MILL A. 



THE BULB BOOK 



MONOCHILUS 



pale lilac sweet-scented flowers keeled 

 with red, in October and November 

 {Bot.Mag.%. 6012), 



M. sobolifera (Colchiciim pro- 

 currens) is a curious little plant from 

 Smyrna, with irregular bulbs mottled 

 with purple and yellow, and bearing 

 white flowers tinted with pale pink 

 in autumn. 



MILLA (after J. Milla, a gardener 

 at the Court of Madrid). Nat. Ord. 

 Liliaceee. — The only species at present 

 in the genus is — 



M. biflora.— A pretty little Mexican 

 plant with small bulbs, narrow blue- 

 green grassy leaves, and pure white 

 salver-shaped flowers borne on stems 

 about 6 ins. high about August {Bot. 

 Reg. 1. 1555). 



This plant may be considered as 

 only half-hardy in most parts of the 

 Kingdom, but hardy in favoured 

 spots. It likes rich sandy loam, and 

 should be grown in quantity either 

 in the open air or greenhouse for 

 effect. It is chiefly increased by 

 ofisets detached when the bulbs are 

 dormant, or just before starting into 

 growth Many other plants formerly 

 called Milla are now known under 

 the name of BEODi^aEA — which see. 



MIRABIIiIS (mirabilis, wonderful ; 

 as everything was so considered when 

 first introduced from America). Nat. 

 Ord. Nyctaginese. — This genus con- 

 tains about ten species of tuberous- 

 rooted herbs, having two to three- 

 forked branches bearing opposite 

 leaves and long tubular flowers with 

 salver-shaped lobes. 



The best-known species are men- 

 tioned below. If grown in the open 

 air, the simplest way to treat them is 

 as if they were Dahlias. They flour- 

 ish in any good well-drained garden 

 soil, and make fine bushy plants if 

 given plenty of space. They may be 



354 



raised in the first place from a packet 

 of seeds sown in gentle heat about 

 February or March, the young plants 

 being pricked out and grown on tiU 

 about the end of May under glass. If 

 given plenty of air and light and not 

 too much heat, they will be well 

 hardened off for the open air by that 

 time. In autumn the tuberous roots 

 may be lifted, cleaned, and stored 

 away in a frost-proof cellar until the 

 following year. 



M. Jalapa. — This is the " Marvel of 

 Peru," a beautiful Peruvian bushy 

 plant 2 to 4 ft. high, having tuberous 

 roots; large entire, oval, pointed 

 leaves, rounded at the base; and 

 terminal clusters of sweet - scented 

 funnel-shaped flowers about 2 ins. 

 long, and variously coloured with 

 red, white, or yellow, or striped and 

 blotched with two or more colours 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 371). 



There are numerous seedling forms, 

 some being only 12 to 18 ins. high. 



M. longillora. — ^A clammy Mexican 

 species, 2 to 3 ft. high, with black 

 turnip - shaped roots, and broadly 

 heart-shaped tapering leaves. The 

 fragrant long-tubed flowers appear in 

 July and August, varying in colour 

 from white and pink to violet. 



M. multiflora. — A downy species 

 1 to 2 ft. high, found wild between 

 Mexico and California. The bright 

 purple flowers, about 2 ins. long, 

 appear in late summer, borne in 

 terminal clusters having a cup-like 

 involucre. 



Hybrid forms in which the three 

 species mentioned above have played 

 a part are now in cultivation, and 

 will probably produce finer garden 

 forms as time goes on. 



MONOCHILUS (monos, one ; cheilos, 

 a lip ; in reference to the form of the 

 flowers). Nat. Ord. Verbenaceae.— 

 The only species in the genus is— 



