MESPILUS 



Medlars are easily raised from seeds, although seeds 

 (like those of Cratjegus) may not germinate the iirst 

 year. On these stocks the named varieties may be 

 grafted or budded. Medlars may also be worked on 

 pear, thorn (Crataegus) or quince. The Dutch or Hol- 

 landish and the Nottingham are the leading varieties. 

 The fruit of the former is often 2% inches in diameter. 

 The latter is much smaller, but is better in quality. 

 There is also a seedless variety. 



M. grandUlbra. Smith (M. Smithii. DC), is Crataegus grandi- 

 flora (see p. 397). Gn. 22, p. 103 and 34. p. 66. L. H. B. 



HESQUIT of Mexico is Prosopis juUnora (Legumi- 

 nosae). A picture of a Mesquit forest is shown in G. F. 

 1:11(3. 



METEOSIDfiROS (Greek, licart of iron; this and 

 other genera of the Myrtle family are called ironwoods). 

 Myrt&cece. About IS s|>ei-ii-s of trees and shrubs, rarely 

 climbers, mostly u^iiivis ..f tli.- P;i.-ifir islands from New 

 Zealand t" Hawaii. Tlnx' l,r|,.iiL.' t" thr.'lass of Austra- 

 lasian shrulis wliM-,' ,■1(1. r Inaiiiy lir^ in their long red 

 anthers. Tliry an^ -.maw hat ur.iwii lor a fancy Easter 

 trade I'V tloi-i-r-. Iaiu.lv Iimiu iuipurtt-d stock. In 

 Metrosi<i.-n.s tlir il,...v, i - ai.. Ii..ni,in dense 2-or3-forked 

 cymes, whil.- in t alii~i.iii..ii tiny are borne in spikes. 

 Leaves uio-tlv ..iip.i^it.. : [..taN .'.. spreading; stamens 1 

 inch or morn Ion-, nnnh l..ii-.r than the petals. The 

 species describeit below arc cooUiouse shrubs, and are 

 rarely grown outdoors in the South. 



Apparently the commonest of the Bottle Brushes in 

 the trade is CulUslcmon lanceolattis, which is passing 

 among florists as MetrosUlcros floribunda and M. ro- 

 busta. In Fig, 320 (page 218) the plant is shown with 

 apparently terminal inflorescence, but the branch is 

 really terminated by some leaf buds, which develop 

 later", as in Fig. 1398. The handsome plant figured in 

 William Scott's "Florists' Manual," and to which he 

 refers in the following paragraph as JletroxirJtro.i ro- 

 biisla, seems to be none other than CallUteiiion luiiceo- 

 latus (see supplementary list). ■\^_ j£_ 



The plant known to the trade as Metrosideros robusta 

 has been grown for many years as a cool greenhouse 

 plant, but it is only within a dozen years that Euro- 

 peans have been sending American florists the compact 

 little bushes that now arrive with our Azaleas. The 

 city florist can perhaps dispose of one of these Bottle 

 Brushes for every ten plants of Azalea Iiidieii. Plants 

 in 6-inch pots, well flowered, fixed with a red ribbon 

 and placed in a modern basket certainly look novel and 

 attracti%'e. The Belgians grow the young plants in peat, 

 as they do most hardwooded plants, but they do very 

 well in good turfy loam with a fourth of leaf-mold. 

 Cuttings of the young growth may be struck in early 

 spring and planted out in good soil by the end of May, 

 but it is cheaper to import stock. When the plants 

 arrive soak the ball of roots, pot firmly and place them 

 in a house of about 45°. Freshly imported plants can- 

 not be forced in much heat, like Azaleas, or they will 

 shed their flowers. Watch them carefully, give them 

 more heat gradually and they will bloom for Easter. 



Pla 



first 



of the old growth, put them 

 1 syringed. They will make 

 1 number of shoots. Early 

 nnv spot oiitilnors, with the 

 tin.'l I tna-tnl tl,t,t tliny do 



of 



esired before Easter. 



William Scott. 

 A. Flotvers red. 

 robusta, A. Cunn. Lvs. opposite, elliptic-ovate, obtuse, 

 veiny, with an extra nerve near each margin and parallel, 

 glabrous: inflorescence a 3-forked cyme: fls. red; calyx 

 top-shaped. New Zeal. B. M. 4471 (erroneously as M. 

 florida ) . 



AA. riouers yellowish. 

 fldrida, Sm, Lvs. opposite, obovate-oblong, veiny, gla- 

 brous: inflorescence a thyrse: fls. yellowish ; calj-x top- 



MICHAUXIA 1009 



shaped, minutely silky. New Zeal. Not B.M. 4471, which 

 is M, robusta. — The typical form is not advertised, but 

 only var. variegita. 



M. floribunda is not advertised in America, but stock im 

 ported by an Ithaca florist under this name from Belgium is 

 Callistemon lanceolatus (Fig. 1398) . M. floribunda, Smith, is 



Mi^ 



thought to have white fls. Lvs. opposite, petiolatc. i 

 late: fls. in an umbel-like, decussately branc 

 Australia.— M. semperflnrens, Lndd.=Callistemon 

 —M. speciosa, Sims=Callistemon speciosus. W.M. 



MEXICAN TEA. Consult Chenopodlum. 



MEYfiNIA. See Tliiinbergia. 



MEZEEEUM. See D< 



Me. 



MICHAUXIA (Andre Michaux, 1740-1802, French bot- 

 anist, who lived for ten years in America and wrote 

 much on American plants). CnmpanuUleece. About 4 

 species of rather coarse-habited biennial herbs from the 

 Orient, of which M. campanuloides is best known. It 



with purple, wheel-shaped at first, later reflexed. The 

 flower is parted nearly to the base into 8-10 oblong seg- 

 ments, l!^-2 in. long. This plant is a striking subject 

 forthnba.k of ti Inirdy border. It is easily prop, by seeds 

 (whi.h sln.nM la Ifnsh), and likes a well-enriched soil of 

 a liu'lit iKitiifn. All American dealer offers a climber 

 with linll shaind rts, under the name of M. campa- 

 nulafa but these plants are erect herbs. 



Michauxia belongs, with Campanula and other genera 

 of garden importance, to a group characterized by hav- 

 ing the capsule closed at the top and opening laterally 

 by little liolns lietwenn the ribs or liy small solitary 

 valvns. Mi.lianxi.i i- .li-mi^iii-li. .1 ir.>iii"the other genera 

 of this -f.ii!|. i. ■ ' ' - '' :• ' . -ii-.illa with narrow, 



sprntnliiiL'. li'::. ) I- . : ' a ti .s-lO-cellcd ovary. 



Miohauxitis .-ir. I r. .1 iilaiit - . h i .|ial . .r glabrous: lvs. ir- 

 regularly toothn.l or lobed.tlie stem-lvs. few: fls. termi- 

 nal or strung along the branches, the top ones opening 

 first, peduncled or nearly sessile, white or pale rose. 



campanuloides, L'H^r. Lvs. lanceolate in outline; 

 upper ones sessile, acute, almost clasping: calyx with 

 reflexed appendages shorter than the lobes ; stamens 8. 

 Asia Minor. B.M. 219. J. B. Keller and W. M. 



