MITELLA 



MITELLA (diminutive of mitra, a cap; applied to the 

 form of the young pod) . Saxifragdcece. MITBEWOBT. 

 BISHOP' S-CAP. Six or 7 species of low, slender peren- 

 nials, with somewhat creeping rootstocks and racemes 

 of small and greenish or white fls. Closely related to 

 Tiarella, but the petals of the latter are entire, while in 

 Mitella they are beautifully 

 pinnatifid. Lvs. round, 

 heart-shaped, alternate, ex- 

 cept in one species, on root- 

 stock or runners, with slen- 

 der petioles; those on flow- 

 ering stems opposite, if any- 

 calyx short, o-lobed, the 

 lobes valvate in the bud, 

 spreading; petals 5, inserted 

 on throat of calyx,very slen- 

 der; stamens 10 or 5, very 

 short: fr. soon widely de- 

 hiscent. Natives of N. 

 Amer., 2 species in E.Asia. 

 Offered by some dealers 

 in native plants. 



A. Scapes usually leafless. 



B. Fls. numerous. 

 trifida, Graham. Lvs. 

 round-reniform or cordate, 

 crenately toothed and some- 

 times incised or lobed, 1-3 

 in. across: scape 9-12 in. 

 long: fls. somewhat scattered 

 on one side of spike; petals 

 3-5-parted, small; stamens 

 5, opposite the calyx lobes. 

 N. Calif, to Brit. Col. and 

 Rocky Mts. 



BB. Fls. few (about 



5). 



nuda, Linn. Fig. 

 1413. Lvs. rounded or kid- 

 ney-shaped, deeply and dou- 

 bly crenate : raceme 4-6 in. 

 long. Does well in moist 

 shady situations. May-July. 

 Westward to Brit. Col. A. 

 G. 13:518. 



AA. Scapes bearing leaves. 



B. Lvs. on scape alter- 

 nate. 



caulescens, Nutt. Raceme 

 loose : stamens alternate 

 with the pinnatifid petals. 

 Brit. Col. to Ore. 

 BB. Lvs. on scape opposite. 



diph^lla, Linn. Lvs. 

 acutely heart-shaped, some- 

 what 3-5-lobed, toothed: ra- 

 ceme 6-8 in. long. May. 

 Eastern U. S. V. 12:189.- 

 A good plant for the rockery. M. B. COULSTON. 



MITREWORT. Mitella. False Mitre wort is Tiarella. 



MITRIOSTlGMA (Greek, mitre-shaped stigma; from 

 the conspicuous stigma, which is club-shaped, the 2-cut 

 summit suggesting a cap). Rubiacece. This includes 

 the charming evergreen tender shrub known to the 

 trade as Gardenia citriodora. It makes a low or medium- 

 sized bush of compact and branching habit and bears a 

 great profusion of fls. which resemble those of the 

 orange in odor, size, color and general appearance. Ihe 

 fls. are white, salver-shaped, 5-lobed, tipped with pink 

 in the bud, and borne in dense axillary clusters. Inis 

 delightful plant is a favorite in the South, together with 

 the Cape Jessamine, but is little known in northern con- 

 servatories. The genus contains 2 species. For distinc- 

 tions from Gardenia and Randia, see Gardema. 



axillare, Hochst. (Gardenia citriodora, Hook.). Lvs. 

 opposite, petiolate, elliptic-lanceolate, subacummate, 



MOLUCCELLA 



1025 



1413. Mitella nuda. 

 Nearly natural size. 



glabrous; stipules awl-shaped from a broad base: calyx 

 not ribbed, lobes lanceolate, acuminate, equal: corolla 

 tube twice as long as the calyx, lobes obovate, obtuse. 

 S. Afr. B.M. 4987. R.H. 1859, p. 175 ; 1886:348 (excel- 

 lent!). F.S. 12:1254. w M 



M'MAHON. See p. 963. 



MOCCASIN FLOWER. North American name for 

 species of Cypripedium. 



MOCK ORANGE. See Philadelphus. 



MOHRIA (from Daniel Mohr, a German botanist; died 

 1808). Scliizceacece. A genus of South African ferns, 

 having the habit of Cheilanthes, but the sporangia of 

 the Schiza3acea3. A single species, M. caffrdritm, is rare 

 in cultivation in America. L> M . UNDERWOOD. 



Euphorbia Lathyris (see Fig. 800, 



MOLE PLANT. 



p. 564). 



MOLtNIA (J.Molina, a writer upon Chilean plants). 

 Graminece. A genus of perennial grasses allied to Era- 

 grostis, containing a single species. Native of central 

 Europe and temperate Asia, and sparingly introduced 

 in the United States. Panicle contracted: spikelets 2-4- 

 fld., more or less irurplish: glumes somewhat unequal: 

 fl. -glume 3-nerved, rounded on back, pointed but awnless- 



caerulea, Moench (A Ira ca>rulea, Linn.). Culms tufted,. 

 1-3 ft. high: Ivs. rather rigid, slender pointed. The 

 usual form in cult, is var. variegata, with striped Ivs., 

 used for bedding. A. S. HITCHCOCK. 



MOLUCCA BALM. Moluccella Icevis. 



MOLUCCELLA (diminutive made from Molucca). 

 Also written Mollucella. Labiatce. This includes the 

 Shell Flower, a quaint old annual plant, that self-sows 



1414. Moluccella laevis (X%). 



in old-fashioned gardens, but is now rarely advertised 

 for sale. Its chief feature is its great cup-shaped cal, 

 an inch long, which is much larger than the mconspicu- 

 oSs corolla ( See Fig. 1414. ) Later four white seeds or 



