MENTZELIA 



MENTZfiLIA. (Mentzel. au early German botanist). 

 /"yOaN'k'c'tr. About ol) species of erect, sometimes woody 

 herbs, 1-5 ft. liif,'li, many natives of North America. Lvs. 

 alternate, mostly coarsely toothed or pinnatlHil: lis. soli- 

 tary or in cymes, white, yellowish, yellow or reil; pi'tals 

 .") or 10, regularly spreading, convolute in tbi^ bud, d,.- 

 culuous ; stamens indetinite, rarely few, ijisertcd with 

 the petals on the throat of the calyx: .seeds Hat. 

 They thrive in sunny, moist (.r di-y situations 

 sheltered from .strong winds. JA. Li'ml/fi/i, from 

 Oalif., is common in eastern gardcuis, where it is 

 known as linrtouitt anna; the other species are 

 offered by \vestern dealers, but are not generally 

 in cult. They flower in summer. Althon.gli lil. 

 [Ayidlefil has long been a rather common plant in 

 cultivation, it is little known in the wihl, being 

 probably a native of central Calif. The seeds 

 should be sown where the plants are to remain, as 

 they do not bear transplanting. 



MERTENSIA 



]()().'= 



nivent, forming .a lo 

 separating. In Wcrci 

 <listinct from the bas 

 is :i-cut only at the a|i 

 plants with tiniicati-d 

 the Hs 



tubi' at first and afterwanls 

 r:i Ibere are '.i stvles which are 

 style 



colored. 



while in Bulbocodium th 

 :. Merenderas are low, steniless 



rujs: Ivs. linear, appearing with 

 Is. l-:i, a.|)]iearing in spring or fall, mostly libic- 

 The geuus is divided by Baker (.Jour.' Linn. 



Ce/" 



Fh 



vi fU 

 opciii nij i II hi 

 c. Pilals 1 !, 



.^,7,, 



h/ht .s■?^^s 

 '. long. 



Lfndleyi, Torr. & Gray {Bartdiiia ahrea, 

 Lindl.). Fig. 1393. Annual: stem 1-3 ft. high, 

 branched and straggling: Ivs. 2-3 in. long: lis. 

 about Li^.2 in. across, bright yellowy very fra- 

 grant in the evening, bracted; petals r>, broadly 

 <thovate, nearly as broad as long, rounded at the 

 apex except aii abrupt short point. Probably cen- 

 tral Calif. B.M.3G49. B.R. ^' ^ 



cc. Petals 2-?'' i 



Iffivicaillis, Torr. & Gray, 

 ft. liii;li: Ivs. o-S in. long: 



22:1831. 

 in. Jong. 

 Biennial : 



2-3 



J/ 



Us 



arri)ss, bract 1 

 ,\eb. to Calif. 



■ss; petals 

 B.n. 2:459. 



■How, 2' 



bmceolate. acumiiuitc 



'^IVt-lf^ 



BB. J'ls. op'.-tiiiiij toivanJs ii/'jhl. 



nMa, Torr. & Gray. Biennial: sti-ni somowliat 

 slender, l-[> ft. liij^h: Ivs. l-!] in. loni;-: \\a. creamy 

 white, 1K--U in. across, usually lira<'Mcss; petals 

 10. Dakota to Kans.. Colo, aiul Tox. B.M. 5ly;}(as Btn- 

 tonia nuda), B.B.Li:458. 



AA. Color of ns. ptin' irhi/r. 



omS-ta, Torr. L^ Gray. Annual: stem '2 ft. and nion.-: 

 Ivs. il-G in. loot;: lis. r, in. across, 0]>cnini;' ti-wards ni,i;lit, 

 fraiifrant, usually bracted; petals 10; stanirns L'()(l-:i()0. 

 Dakota and Mont, to Tex. R.T-T. lS78:-[:;n. B.iM.llsT (as 

 nartonla dccapetahi^ . IJ.B. '2: 4.');"). 



:\I. B. GouLSTOx and W. .'\I. 



MENYANTHES {Greek, men, a month, ami anthos, 

 flower; perhaps because it llowers for about a month). 

 Geii(iaii<}cc(('. Buokbean. A p:enus of 12 speeics of 

 small perennial bog plants with creeping rootstoeks and 

 small, 5-lobed white or purplish t\s. borne in late spring. 

 They are procurable from dealers in native phvnts. The 

 genus is ono of the few aquatic groups in the gentian 

 family. It is allied to Limnanthemum, but the lis. of 

 the latter are not bearded or crested on the face as they 

 are in Meuyanthes. Lvs. alt alternate, stalked: corolla 

 somewhat funnel- or l.^ell-shaped ; stamens inserted on 

 the tube of the corolla; hypogynons glands 5: style long. 



trifolia.ta, Linn. Buokbean. About 9-18 in. high: 

 Ifts. 3, oval or oblong-obovate, 1-1 ^'^ in. long: raceme 

 about 12-fld. Bogs, north temperate regions. B.B. 2 :C>"J2. 

 V. 2:198 and 3:208. -The lvs. are said to be used in (^er- 

 many as a substitute for hops in beer-making. A very 

 interesting bog plant. 



MERCURY. ChcnopoiTnnn Bonns-JJrnrivns. 



MERENDfiRA (from quHa meriendas, Spanish name 

 of Co/cJiiuiii autum)ia/e; some of these plants formerly 

 considered to belong to Colchicum). Lilidvetv. Al)0ut 

 10 species of bulbous plants, mostly natives of the I\l<^di- 

 terranean region and Asia JMinor. They belong to the 

 same tribe with Colchicum and Hulbocodinm, but Colclii- 

 cum has a real corolla tube, while the other two genera 

 have (j very long-clawed segments whicli are merely con- 



/' 



A 



^^k^^f-\-%^-, •• 



1393 Mcntzelia Linaleyi ( 



) 



Soc. 17:438, 1880) into two gron]>s, based on the anthers. 

 The 2 species descriln.-d below belong to the group with 

 small, oblong, versatile anthers, which are fastened at 

 the middle rather than the base. They are hardy spring- 

 l.ilooming I'lants with about 3 lvs., and fls. 1-1/-2 in. 

 across. Tiiese rare plants are procurable from Dutch 

 bulb-growers. They :ire ]iretiy, small-tld., early-bloom- 

 ing, hardy, frairih- phuils whirb iM;rsisfwell nndergood 

 garden cultivation. 



AA. Bhi'Ji- i'f jhhij^i hni<-c<'InU\ arvle. 



soboliSera, Fisch. & .Mcy. Segments not appendaged: 

 a very small new coian produce(i at (he apex of a shoot. 

 Asia Minor, Persia. 



J/. JiUtltcnica is advertised liy Van Tidiert;en. 



J. N. Gekakd and TV. W. 



MERTENSIA (after Blortens, a German botanist). 

 I><n-raiil niirra'. About 15 species of perennial herbs, 

 natives of tlio north temperate zone, the most popular 

 oE which is J/. piilnKinnria'iiJeH, better known as J/. ('(;•- 

 .I'mica, Virginia Cowslip, Blue Bells, and Virginia Lung- 

 wcrt. This grows 1-2 ft. high and bears more or less 

 drooping clusters of blue-belled fls. in March to May 

 (see Fig. i:)94). The tis. are about 1 in. long, and 20 or 

 more in a terminal group. They have a purple tube and 

 blue bell of distinct sha|ie. the lobes of the corolla being 

 less pronounced than in the other species. Mertensias 

 are allied to Pulmonarin. but the tis. have no bracts, as 

 in Pnltnonaria. They are botanically nearer Jlyusotis, 

 which contains the forget-me-nots. Mertensias are gla- 

 brous or pilose : lvs. alternate, often having pellucid 

 dots: racemes terminal or the cymes loose, few-fid., 

 1-sided, sometimes panicled : Us. blue or purplish, rarely 

 white; calyx o-cut or S-parted; lobes .5; stamens fastened 

 at the middle of the tulie or higher. 



