELASTO-MA 



IS fa 



AA. Li 



micTom^ra, Sc 



scale-like, but thick, i" : 



% line long: fls. sulfur-\ • 



ular, terminal heads, Ilo- :- ii- ■ - 



a leafy shoot: fruiting lu-a.is .I.-mm-, 



open. 



AAA. Lis. mostly opp 



B. Manjins of Ifx. rrr 



hypericifolia, Smiili. Lvs. o).|.osi 



i-llow 



li.n-U iifS-5. 

 I l\ iqipressed, ovate, 

 ly abovt 



small, ill glob- 

 iwing out into 

 iilar, the calices 



I'his species belongs t( 

 I over i^ in. long, wbil< 



nal claws long. L. 1 



a series in which the stamens 8 



in the other G series the stamens never exceed % in. 



BB. Margin of lvs. not recurved. 

 decussita, R. Br. Tall shrub, sometimes 20 ft. high : 

 lvs. mostly opposite, often decussate on the smaller 

 branches, oblong-lanceolate or linear, 3-6 lines long, 

 rigid: Hs. rather small, pink; when in oblong or almost 

 globular lateral heads or spikes are usually Imn-.Ti, and 

 fertile when in oblong or cylindrical intcrniiiiid spikis 

 forming the base of leaf y branches ; stanu-ns im.i ;,i,ov.-:; 

 lines long, very shortly united in bundles lit' lii-ir.; calyx 

 lobes more or less scarious and deciduous or wearing olf 

 when in fruit, attached by the broad base, more or less 

 immersed when in fruit in the thickened rachis. B.M. 

 22G8. L.B.C. 13:1208. M. B. ConLSTON. 



MELANTHIUM {Gre&-k,Wack nower; from the darker 

 color which the persistent perianth assumes on fading). 

 Lilideea. Leafy perennial herbs 2-5 ft. high, with 

 thick rootstocks: lvs. linear to oblanceolate or oval: fls. 

 greenish, white or cream-colored, borne in a large, open 

 terminal panicle. The genus is nearest to Veratrum, but 

 the sepals of the latter are not clawed as they are in Me- 

 lanthium. Perianth segments usually oblong or oblanceo- 

 late, with or without glands at the top of the claw. Of G 

 species, 2 are African, 1 Siberian and 3 North American, 

 only 1 of the latter being in the trade. 



Virginicum, Linn. Bunch Flower. Stem rather slen- 

 der, l.-iu I. -. I ir, 1 ft. or less long: panicles U-18 



in. loll ; ' i ! 11. s across; double gland at top of 



claw. I i! I" woodlands and meadows from New 

 Enirhni I i.|li,:i;i! Minn, to Tex. B.M. 985 (Relonia.i 

 Viniiiiinn.^iM. by H. P. Kelsey 1801. A showy and 

 striiving phiLt. 



^[. jiinceum is advertised by Krelage, of Haarlem, but its 

 botanical position is to be determined, 



MELASPHfflRULA (a little black sphere; referring 

 to till- bullilets on ilic stem). IridAcece. A genus of one 

 species fioiii ilio t'ai.e i^if Good Hope, a small, rare bul- 

 bous plant procurable from Dutch bulb-growers. It be- 



lonirs I 



a trill.-, in which the flowers are spieate, 



11. ii 1 u:; i: I . . , .ill.] li. . r more than 1 to a spathe. It ro- 



-. ' I ' i - I regular perianth and simple, 



' 1 i ' : -iiirs to a different group of 



L" 11.. I'l 111. II -I 111. ns are one-sided and arched. 



ijaiicr piaci-s 11 iicHM-cii Crocosma and Tritonia, differ- 

 ing from them iu having a small perianth without any 

 tube and very acuminate segments. Baker, Iridea?, 1892, 

 and Flora Capensis, vol. C. For culture, see Bulbs and 



Ccr. Corra globose, Kin. in diam.: stem 

 I ft. or more long: lvs. about G in a 2- 

 n.sctte, linear, H-1 ft. long: spikes few- 

 lls. yellowish green, veined with purplish 

 .across. Spring. B.M. 615. 



Ij-ia 



grramln 



- .. ,^^W^''^y-'i^? 



1387. Umbrella-tree— Melia Azedarach, var. umbraculitormis. 



MELASTdMA (Oreek for hhick and iiiniifh ; alluding 

 to the color left in the mimtli when the berries of some 

 species are eaten). This genus, ivhich gives name to the 

 great family Melastomaceai, with 2,000 species, is little 

 known in cult. It is not the most important genus of 

 the family, either horticulturally or in number of species. 

 Cogniaux, the latest monographer (DC. Monogr. Phaner. 

 7 ) , admits 37 species. The larger part of melastomaccous 

 plants are of tropical America, but the true Melastomas 

 are natives to tropical Asia, Australia and Oceaniea. 

 They are shrubs or rarely small trees: lvs. opposite, 

 ].i'ti..!ate, oblong or lanceolate, thick and entire, stron,:rly 

 ii.rM .1 lengthwise, often handsomely colored: Hs. soli- 

 tary ..r fascicled on the ends of the branches, purple 

 or V..SC (rarely white), large and showy; calyx mostly 

 5-lolied; petals usually 5 and often unequal, ciliate on 

 the back; stamens 10 as a rule, very strongly unequal, 

 part of them being short and small: fr. a leathery or 

 fleshv berry, breaking irregularly, 5-7-loculed and con- 

 taining many small spiral seeds. For culture, see 

 Medinilln. Nearly all tropical melastomaceous plants 

 require a high temperature, partial shade and consider- 

 able moisture. Prop, by cuttings of firm wood. Adver- 

 tized in S. Calif. 



A. Lvs. strongly 5-nerved. 



decimKdum, Roxbg.(ilf. saw/ulneum, D. Don. M.Mal- 

 abdthrirum, Sims, not Linn.)! Three to 4 ft.: branches 

 subterete nnd liirsiit.-: Ivs. lanceolate or lance-oblong, 

 long-aeiuniii.it, . tli. n.rvi-s (or at least some of them) 

 and the p. i i.l. , ..It. n i. .1 : fls. 1-3, large, nearly or quite 

 2 in. aer..--, ilo p. i.i- i..si.-colored and refuse. Java to 

 China. H..M. :)■".> an.l JL'tl. 



AA. Lvs. strongly 7-nerved. 



cindidum, D. Don (3/. Mahihnthrieum, B.R. 8:672, not 

 Linn.). Branches 4-angled, the youngerones pubescent, 

 as also till- i.iiiol.-^: Ivs. ovate-acute, setulose above, 

 villose b. ii.,itli: tl-. ::-7 in a cyme, rose-colored (some- 

 times wbii. ' 1. .il...iit til.- si/.eof thoseof 3/. decemfidum; 

 calyx-lolii-, -lioi-t. r ihiiii the tube. China. 



MalahAthrirnm, T.iiin. DiffrTFi from the last in having 

 t' . , ' I .' . : i,,,iit . .|ii:.l t.. the tube, or .sometimes 

 , . -. ,,i,|..i.j ..I .1- ;.i. ..blong,acuteor short- 



:i .1, ~. n. ]..-.. 111... ve and beneath: fls. 



cor,!nl.u.-i., i.uii.Il, iuu..;li .-mall.jr than in the last two. 



