MELANTHIUM MERENDERA MILLA. 231 



MEADOW SAFFRON. 



See Colchicum, Page 59. 



MELAKTHIUM. 



A small genus of early spring flowering bulbs, some- 

 what resembling the Ixias, Page 166, and requiring the 

 same general treatment, being natives of the Cape of 

 Good Hope. 



M. junceum (The Rush-leaved Melanthium). 

 This is a very beautiful little Cape plant, with flowers 

 like a small Ixia. The flowers are stained within with 

 dark crimson spots, nearly black, and hence the name of 

 the genus, which signifies black flowers. The propaga- 

 tion is by offsets. 



M. uniflorum. This has but one flower, as its 

 name implies. Neither of the species are worth 

 cultivating. 



MERENDERA. 



The best known species, M. caucasica, is a pretty 

 little plant, differing from the Colchicums, Page 59, by 

 the leaves and flowers appearing at the same time, and 

 should be treated in the same manner. 



MILLA. 



This is a much abused bulb. Having been included 

 in the genus Triteleia, where it does not belong, and the 

 specific name, biflora (two-flowered), entirely misrepre- 

 senting its character. It has, moreover, been repre- 

 sented as difficult to manage, when, in fact, it can be 

 grown as easily, and more satisfactorily, than almost 

 any of our summer-flowering bulbs. Our experience 

 with the Milla has been as follows : When it was first 

 sent here from Mexico we procured a large quantity of 

 the bulbs, which were about the size of small crocus 

 corms, or even smaller ; these grew rapidly, and we soon 

 saw that the name biflora did not belong to a plant pro- 



