1000 



MELALEUCA 



species, with many changeable and uncertain variations, 

 found throughout tropical Asia, especially the Indian 

 Archipelago. The plants range in size from shrubs to 

 trees SO ft. high, the large trees having slender, pendu- 

 lous branches, the small trees and shrubs rigid, erect 

 branches: Ivs. often vertical, elliptical or lanceolate, 

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

 when broad 2-A in. long, when narrow 6-8 in. long, nar- 

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

 less interrupted, solitarv or 2 or :; t.i-c tli. i , fi-..ni less 



than 2 to more than 6 in. loin.-: :! , ■ , ,-, white, 



elongated; stamens greenish >• '. . I'iiik or 



purple, glabrous, 5-9 in each !■ . : i m i.<in. 



long; claws sometimes very slj.'ii - . ■■■eding 



the petals, each with 5-8 filani' m . The Ivs. 



yield the well-known green aroiiri 1 used in 



medicine. The bark is pale I'lm i - :ii. i-asily 



separated layers ; it is very dui;.i.:. . Ii-mil' 1 uLTirthan 

 timber, and is said to be almost impervious to water; it 

 is valuable for packing fruits and is used for roofs and 

 for boats. The tree withstands winds, drought and 

 slight frosts and grows where the Eucalpytus fails. 

 Von Miiller recommends it for planting where yellow 

 fever occurs. Sometimes called the Paper Bark or 

 Swamp Tea tree. G.M. 40:798. 



AA. Li'S mostly in ivhorls of S-0. 



micromSra, Schau. Lvs. closely appressed, ovate, 

 scale-like, but thick, peltately attached, rarely above 

 Kline long: fls. sulfur-yellow, the males small, in glob- 

 ular, terminal heads, the axils soon growing out into 

 a leafy shoot : fruiting heads dense, globular, the calices 

 open. 



AAA. ii'S. mosihj opposite. 

 B. Margins of lvs. recurved. 



hypericifdlia, Smith. Lvs. opposite, lanceolate or ob- 

 long, rcitlu-r thin, with recurved margins and prominent 

 midrib -'4-1 'o in. long: fls. large, rich red, in cylindrical 

 or ol)loiii.'ilei]se spikes; stamens over % in. long; stami- 

 nal ehiws loiii.'. 1..I'.. c. ■_': I'.i'.i.— This species belongs to 

 a serie- in \\liirli 1 1 1. -I nil. ii - are over H in. long, while 

 in till- oiliiii; -.11.- 111. - 1 11 TiiLus never exceed >^ in. 



not ', 



decussata, H. Hr. Tall shrub, sometimes 20 ft. high: 

 lvs. ni.isily o|i[iosiIe, often decussate on the smaller 

 liraii.'li. s, .. I. Ii.ii_' lanceolate or linear, 3-6 lines long, 

 rigid: !'- . ri.'li'i- -mall, pink; when in oblong or almost 

 glolnil I ! ' . I i. I. Is or spikes are usually barren, and 



fertil 11^' or cylindrical interrupted spikes 



foruiii 'I I. afy branches; stamens not above 3 



lines 1.. I !-,,.(;, 1 1, lily united in bundles of 10-15; calj'x 

 lobes more or Ic-ss searious and deciduous or wearing off 

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

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

 2268. L.B.C. 13:1208. M. B. CocLSTON. 



MELANTHIUM (Greek, fiZncfcrtoMicr; from the darker 

 color which the persistent perianth assumes on fading). 

 LiUHeetp. 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 oroblanceo- 

 late, with or without giands at the top of the claw. Of 6 

 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, leafy: lvs. linear, 1 ft. or less long: panicles 6-18 

 in. long; fls. 6-10 lines across; double gland at top of 

 claw. July. Marshy woodlands and meadows from New 

 England to Pla. and Minn, to Tex. B.M. 985 [Helonias 

 Virginica).—lvA. by H. P. Kelsey 1891. A showy and 

 striking plant. 



M. junceitm is advertised by Krelage, of Haarlem, but its 

 botanical position is to be determined, 



MELASPHJeRULA (a little black sphere; referring 

 to the bulblets on the stem). Iriddce(B. A genus of one 

 species from the Cape of Good Hope, a small, rare bul- 

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



MELASTOMA 



].iii.,rs f.i the Tvia tribe, in which the flowers are spicate, 

 iiMi hi'iin., an. 1 nevermore than 1 to a spathe. It re- 

 -. Mii.l. Ill III liaving a regular perianth and simple 

 -I I. III! Ii. , but belongs to a different group of 

 -. ii.ia III >i li I. h the stamens are one-sided an.l arched. 

 Baker places it between Crocosma an.] riii..iii,i, .iiil'er- 

 ing from them in having a small p. r ' ,i any 



tubeandvery acuminate segments. 1; : i . Is:i2, 

 and Flora Capensis, vol. 6. Forcultnn, .. /..'., and 

 Ij-in. 



graminea, Ker. Corm globose, K in. in diam. : stem 

 very slender, 1 ft. or more long: Ivs. about 6 in a 2- 

 ranked, basal rosette, linear, K-1 ft. long: spikes few- 

 fld., panicled: fls. yellowish green, veined with purplish 

 black, ,H-% in. across. Spring. B.M. 615. 



1387 Umbrella tree— Melia Azedarach 



nbraculiformis 



MELASTdMA (Greek for hhirk and month ; alluding 

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

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

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

 known in cult. It is not the most important genu.s of 



lie fa 



ithc 



cuitu 



of sp 



AT. .11. 



1 , : , . . I. i.u'or lanceolate, thick and entire, strongly 

 III .: :.:_■ ii u jse, often handsomely colored: fls. soli- 

 iii I : . I.I..1 on the ends of the branches, purple 

 ..r I.. . iiir. I\- white), large and showy; calyx mostly 

 5-lobed; petal's 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 

 fleshy berry, breaking irregularly, 5-7-loeuled and con- 

 taining many small spiral seeds. For culture, see 

 Medinilla. 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. 

 decimfiduin, Roxbg.(ilf. sanguineum, D. Don. M.ilal- 

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

 subterete and hirsute: Ivs. lanceolate or lance-oblong, 

 long-acuminate, the nerves (or at least some of them) 

 and the petioles often red : fls. 1-3, large, nearly or quite 



2 in. across, the petals rose-colored and refuse. Java to 

 China. B.M. 529 and 2241. 



AA. Lvs. strongly /-nerved. 



c&ndidum, D. Don (M. Malat>dtlirieum, B.R. 8:672, not 

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

 as also the petioles: lvs. ovate-acute, setulose above, 

 villose beneath: fls. 3-7 in a cyme, rose-colored (some- 

 times white ? ) , about the size of those of M. decemfidum; 

 calyx-lobes shorter than the tube. China. 



Ualabithricuin, Linn. Differs from the last in having 

 the calyx-lobes about equal to the tube, or sometimes 

 even longer: lvs. oblong or ovate-oblong, acute or short- 

 acuminate, sparsely setulose, above and beneath : fls. 

 corymbose, purple, much smaller than in the last two. 



