MENTZELIA 



MENTZfiLIA (Jlentzel, an early German botanist). 

 Z/odMJftif. About 50 species of erect, sometimes woody 

 herbs, 1-5 ft. high, many natives i>t Xorth ^ninrirM Tvv^ 

 alternate, mostly coarsely to.itli. a ..] piiui itili 1 IN ~..li 

 tary or in cymes, white, yell. iHi^h m II « , i i I | t il- 

 5 or 10, regularly spreadiiu', . >m\ .Iiir- in tii ImhI d 

 ciduous ; stamens indeflnit. , i.ii. \\ U w. iiis, it. .1 wiili 

 the petals on the throat of the calyx: seeds flat. 

 They thrive in sunny, moist or dry situations 

 sheltered from strong winds. M. lAndleyi, from 

 Calif., is common in eastern gardens, where it is 

 kii KMi .- nnl .,ii,( aiiri'ii; the other -,,.,„..,,, 

 ot! I ll\ w . -f. Ill dealers, but are II'. t _ n idiv 

 111 . 111! il.\ ll..\\cr in summer. Alih ii_l 1/ 



cultu.itiuii. It lb little known in the wiM, l.tui.,' 

 probably a native of central Calif. The seeds 

 should be sown where the plants are to remain, as 

 they do not bear transplanting. i 



A. Color of fU. yeUou: [ 



B. /'/s. opening in bright sunsJiine. 



c. I'etals 1 in. long. 



Lindleyi, Torr .C- (Jr-.v IB^r'nina ,n,rrn. 



Lindl.). Fig. 139! \i i 1- tt 1,, 1, 



branched and sti . n 1 . il 



about 2;.^ in. ac 1 \ 1 li . 



grant in the eveiiiii_ I 1 . i i 1 i .N ",, l,i.,.i.ll\ 



obovate, nearly as 1 i.l as long, rounded at the 



apex except an abrupt short point. Probably cen- 

 tral Calif. B.M.30W. B.B. 22:1831. 

 cc. Pctais 2-2)4 in. long. 

 laevicaulis, Torr. & Gray. Biennial: stem 2-3 

 ft. high: Ivs. 2-8 in. long: fls. yellow, 2K-3 in. ; 

 across, bractless; petals lanceolate, acuminate. 

 Neb. to Calif. B.B. 2:459. 



EB. Fls. opening towards night. 

 nida, Torr. & Gray. Biennial: stem somewhat 

 slender, 1-5 ft. high: Ivs. 1-3 in. long: fls. creamy 

 white, 1}^-2H in. across, usually bractless; petals 

 10. Dakota to Kans., Colo, and Tex. B.M. 5483 (as Bur- 

 tonianuda). B.B.2:458. 



AA. Color of fls. pure white. 

 omita, Torr. & Gray. Annual : stem 2 ft. and more : 

 Ivs. 2-6 in. long: tis. 5 in. across, opening towards night, 

 fragrant, usually braeted; petals 10; stamens 200-300. 

 Dakota and Mont, to Tex. R.H. 1878:430. B.M. 1487 (as 

 Bartonia dec-apetala\ B.B. 2: 459. 



M. B. CouLSTON and W. M. 



MERTENSIA 



1005 



month, atid anthos, 



; for about a month). 



Ills of 2 species of 



■.■ping rootstocks and 



borne in late spring. 



11 native plants. The 



I. .ups in the gentian 



mum, but the fls. of 



.1 on the face as they 



it... <!tnlked: corolla 



■ Mc '1^ inserted on 



' : style long. 



-i^ ■ .. J-IS in. high: 



raceme 



MENYANTHES (Greek. : 

 flower; perhaps b..^^ius. it 

 GentianAcew. Bi . ki;i \ \ , 

 small perennial b..!,' I i|:i III - \ 

 small, 5-lobed whit. 1 1 iii 

 They are procural.l. 

 genus is one of tin 

 family. It is alli. I i 1,1 

 the latter are not I.. ;.i 1. .. 

 are in Menyanthes. L\^. :.. 

 somewhat funnel- or bell s| 

 the tube of the corolla ; hyp. 



trifoUMa, Linn. Buciuii 

 Ifts. 3, oval or oblong-obuv 

 about 12-fld. Bogs, north temperate regions. B.B. 2:622. 

 V. 2 : 198 and 3 :208. - The Ivs. are said to be used in Ger- 

 many as a substitute for hops in beer-making. A very 

 interesting bog plant. 



MEKCUEY. Chenopsdium Bonus-Menricus. 



MEEENDfiEA (from quita meriendas, Spanish name 

 of Colchium autumnale; some of these plants formerly 

 con.sidered to belong to Colchicum). Lilidcew. About 

 10 species of bulbous plants, mostly natives of the Medi- 

 terranean region and Asia Minor. They belong to the 

 same tribe with Colchicum and Bulbocodium, but Colchi- 

 cum has a real corolla tube, while the other two genera 

 have 6 very long-clawed segments which are merely con- 



nivent, forming a loose tube at first and afterwards 

 separating In Morendera there are 3 styles which are 

 (lisfm.-r tr..m th. b .-. "liil.^ in Bulbocodium the style 

 1- '' ' '"' I ^1 r.-iideras are low, stemless 



I I I ivs. linear, appearing with 



II . 1 -i.i-insr or fall, niostlv lilac- 

 .til I I, .1 by Baker l.loiir.' Linn. 



Soc. 17:438, 1880) into two groups, based on the anthers. 

 The 2 species described below belong to the group with 

 small, oblong, versatile anthers, which are fastened at 

 the middle rather than the base. They are hardy spring- 

 blooming plants with about 3 Ivs., and fls. 1-lJ^ in. 

 across. These rare plants are procurable from Dutch 

 bulb-growers. They are pretty, small-fld., early-bloom- 

 ing, hardy, frae:ile plants which persist well under good 

 garden cultivation. 



A. Blade of petals ohlaneeolate, obtuse. 

 Caucisica, Bieb. The 3 outer corolla segments appen- 

 dagedoneach side at the junction of blade and claw; new 

 corms sessile. Caucasus, Persia. B.M. 3090. 

 AA. Blade of petals lanceolate, acute. 

 BObolifera, Pisch. & Mey. Segments not appendaged: 

 a very small new corm produced at the apex of a shoot. 

 Asia Minor, Persia. 

 Jjr Ruthenica is advertised by Van Tubergen 



J ^ Gerard ind VT M 

 MEETfiNSIA (ifter Mertens a German botinist) 

 BoDaginacea About 15 species of peiennial herbs 



tht n ) 



:,t^^] 



dro I i i I I M ,\ 



(stc 1 , 1 -t. Uu 11 u .1 III 1 .1. 1 1^ aid JOur 

 more in a tLiimii d 5,1 oup ThL\ hut i puiplc tube and 

 blue bell of distintt shipe the li bes of the coiolla being 

 less pronounced than in the other species. Mertensias 

 are allied to Pulmonaria, but the tis. have no bracts, as 

 in Pulmonaria. They are botanically nearer Myosotis, 

 which contains the forget-me-nots. Mertensias are gla- 

 brous or pilose : Ivs. alternate, often having pellucid 

 dots : racemes terminal or the cymes loose, few-fld., 

 1-sided, sometimes panicled: fls. blue or purplish, rarely 

 white; calyx 5-cut or 5-parted; lobes 5; stamens fastened 

 at the middle of the tube or higher. 



