MEDIXILLA 



^ described below are glabrous, with opposite, 

 _ssile Ivs. and long, terminal, pendulous, bracted pani- 

 cles, with floral parts in 5's. 



A. Pis. coral -red or rosy pink. 



magnifica, Lindl. Figs. 1385-6. Lvs. with 9-13 nerves, 

 vhich run from various points along the midrib to the 

 argin or apex, ovate or ovate-oblong: bracts 1-4 in 

 og. Philippines. B.M. 4533. F.S. 6:572 and 9:968 

 .plendid). Gn. 51, p. 394. G.C. II. 2:421. R.H. 1857 

 ,. 319, 343, and 1896, pp. 102, 103. A.F. 7 : 1047. -Other 

 nteresting features are the whorled branches, each one 

 -ridged or winged, and the dense ring of short, fleshy 

 ocesses at the joints between the Ivs. It can be propa- 

 ited by seeds or cuttings of young wood in heat. 



AA. Fls. white. 

 Curtisii, Hook. Lvs with 2 nerves beside the midrib 

 vhich run from the base to the apex of the leaf: bracts 

 If about 3 lines long. Sumatra. B.M. 6730. G.C. II. 

 0:621. John Saul says it blooms in autumn, -^r jyj 

 Medinilla magnifica is a fine stove plant, even' when 

 not in flower. It remains in bloom from April to 

 July. The writer has kept a tree-shaped specimen for 



MELALEUCA 



999 



it from that genus "by its thick perennial roots, its 

 large, turgid, irumarginate seeds and its thick fleshy 

 cotyledons which remain under ground in germination. 

 The fruit in some species appears to be wholly indehis- 

 cent." There are five species described in the Botany 

 of California. One of these, M. Calif6rnica, Torr 

 (Echmocystis fabacea, Naud.), is sometimes grown in 

 nne collections and botanic gardens. It is a tendril- 

 climber, reaching 20 to 30 ft. in its native haunts: Ivs 

 deeply 5-7-lobed: fls. monoecious : fr. densely spinose, 

 globose or ovoid, 2 in. long: seed obovoid, nearly 1 in 

 long and half or more as broad, margined by a narrow 

 groove or dark line. S. Calif. Odd in germination (see 

 Gray, Amer. Journ. Sci. 1877). 



MEGASEA. See Saxifraga. 



MELALEtTCA (Greek, melas, black, and leukos, white; 

 from the black trunk and white branches of one of the 

 species). Myrtacece. This genus comprises about 100 



1385. Medinilla magnifica. A young specimen. 



more than twenty years, during which time it has never 

 failed to bloom annually. In alternate seasons the fls. 

 have been more abundant, showing that the plant needs 

 a rest. After flowering, the specimen may be placed 

 outdoors in a partly shaded position, where high winds 

 cannot damage the foliage. In September, it should be 

 placed in a conservatory with a night temperature of 

 55. When growing vigorously it likes plenty of weak 

 liquid cow manure and guano alternately. It must be 

 constantly watched for mealy bug, as it is almost im- 

 . possible to dislodge this pest after the racemes have 

 begun to form. - F> L- HARRIS. 



MEDLAR. See Mespilus. The Loquat is sometimes 

 erroneously called Medlar. For Japanese Medlar, see 

 Photinia. 



MEDUSA'S HEAD. Euphorbia Caput-Medusca. 



MEGARRHlZA (Greek for big root). Cucurbitacece. 

 By Bentham & Hooker, and also by Cogniaux (DC. 

 Monogr. Phaner. 3) this genus is referred to Echino- 

 cystis, but Watson (Bot. Calif ; 1, p. 241) distinguishes 



1386. Medinilla magnifica (X%). 



species of Australian trees and shrubs, many of which 

 are considered useful for fixing coast sands and holding 

 muddy shores. The trees live in salty ground and water, 

 much as mangroves do, and some are grown in swamps 

 as a corrective of fever conditions. They transplant 

 easily and have close-grained, hard, durable timber. 

 Lvs. alternate, rarely opposite, entire, lanceolate or 

 linear, flat or subterete, with 1-3 or many nerves : bracts 

 deciduous: fls. in heads or spikes, each sessile in the 

 axil of a floral leaf, their parts in 5's; calyx tube subglo- 

 bose; lobes imbricate or open; petals spreading, decid- 

 uous ; stamens indefinite in number, more or less united 

 at their bases into 5 bundles opposite the petals; anthers 

 versatile, the cells parallel and bursting longitudinally: 

 ovary inferior or half inferior, enclosed in the calyx 

 tube, usually with many ovules in each cell. Several 

 species are cultivated in S. Calif. Sometimes called 

 Bottle-brush trees, from their resemblance to the allied 

 Callistemons. Flora Australiensis, 3:123. 



A. Lvs. mostly alternate. 



LeucadSndron, Linn. (M. Cajaputi, Roxb.). THE 

 CAJAPUT TREE. The most widely distributed of all the 



