MTRICA 



of the fruit, the light rose-colored one being finer flavored 

 than the dark red. The berries are vinous and sweet and 

 used in all ways like our blackberries. The tree is sup- 

 posed to be able to stand 15° above zero. 



Myrica is a genus of about 35 species of trees and 

 shrubs, of ten aromatic : Ivs. alternate, entire, or variously 



cut: male fis. borne in short catkins on the new growth ; 

 stamens 2-16, usually 4-0; female fls. mostly solitary; 

 drupe globose or ovoid. 



N4gi, Thunb. (.1/. rubra, Sieb. & Zucc). Fig. 1450. 

 Bush or tree: Ivs. 3-5 in. loner. <>t>](>riii:-l:in*'poIate, taper- 

 ing at the base, entire or serrate; hkiI.- .-itkins axillary, 

 solitary, cylindrical, J^-l.^S in. Imh-; ^taiii.n;^ 6-10; fe- 

 male catkins shorter than tli.- nuil. , f. « IM. Tropical 

 and subtropical Asia. B.M. 57J7. 



M. asplenifulia. See Comptonia. W. M. 



MYEIOCfiPHALUS (Greek, toi ■f7iousand-hea<led). 

 Comp6sit<v. M. IStnartii is an odd sort of everlasting 

 flower, known to the trade as Polycalymma IStuartii, 

 being offered in only one of the largest American cata- 

 logues of annual fls. It is a half-hardy plant, growing 

 about 1)4 ft. high and bearing yellow and white heads. 

 Myriocephalus is a genus f about 8 annual or perennial 

 herbs, all Australian, often hoary, especially when 

 young : Ivs. alternate, entire : clusters or compound 

 heads terminal, usually globose or hemispherical : heads 

 exceedingly numerous and sessile on a broad, very flat 

 receptacle, surrounded by a general involucre of numer- 

 ous narrow bracts in many rows, each usually with a 

 scarious tip or radiating appendage. In 3f. Stu(n-fii 

 these appendages are 1-2 lines long, hrond. wliitp and 

 very conspicuous. Flora Australiensis :>: :,:,: i IhilOl, 



Stilartii, Benth. (PoJyeahhnnia Si!,,,,!;:, v. ^]w\\. & 

 Sond.). Pubescent or woolly, not niurl] lu.-nn ljr,l : ivs. 

 linear or lanceolate, 1-2 in. long: clusters huiiiisplicrical, 

 1 in. or more across : partial heads 5-8-fld. : seeds woolly ; 

 pappus of numerous ciliate bristles. 



MTKIOPHfLLUM (Greek, ten-thousand-leaved). 

 Hal.-igordceic. The Parrot's Feather is a favorite 

 aquatic plant, with delicate feathery foliage, composed 

 of numerous whorls of finely cut Ivs. The one which is 



MYRISTICA 1053 



often seen in vases and fountains in public parks has 

 the uncomfortable name of MyriopUijltxim proserpina- 

 coides. It is a half-hardy plant from Chile, with weak 

 stems which grow out of the water about 6 inches. It 

 can be planted in a water-tight hanging basket, and if 

 water can be kept standing on the surface, the plant 

 will hang grafi-fully over tlie edges. The other species 

 here describeil are lun-.ly plants, which are com- 

 mon in our eastein p.ui.N. Anyone of them can be gath- 

 ered for the acinaiiiini. an. I ilii-two following are pro- 

 curable from (lealeis in a^iimiics and aquarium supplies. 



Myriophyllumis a genns ei al.<.ut 1.' s|.ei'i<-s of a.piatic 

 herbs, found from the fri-i.l z.nns i.. tin' trupies. l,vs. 

 wliorled, somewhat scattered .n- alti rnat<'. t!ie emeised 

 ones entire, dentate or peetunite, the suliini-rged ones 

 pinnately cut into thread-like segments: fls. small. 

 A. Li's. (il! alike. 



proserpinacoides, Gill. Fig. 1451. Lvs. in whorls of i 

 and 5, 7-10 lines long: segments 20-25. Chile. Appar- 

 ently established in Hopkins' pond, Haddonfleld, N. J., 

 having escaped from cult. B.B. 2:505. — Differs from the 

 2 following in being dioecious. The female plant is the 

 one in cult. Likely to become weeds. 

 AA. Lrs. above the surface of the water different from 

 those below- 

 B. Lvs. whorled in 3's and 4's. 



verticillitum, Linn. Floral lvs. longer than the fls., 

 pectinate: stamens 8: petals deciduous: carpels even. 

 Native of Europe, but common in our ponds. 

 BB. Lrs. whorled in 4's and 5's. 



heterophyllum, :\lielix. I'loral lvs. ovate, lanceolate, 

 sharply serrat. : stamens 1: ]jetals rather persistent: 

 carpels l-2■rill^e.^ and i-.iuulieiied on the back. Lakes 

 and rivers. Ont. to Fla. and Jliun. 



Wm. Trickek and W, M. 



MYBlSTICA (Greek, alluding to the arenn.tir qnali- 

 ties of the plants). MuristicAcea. Nutmi:... Jlynsinas 

 are of many species (perhaps 80), but nn.st of tlie Nut- 

 megs et'coniiinr.i. are ilie |,nidiirt ot'M. fragrans, Houtt. 

 (.1/. ,„.,s.h.)l„. ThnnI,.: .1/. ..;/„ , „/,/,.., Linn, f . ; M. 

 aroiH.il, r,i. i,,,n.. I, -heun in I'l--. I ir.L'-::. Tliis tree is 

 cultivated and iniiiiraiized in tlie \V. Indies. The genus 

 Myristica is the only one in the family. It is essentially 

 an Asian genus, although species occur in America and 

 Africa, and one in Australia. The Myristicas are dioe- 

 cious trees with alternate, entire, pinnate-veined lvs., 

 and small fls. in axillary clusters. The perianth is 2-4- 

 (usually 3-) lobed, in a single series: anthers 3 or more, 

 connate: ovary single, 1-loculed, ripening into a fleshy 

 fruit. The Nutmeg of commerce is the seed. This is 

 surrounded by a ruminated aril, which furnishes the 



1451. My 



orhyl 



proserpinacoides {X K). 



mace of commerce. The fruit of M. fragrans is short- 

 pear-shaped, lK-2 in. long, hanging, reddish or yellow- 

 ish, somewhat fleshy, splitting at maturity into 2 valves 

 and disclosing the brilliant scarlet laciniated aril or 

 mace. Inside the aril is the hard nut or shell, and 

 inside the shell is the Nutmeg. The details of the mace 



