260 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



MOS 



Mosquito Plant. See Lopezia coronata. 



Moss. See Sphagnum. 



Moss Campion. One of the popular names of 



Sil&ne, which see. 

 Moss Pink. See Phlox subulata. 

 Mother of Thousands. Linaria Cymbalaria. 

 Motherwort. Leonurus, a worthless weed, 



common in neglected and waste places ; also, 



Artemisia vulgaris. 



Mountain Ash. See Pyrus aucuparia.. 

 Mountain Cowslip. See Primula Auricula. 

 Mountain Fringe. See Adlumia cirrhosa. 

 Mountain Holly. See Xemopanthea. 

 Mountain LaureL See Oreodaphne. 

 Mountain Mahoe. See Paritium. 

 Mountain Spinach. See Atriplex. 



Mountain Sweet. A Canadian name for Ceano- 

 thus Americanus. 



Mount Etna Lily. See Sterribergia. 

 Mourning Bride. See Scabiosa. 

 Mouse-ear Chickweed. See Cerastium. 

 Mouse-tail. Myosurus minimus. 

 Moutan, or Tree Peeony. See Pceonia. 

 Moving Plant. See Desmodium. 



Mucous, Mucose. Covered with a slimy secre- 

 tion, or with a coat that is readily soluble in 

 water, and becomes slimy; resembling 

 mucus. 



Mucronate. Abruptly terminated by a hard, 

 sharp point ; thus, mucronato-serrate is when 

 the serratures terminate in a hard, sharp 

 point, 



Mucu'na. Cow Itch. The Brazilian name. 

 Nat. Ord. Leguminosce. 



The plants of this genus are well known to 

 travelers in tropical countries from the 

 exceedingly annoying character of their seed- 

 pods, which are thickly covered with stinging 

 hairs, easily detached by the slightest shake, 

 and causing great irritation if they happen to 

 fall upon exposed parts of the body. 



Mud Plantain. See Heteranthera. 



Muehlenbe'ckia. Named after H. G. Muehlen- 

 beck, a Swiss physician. Nat. Ord. Polygon- 

 acecB. 



A genus of twining shrubs or small trees, 

 natives of South America, New Zealand, and 

 Australia. M. complexa (syn. Polygonum 

 complexum) is of dense and diffuse habit, and 

 from the distinct form and color of its foliage, 

 together with its graceful, drooping, wire- 

 like branches, often covered with transparent 

 fruit, the tooth-like divisions of which hang 

 like miniature icicles in small clusters on 

 lateral shoots from the more ripened stems, 

 is a most desirable plant for vases or hanging 

 baskets. It is probably hardy, and was intro- 

 duced from New Zealand in 1870. M. platy- 

 dada is the name now given by some to the 

 plant known as Cocoloba platyclada, which 

 see. 



Mu'kia Derivation unknown. Nat. Ord. Cucur- 

 bitacecB. 



A small genus of Cucurbitacece, nearly allied 

 to Bryonia. They are confined to the tropics 

 of the old world. M. scabrella is widely 

 diffused. It is an annual, scabrous climbing 



MUL 



herb, with entire or lobed leaves, small yellow 

 flowers and greenish fruit, half an inch in 

 diameter, which is yellow or reddish when 

 ripe. 



Mulberry. See Morus. 



Mulberry. Indian. See Morinda. 



Mulberry. Paper. Broussonetia papyrifera. 



Mulching. Placing leaves or rough litter around 

 newly planted trees to prevent evaporation 

 from the soil has been long practiced. Good 

 cultivators apply leaves, rough manure, etc. , to 

 the surface of the soil to protect the roots of 

 certain plants against the action of the frost, it 

 being useful, not so much against freezing as 

 to prevent alternate freezing and thawing. 

 In strawberry culture, the mulch applied in 

 the fall protects the roots during winter ; it is 

 allowed to remain on the bed, where, if thick 

 enough, it keeps down weeds, and prevents 

 the evaporation of moisture from the soil 

 during the dry time we are apt to have between 

 the flowering and the ripening of the Straw- 

 berry. The utility of a mulch is not confined 

 to the Strawberry among fruits ; Raspberries 

 and Currants are much benefited by it; aud 

 the finer varieties of English Gooseberries, a 

 fruit with which very few succeed in our hot 

 summers, can be successfully grown when so 

 treated. Newly planted trees, whether of 

 fruit or ornamental kinds, are much benefited 

 by a mulch, and its application often settles 

 the question of success or failure. We have 

 known a whole Pear orchard to be mulched, 

 and the owner thought its cost was more than 

 repaid by saving the fallen fruit from bruises. 

 Spinach is protected in the same way, and 

 Carnations, Pansies, Roses, and other partly 

 hardy plants, are mulched in the same manner. 

 The rooting of a layer is by some gardeners 

 thought to be facilitated by placing a flat 

 stone over the buried branch ; the fact being 

 that the stone acts as a mulch, and prevents 

 the soil around the cut portion from drying 

 out, and greatly favors the rooting process. 

 Even in the vegetable garden mulching is 

 found useful, especially with Cauliflowers, 

 which find our summers quite too dry. The 

 material of the mulch is not of much impor- 

 tance ; mostly one kind of litter will answer 

 nearly as well as another. The material will 

 be governed in great measure by locality ; 

 those living near salt water will find salt hay, 

 as hay from the marshes is called, the most 

 readily procured ; those who live near Pine 

 forests use the fallen leaves, or Pine needles, 

 as they are called ; in the grain-growing 

 districts straw is abundant, and nothing can 

 be better ; it can be applied more thoroughly 

 if run through a cutter. Leaves are Nature's 

 own mulch, and answer admirably, if there is 

 danger of their being blown away, brush laid 

 over them, or even a little earth sprinkled on 

 them, will keep them in place. One of the 

 best materials to use for summer mulching i& 

 the green grass mowed from lawns. This, 

 applied to the thickness of two or three inches 

 around the roots of all kinds of small fruits, 

 will be found not only to greatly benefit the 

 crop, particularly in dry weather, but will save 

 greatly in labor by preventing the growth 

 of weeds. Stable manure, particularly that 

 of cows, is extensively used in Rose growing 

 in winter, two or three inches of which is 

 placed over the soil, whether they are grown 



