240 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



MAL 



Male Pern. A common name for Aspidium 



Filix-mas. 



Mallow. See Malva. 



Ma'lope. From malos, soft or tender: refer- 

 ring to the texture of the leaves. Nat. Ord. 

 Malvacece. 



Annual plants with very handsome flowers. 

 M. trifida, of which there are two kinds, one 

 with crimson and the other with white 

 flowers, is rather dwarf; but M. grandiflora 

 will grow four or five feet high in a good soil 

 and an open situation, bearing very large 

 and showy, brilliant crimson flowers. All the 

 kinds are quite hardy, and only require sow- 

 ing in April or May in the open border, and 

 thinning outortransplanting, when the young 

 plants are three or four inches high. Natives 

 of north Africa ; introduced in 1808. 

 Malorti'ea. Named in honor of E. Von Malortie 

 of Hanover. Nat. Ord. Palmacece. 



A small genus of slender, dwarf, elegant 

 palms, admirably adapted for cultivation in 

 the dwelling-house or for table decoration. 

 They are characterized by their slender reed- 

 like stems and simple branching spikes of 

 unisexual flowers. M. gracilis and M. simplex, 

 two species from Guatemala, are considerably 

 grown as ornamental plants, and were form- 

 erly referred to Chamcerops. They are of 

 easy culture, requiring a rich light soil and 

 plenty of water. 



Malpi'ghia. Named after Marcello Malpighi, 

 an Italian naturalist. Nat. Ord. Malpigiacece. 

 A genus containing about twenty species of 

 small trees or shrubs, natives, principally, of 

 tropical America. Flowers pink or white, 

 fasciculate or corymbose, rarely solitary ; 

 drupe fleshy. The fruits of M. glabra, and M. 

 wrens, are eaten in the West Indies, those of 

 the former being called Barbadoes Cherry. 

 Propagated by cuttings. 



Malpigia'ceae. A natural order of trees or 

 shrubs, sometimes climbing, with simple, 

 generally opposite leaves, and yellow or red 

 flowers. They are natives chiefly of tropical 

 countries, and a great number of them are 

 found in South America. There are about 

 forty-nine genera and 600 species. Good ex- 

 amples are Malpigia Banniateria, and Gaudi- 

 chaudia. 



Ma'lus. Pyrus Malus. The Apple, which see. 

 Ma'lva. Mallow. From malacho, to soften ; 

 referring to their emollient qualities. Nat. 

 Ord. Malvaceae. 



This is a group of plants remarkable for 

 their large, showy flowers ; but the coarseness 

 of the leaves and loose manner of growing de- 

 prive the genus of much of the interest it 

 would otherwise have. The genus consists of 

 tender, half-hardy, and hardy perennials and 

 annuals, all of the easiest culture, according 

 to their respective kinds. M. moschata, the 

 Musk-Mallow, derives its name from the 

 peculiar musky odor given off by all parts of 

 the plant when kept in a confined situation, par- 

 ticularly in dry weather ; but it is seldom pow- 

 erful enough to be perceived in the open air. 

 This species is a hardy herbaceous perennial, 

 common in waste places in Great Britain. M. 

 rotundifolia has become naturalized until it is 

 quite a nuisance in our gardens and yards. 

 Malva'ceae. A natural order of herbaceous 

 plants, trees, or shrubs, generally distributed 



MAM 



over the world. They are mucilaginous and 

 demulcent, and yield fibres. Althcea officfaalis 

 (the Marsh-Mallow) yields mucilage, Gossi- 

 pium furnishes various kinds of cotton, Hibis- 

 cus cannabinus supplies Indian hemp, Paritium 

 elatum gives Cuba bast. There are nearly 

 fifty genera, including Malva, Lavatera, Hibis- 

 cus, and Sida, and upwards of 1,000 species. 



Malva'strum. Name altered from Malva. Nat. 

 Ord. Malvaceae. 



A genus containing about sixty species of 

 green-house or hardy herbs, natives of the 

 warmer parts of North and South America. 

 M. Munroanum is a dwarf hardy plant, with 

 rather small orange-red flowers, introduced 

 from Columbia in 1828, under the name of 

 Malva Munroanum. M. lateritium, an intro- 

 duction from Buenos Ayres, has handsome 

 brick-red flowers, on long peduncles. The 

 perennial sorts are increased by seeds or cut- 

 tings ; the annuals by seeds only. 



Malvavi'scus. From malva, mallow, and viscus, 

 glue ; referring to the mucilage with which it 

 abounds. Nat. Ord. Malvaceae. 



A genus of evergreen shrubs, with entire or 

 slightly lobed leaves, and crimson flowers, 

 natives of tropical America and Mexico. M. 

 arboreus (Syn. Achania mafoavtMttt) is a well- 

 known green-house shrub, with bright scarlet 

 flowers ; free-flowering, and desirable. Pro- 

 pagated by cuttings of the side shoots. 



Ma'mmea. Mammee Tree. Mamey is the 

 native name. Nat. Ord. Clusiacece. 



M. Americana, a native of the West Indies, 

 produces the Mammee Apple, or South Ameri- 

 can Apricot, which is very much valued in 

 tropical countries. It often attains the size 

 of a child's head, and is of a yellow color. The 

 outer rind and the pulp which immediately 

 surrounds the seeds are very bitter, but the 

 intermediate is sweet and aromatic, and is 

 eaten cut into slices and steeped in wine, or 

 made into preserves of various kinds. 



Mammee Apple. See Mammea. 



Mammilla'ria. From mamma, the nipple ; in 

 allusion to the small tubercles. Nat. Ord. 

 Cactacece. 



Succulent plants, with almost globular 

 stems covered with prickles, but without 

 leaves, the flowers growing out of the stem 

 without any stalk. These plants are natives 

 of the high table-land of Mexico, whore they 

 are subject to very few variations of tem- 

 perature, and they should, therefore, be kept 

 in green-house heat all the year. They are 

 also found in Texas and Colorado. In their 

 native country they grow in rich loam, and 

 therefore require a better soil than the dif- 

 ferent kinds of Cereus and Eehinocactus, 

 which grow among calcareous rocks, in the 

 mould formed by the deposition of vegetable 

 matter in the fissures. By attending to these 

 particulars the Mammillarias may be easily 

 grown in any situation where they can be 

 kept free from frost. When kept in a room, 

 they should be allowed as much air as pos- 

 sible, and the dust which lodges among their 

 spines should be frequently blown off with a 

 small pair of bellows or the breath. There 

 are about 100 species in this genus, nearly 

 all confined to Mexico and South America. 

 They were first introduced from Peru in 1799, 

 and are propagated by offsets or by seeds. 



