250 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



MEN 



flowers, which are generally hidden from 

 common observers by the leaves. It looks 

 very well on a lawn trained up a single polo, 

 and with the extremity of its branches left to 

 spread themselves to the wind at pleasure. 

 It also looks very well trained to form a 

 pillar, or to a frame with an umbrella-top, 

 etc. Propagated by cuttings, or from seed 

 sown in spring. 



Me'ntha. Mint. The Latin version of the 

 Greek name Minthe, borne by the daughter of 

 Cocytus, who, according to the poets, was 

 metamorphosed into a Mint plant by Proser- 

 pine in a fit of jealousy. Nat. Ord. Labiates. 

 A well-known genus of useful herbs. The 

 species are pretty generally distributed 

 throughout the cooler parts of the world, but 

 are most common throughout Europe. They 

 have, through naturalization, become quite 

 common in many parts of the United States. 

 M. piperita is the well-known Peppermint. It 

 is extensively cultivated in Wayne County, 

 N. Y., for the sake of its volatile oil, which is 

 procured by distilling its leaves. M. viridis, 

 or Spearmint, is the plant that is used for 

 culinary purposes under the name of Mint. 

 This species is extensively forced or for- 

 warded under glass, and thousands of dollars' 

 worth of it are sold in the winter and spring 

 months in the markets of New York. M. 

 ' Pulegium is the true Pennyroyal, a native of 

 Great Britain, like the preceding species. 

 (The plant known as Pennyroyal of our woods 

 is an annual, Hedeoma pulegioides, American 

 Pennyroyal.) The species are abundantly 

 propagated by suckers, division, or cuttings, 

 and but rarely produce perfect seed. The 

 only difficulty in their cultivation in the pri- 

 vate garden is in keeping them within bounds. 

 M. citrala, a native of Europe, is the species 

 from which the Oil of Bergarnot is extracted. 



Mentze'lia. Named in honor of C. Menteel, a 

 German botanist. Nat. Ord. Loasacece. 



A genus of hardy annuals and perennials, 

 mostly with large white, showy flowers ; com- 

 mon on the western plains. M. albicaulis, a 

 low-branching plant from six to ten inches 

 high, with white polished stems, and deeply 

 cut, lance-shaped leaves, is found abundantly 

 on the arid, sandy plains of Oregon and Cali- 

 fornia. It produces oily seeds that the 

 Indians pound up and make into cake, which 

 forms part of their food. They are all easily 

 raised from seed. Burtonia is now generally 

 included under this genus. 



Menya'nthes. Buck Bean. From men, a 

 month, and anthos, a flower; the time of 

 duration. Nat. Ord. Gentianacece. 



The European kinds have white flowers, but 

 some of the exotic species, now called Vil- 

 larsia, which are natives of Australia and the 

 Cape, are very handsome, with very showy 

 yellow flowers. They are all marsh plants, 

 and should be sown or planted in the mud or 

 soft ground left by the water. Some of the 

 kinds are only half-hardy. M. trifoliata is 

 common in moist places from New England 

 north and westward. It produces racemes 

 of very pretty white or slightly reddish flow- 

 ers, about one foot high. 



Menzie'sia. Named after A. Menzies, surgeon 

 and naturalist of the expedition under Van- 

 couver. Nat. Ord. Ericacece. 

 The several species that constitute this 



MES 



genus are small, handsome, heath-like shrubs, 

 natives of the North American coast. The 

 flowers are larger and more globular than the 

 common Heath, and much handsomer ; they 

 are terminal, either singly or in clusters. 

 They were introduced in 1810, and are propa- 

 gated by layers in autumn or by cuttings. 



Mercuria'lis. So named after Mercury, who is 

 supposed to have discovered some virtues in 

 the genus. Nat. Ord. Euphorbiacece. 



A genus of uninteresting plants widely dis- 

 tributed in temperate climates. M. perennix, 

 the Dog's Mercury, is a poisonous plant 

 which turns a dull bluish-green when dried ; 

 a deep blue dye of a fugitive nature may be 

 obtained from it. 



Merende'ra. A name given to Colchicum by 

 the Spaniards, and applied to this genus be- 

 cause of its affinity. Nat. Ord. Liliacece. 



M. Caucasica, the best known species, is a 

 hardy bulb with purple flowers, from the Cau- 

 casus. It is very like Bulbocodium vernum, 

 but flowers in autumn and grows fn-ely in the 

 garden with the same treatment as is given 

 to other hardy bulbs. M. Persica, introduced 

 in 1872, under the name of M. Aitchinsoni, has 

 pale lilac, fragrant flowers, about two inches 

 in diameter. It was introduced in 1823, and 

 is propagated by offsets. 



Mermaid Weed. The popular name of the 

 genus Proserpinaca, a common plant in sandy 

 swamps near the coast. 



Merte'nsia. Named in honor of Prof. F. C. 

 Mertens, a German botanist. Nat. Ord. Bora- 

 ginacece. 



A genus of very handsome, hardy perennial, 

 glabrous, or pilose herbs, natives of eastern 

 Europe, Asia, and North America. Flowers 

 blue or purplish, in terminal racemes, leaves 

 alternate, often pellucid-dotted. M . Virginica 

 (the Virginian Cowslip), syn. Pulmonaria, is 

 an admirable plant for either the herbaceous 

 border, or for rock work. Propagated by 

 division, or by seeds sown as soon as ripe. 



Mery'ta. From meryo, to roll up ; in reference 

 to the male flowers forming something like a 

 rolled-up ball. Nat. Ord. Araliacea. 



A genus of six species of stove or green- 

 house glabrous trees, natives of Norfolk 

 Island, New Zealand, and the South Pacific 

 Islands. M. Denhami and M. macrophylla are 

 cultivated for their showy and ornamental 

 foliage. 



Mesembryaceae or Mesembryaceae. A nat- 

 ural order now included by many botanists as 

 a tribe of Ficoidece. 



Mesembrya'nthemum. Fig Marigold, Ice 

 Plant. From mesembria, midday, and anthe- 

 mon, a flower ; referring to the flowers open- 

 ing better on sunny days. Nat. Ord. Ficoidece. 

 This genus consists of nearly four hundred 

 species, more than one hundred and fifty of 

 which have been introduced and highly recom- 

 mended for the flower garden. They are 

 very succulent and grow in hot, sandy plains, 

 the genus being almost entirely confined to 

 the Cape of Good Hope. Their leaves are 

 very variable in form, but almost always of a 

 thick, fleshy texture ; the flowers, which em- 

 brace all shades of orange, crimson, pink, 

 white, etc., are most of them very beautiful, 

 the petals of brilliant colors and of a lasting 

 nature, with a handsome centre. They only 



