'f/ or yo.^ij jiiiil;. 



. lliSfi-C). Lvs. witli 9-i;! nerves, 



MEDINILLA 



species described below are glalirons, with opposite, 

 sessile lvs. and Ions, terminal, pendulous, l)rac,ted pani- 

 cles, with floral parts in 5's. 



A. Fl.^. COI-il)', 



magnifica, Lindl. Figs 

 which rnn from various points along the njiilrib to tliL 

 margin or apex, ovate or ovate-oblong: bracts 1-4 in. 

 long. Philippines. B.M. 4533. F.S. G:.S72 and 9-'XiS 

 (splendid). C!n. 51. p. 39i. G.C. II. 2:421. EH 1X57 

 lip. 319, 343, and 1890, pp. 102, 103. A. P. 7:1047.-Otber 

 interesting features are the whorled branches, each one 

 4-ridged or winged, and the dense ring of short, fleshy 

 processes at the joints between tie lvs. It can be propa- 

 gated by seeds or cuttings of young wood in heat. 

 AA. Fls. wltitc. 



CiirtisU, Hook. Lvs with 2 nerves beside the midrib 

 which run from the base to the apex of the leaf: liracts 

 about 3 lines long. ,Sum:itra. B.M. G7:!0. U.C. U. 

 20:G2L— John Saul says it blooms in autumn, -^y jj 



McdiiiiHa magnified is a fine stove plant, even when 

 not in flower. It renuvins in bloom from April to 

 July. The writer has kept a tree-shaped specimen for 



MELALEUCA 



999 



It from that genus "by its thick perennial roots its 

 large, turgul, innnarginate seeds and its thick fleshy 

 cotyledons which remain under ground in germimition. 

 Ihe fruit in some species ;i].pears to be wholly indehis- 

 cent" There are five species described in the Botany 

 of Cahtoriii;!. One of these, M. Caliiornica, Torr 

 (Arhiiioci/sl,., f„l,„r,„, N:uid.|,is sometimes grown in 

 hoe collections :uid botanic gardens, it is a tendril- 

 climber, reaeliing 21) to 30 It. in its nativ.- haunts: lvs. 

 deeply 5-/-lobe(l: lis. niono:-ci(Mis : fr. densely spinose 

 globose or ovoid, 2 in. long: seed obovoid, nearly 1 in. 

 long and half or more as broad, margineil by a narrow 

 groove or dark line. S.Calif. Odd in germination (see 

 Gray, Amer. .Jouru. Sci. 1877). 



MEGASfiA. Sec Saxifraga. 



MELALEUCA (Grec 



from the black trunk 

 species). Mijrii'ivca-. 



<, mi'hiK, black, and teukn>;,v:hite: 

 Old white branches of one of the 

 This genus comprises about 100 



1335. Medinilla magnifica, A youug specimen, 



more than twenty year^, duriiic; wliicli tinu' it has nover 

 failed to bloom annually. In altcrnare season.^ the tis. 

 have been more abundant, .sliuwin.a' that the plant need.^ 

 a rest. After flowering, the specimen may be placed 

 outdoors in a partly shaded position, where high winds 

 cannot damage the foliage. In September, it should be 

 placed in a conservatory with a nii;ht temperature of 

 y>o°. When growing vigorously it likes plenty of wrak 

 liquid cow maniire and guano alternately. It must l^e 

 constantly watched for mealy bug, as it is almost im- 

 possible to dislodge this pest after the racemes have 

 begun to form. - F. L. IIarkis. 



MEDLAR. See MespiJi(.<i. The Loquat is sometimes 

 erroneously called Medlar. Fur Japanesi- Medlar, see 

 Photinia. 



MEDUSA'S HEAD. Euphorbia Capnt-Mednsa-. 



MEGAEKHiZA (Greek for big root). CucurhitdeerP. 

 By Bentham & Hooker, and also by Cogniaux (DC. 

 -Monogr. Phaner. ;i) this genus is referred to Echino- 

 cystis", but Watson (Bot. C'alif. 1, p. 1^41) distinguishes 



1386. Medinilla ma-^nifica {y\}^). 



Species of Au.straiian trees and shrul>s, many of which 

 are considered useful for hxing coast sands and holding 

 muddy shores. Tlie trees live in salty ground and water, 

 nmch as mangroves do, and some are grown in swamps 

 as a corrective of fever conditions. They transplant 

 easilj' and have close-grained, hard, durable timber. 

 Lvs. alternate, rarely opposite, entire, lanceolate or 

 linear, liat or subterete, with 1-:^ or many nerves: bracts 

 deciduous: tis. in lieads or spikes, eacli sessile in the 

 axil of a floral leaf, their parts in 5's; calyx tube subglo- 

 bose; lobes imbricate or open; petals spreading, decid- 

 uous ; stamens indefinite in number, more or less united 

 at their bases into .i bundles opposite the petals; anthers 

 versatile, the cells parallel and bursting longitudinally: 

 ovary inferior or half inferior, enclosed in the calyx 

 tulie. usually with many ovules in each cell. Several 

 species are cultivated in S. Calif. Sometimes called 

 Bottle-brush trees, from their resemblance to the allied 

 Callistemons. Flora Australiensis, 3:123. 

 A. Xrs. mosfli/ alternate. 

 Leucadendron, Linn. (J/. Cajaputi, Roxb.). Thk 

 Ca.taput Tkee. The most widely distributed of all the 



