MAYTENUS 



of 2-ovuled. Mnyteniis consists of evergreen, UDiu'me.l 

 plants: ivs. alternate, often 2-ranked, stulked, Ieatlier\ 

 Semite: tis. small, -wLite, yellow or reildisb, axilhirv 

 solitary, clustered or cymose; calvx 5-cut; petals ai'ui 



JIKDICAGO 



997 



1381. Maximiliana reeia. 



stamens 5, the latter inserted nnder the disk; disk or- 

 bicular, wavy-margined : stylo none or columnar: cap- 

 sule leathery, loculicidally L'-;{-valved. 



M. Boaria is a beautiful eversreeu tree, of praceful 

 habit; in Calif. 15-25 ft. liipli, but iu Chile said to at- 

 tain 100 ft. : braiichlets pendulous: Ivs. small: Hs. min- 

 ute, greenish, inconspicuous : aril scarlet. Perfectly 

 hardy in Calif, as farnorth as 8an Francisco, and hlKhly 

 valued for ornamental planting ; veconinieuded as a 

 street and avenue tree: timber e.xtremely hard. Propa- 

 gated readily from seeds, which are ]iroduced iu abun- 

 dance, or from suckers. 



Boaria, Molina (jlf. r7i(7c'H.v/i-, DC). Mavten. Fig. 

 1382. L\-s. ovate-lanceolate, thin, glandular-serrate, 

 glabrous: Us. small, axillary, clustered, polygamous, the 

 males with 5 calyx teeth, petals and stamens: capsule 

 the _Rize of a pea, 2-valved, 2-seeded. Chile. B.R. 

 -''■''"-• .T. r.uKTT Daw. 



MAZE. See Labyrinlh. 



MEADOW BEAUTY. Bhixia. M. Foxtail. J /.71, - 

 ciini.s pi-((ltiisis (a meadow grass). M. Pink. Dinnlhux 

 (h'ltoidr.t. M. Eue. Thalirtrtnn. M. Saffron. Cnlrhi- 

 ciiiii. M. Sweet. rJninriti. M. Tulip. Calnchortus. 



MEC0N6PSIS (Greek, pnpp,/-liJ.-f). Papareracea-. 

 About 10 species of herbs, natives of the Himalayas, 

 China, Europe and western North America, The Welsh 

 Poppy, j\{. Catnltrica, is suitalile for rockeries, grows 

 about a foot high, and has rather lai-ge, pale yellow, 4- 

 petalcd tls. borne in summer. The genns is nearest to 

 Argemone, but does not have prickly Ivs. Perennial or 

 rarely annual : Ivs. entire or rarely lobed or dissected: 

 fls. long-peduncled, yellow, purple or blue: ovary ovoid, 

 with a short but distinct style :iud a stign)a of 4-G rays. 

 J. B. Keller writes that tiie ^Velsh Poppy is of easy 

 cultivation in ordinary garden soil and sunny situation, 

 and is prop, by seed or division. 



CAmbrica, Vig. Welsh Poppy. Perennial: stems 

 slender: Ivs. long-stalked, pale green, slightly hairy, 

 pinnate, dentate, with 5-7 segments. Eocky woo<ls and 

 shady places, western En. G.C. III. 19:G7i (a double- 

 fld. form). 



MEDfiOLA (u;imed after the sorceress Medea, for its 

 supposed great medicinal vi.tues). Li/iuceir. Indian 

 LiTUMBER KooT, from the taste of the edible root 

 Ihis native perennial herb has 2 whorls of Ivs. and 

 bears small and not very showy tls. It is offered 

 by some dealers in native plants. Med^ola is 

 nearest to Trillium. The fls. are umbellate the 

 perianth segments all alike, colored and decid- 

 uous. 



Virginiana, Linn. Fig. ]::iS:i. Stem slender. 

 1 -J ft. high, clothed with tlocculeut deciduous 

 wool : lower whorl of Ivs. 5-<l, obovate-huiceo- 

 late, pointed, netted-veiny, lightly paraliel-rii.bed 

 sessile; upper wlu.rl of ;j-5. smaller, ovate Ivs. at 

 top subtending a sessile umbel of small, recurved 

 tls .June. Boggy soil, New Euglaud to Minn., 

 liid. and southward. B.I\I. lllKi. D. 129. 

 .1/. axparaaoldis. Linn.-.Vsparajus mcdcoloidcs. 



MEDICAGO (name originally from the country 

 Media). Li',iiiiiiii,,)s,i'. Forty to 50 herbs (rarely 

 shrubs) in Europe, Asia and Africa, with small 

 pinnately .3-foli(.iate Ivs. and denticulate Ifts.. 

 and mostly small, purple or yellow fls, in heads 

 or short racemes: stamens 9 and 1, diadelphous: 

 fr. a small spiral or curved, rough or pubescent 

 indehisceut 1- to few-seeiled pod: fl. with an ob- 

 ovate or oblong standard and obtuse mostly short 

 keel.^ Three or 4 species have become weeds in 

 the East. A few are somewhat cult, for ornament. 

 The one important species, from an agricultural 

 point of view, is Alfalfa. One species"(and per- 

 haps more) is cult, for the odd pods, which are 

 sometimes used by Old World gardeners as sur- 

 prises or .iokes, and are occasionally grown in 

 this country as oddities. Some of the Medicagoes 



dmulate clovers in appearance, but the twisted or 



piral pods distinguish them. 



A. FJoicers piirpJe. 

 satlva, Linn. Alfalfa. Luoerne. Fig. 1.384. Per- 



nnial, glabrous, growing erect 1-3 ft. and making a 



1382. Maytenus Boaria. 



Showing the dehisciug fruit. 



lon^tap-root : Ifts. small, linear, oblone:toorftte-oblong^, 

 prominently toothed towards the top: stipules awl-like, 

 conspicuous, entire; fls. iu short, axillary racemes: 



