lOOG 



MERTEXSIA 



MESEMBRYAXTHEJIUM 



not as distinctiye iu form 



1394. Virginian Cowslip or Blue Bells 

 — Mertensia pulmonarioides (X ?;?). 



The common Merteusia is one of the plants that should 

 remain undisturbed for years, and hence is suited to the 

 rockery. Its leaves die down soon after iloweriDg time. 

 The plant should have a sheltered position, fall sunshine 

 and rich, [oaniy soil. M. Sihirica is considered by some 

 even more desirable. The fls. are later, lij;:;ht blue, and 

 The foliag-o of J}f. Stblru-a 

 lasts through the 

 summer, Mertensias 

 may be x^rop.by seed 

 if sown as soon as 

 ripe, but with uncer- 

 tainty by division. 

 Although of secon- 

 d ary importance, 

 Mertensias add vari- 

 ety to the border and 

 are nearly always 

 attractive to plant- 

 lovers. 



A. i^7.<.'. / r n m p e t - 

 sli'tpi'd, tJie opfi'i 

 p r t I n not 

 proiiiiiienthj 5- 

 loht'il ; filaments 

 mucJi I on (I e r 

 than the a n- 

 thtr.s. 

 pulmonarioides, 



Roth. (^^. Virghuca, 



DC). V IRUl NIAN 



Cowslip. Blue 

 Bells. Fig. 1394. Very smooth and glabrous: Ivs. obo- 

 vate or oljlong. or the lowest large, rounded and long- 

 stalked; veins conspicuous: fls. generallv more nodding 

 than shown in Fig. IHO."). Spring. N. Y. to S. C. and 

 Tenn., usually inhubitinc: low or moist grounds. B.M. 

 160 (asPulmonaria). B.B.:^:GO. CTn.2.3,'p. -163, and 32, 

 p. 173. v. 3:181; 7:24-1; 11 : 180, and 12 :140. Mn 4:33. 



AA. FJs. n-ifJt the upper portion wore J) ell -shaped and 



JIT' nil i twnt spread in {/ lobes : filaments shorter 

 than tlie anthers or onJij a little longer. 

 B. Tube of corolla 2 or iimcs as hnig as the hell. 



oblongiidlia, G.Don. About 9 in. high, smooth: Ivs. 

 mostly <")i.ilong or spatulate-lnnceolate ; veins inconspicu- 

 ous: calyx lobes acute. Western N. Anier.— Not easy 

 to cultivate. 



BB. Tnhe of corolla "not iu-ire as long as the hell. 

 0, Cahjz-lohes ohtase, ohlong. 



Sibirica, G. Don. This and the next grow 1-5 ft. high 

 and h;ive broad, veiny Ivs., the upper ones verj' acute or 

 ncuminate. J/. Sibirica. is pale, smooth and some- 

 what glaucous : stem-lvs. oblong- or lanceolate-ovate. 

 E. Siberia, Rockies and Sierras. Gn. 18: 259. — Offered 

 by some American dealers. 



("■('. Cahjx-lohes acate, lanceolate^or linear. 



paniculata, G. Don. Greener than M. Slhirica , rough- 

 ish and more or less pubescent: sleni-lvs. ovate to ob- 

 long-lanceolate. Lake Superior ;ind north, E. Asia. 

 R.B. 3:00. B.M. 2G80 and B.R. 2;14f; (as PnJnnma-ria 

 panirnlah,). 



M. Trntirrifilis, Greenm., from Orf^nn, a rpcoiitl>' desc-riLed 

 spi-ries, is offered by Horsford. Allied to M. ,'<ihirlcii, but has 

 1,'irycr corolla and longer laneeolate-.Tr-ute calyx-lnlle;^. 



O. C. WooLSOx and "W. M. 



MESCAL BUTTON is Uchinoractus )V;?Iian,sii. 



MESEMBRYANTHEMUM (Greek, midday flower; 

 the I lowers usually open in suiisliinc and cldsu in shadow). 

 /''irAid <■</', or Jffsemhrijdcn-. Fn; Mar](;oi,d. The type 

 gt'Hus of a family of something more than 20 genera and 

 ahout oOO species, widely distriliuted in dry tropical and 

 subtropical regions. Of the olhcr genera known to 

 horticulturists, only Tetragonia and Sesuvium are promi- 

 nent, and even these are relatively unimpoi-tant. Mes- 

 embryanthemum itself includes soine.30() species, nearly 

 all of which are Sonth Africaii, acconling to Sender 

 "abounding throughout the arid plains and sands of the 



whole country to the soxith of the Orange river and 

 west of the Great Fish river." Four species are de- 

 scribed by Bentham in Flora Australiensis. Two {M. 

 cri/statlinani- and a>quilatrrale) are native in California. 

 Others occur in New Zealand, Canaries, Arabia and the 

 MediterraiH'an region. They are .succulent plants, mostly 

 herbs, but some are shrubs. They are allied botanically 

 to the cactaceous series, although lacking the spines of 

 those plants and bearing true leaves. Horticulturally, 

 they are fanciers' plants, and are classed with "succu- 

 lents." Very few are in the general trade, although a 

 number are advertised in California and others are in 

 botanic gardens. Usually the flowers open only in bright 

 sunlight, but there are a few evening-blooming species. 

 As with most succulents, the species are not well under- 

 stood botanically, owing largely to the difliculty in mak- 

 ing herbarium specimens. Many of them are of odd 

 and grotesfjue form. One species, M. crystalUvam., is 

 a common bouse plant, being known as Ice Plant, but it 

 is one of the least showy in flower. It is grown for the 

 thick glistening foliage. It propagates readily by seed 

 or division. The best available account of the Meseni- 

 bryanthemums is Sonder's elaboration of the S. African 

 can sjiecies (293 numbers) in Flora Capensis, Vol. 11 

 (1801-2) L. H. B. 



In Mesembryanthemum the leaves are mostly oppo- 

 site, entire or the margin somewhat spiny, fleshy and 

 often subcylindrical or triangular in cross-outline ; flow- 

 ers perfect and regular, axillary and solitary or some- 

 what corymbose ; calyx gamosepalous, usually with 5 

 unequal lobes and the tube adnate to the ovary; petals 

 very many, in one or more rows, usually linear, white, 

 yellow or rose-color ; stamens very numerous : ovary 

 most commonly 5-loculed : fruit or capsule opening 

 radially at the summit, hygroscopic: seeds very nnnier- 

 ous, small. "The capsules are tightly closed in dry 

 weather and open naturally after a rain," writes Sender. 

 '*If tlirown in water until it becomes thoroughly soaked 

 and then removed, an old capsule will open out its capil- 

 lary valves, radiating from a center like a star; and will 

 close them ai^ain when dry. This experiment may be 

 repeated seycrul times without destroying their remark- 

 able hygrometric property." The following species are 

 S. African unless otherwise noted. Mostly perennials. 



Mesembryanthemum, or Fig Mangold, is a large 

 genus, and the majority of the species arc natives of the 

 Cape of (7O0d Hope. They are found in their native 

 habitats growing most luxuriantly on dry, barren, rocky 

 places anil on dry, sandy plains. They are succulent 

 plants witli thick, fleshy leaves, and ai'e therefore able 

 to stand the severe drought they have to put up with in 

 those arid places. Knowing that these plants delight in 

 dry, arid situations, this gives the key to their cultiva- 

 tion. When grown in pots, care should be taken that 

 the pots are well drained. A light, sandy loam, mixed 

 with lu'ick rulibish l)roken small, makes a good compost 

 fov them. In summer they can be placed out-of-doors 

 in a slightly elevated and sunny position, where they 

 will produce an abu]i<lance of their showy blossoms. 

 On the approach of cold weather in the fall they may 

 be pla.ced in a cool greenhouse with a dry atmosphere 

 and plenty of air. Very little water is needed during the 

 dull nmntlis of winter. Some of the species make good 

 ^\'indow plants. J^f. cord i folia nt , var. variegatvin is 

 largely grown for edgings for beds. M. pomcridianinn 

 and M. trirotonim are good showy annuals. Propagation 

 is effected either l)y cuttings or by seeds. Cuttings should 

 be dried in the sun fur two or three days before they 

 are inserted in sand. Roeekt Cajieuon. 



uciuiicifornio, pi. 

 iu-ut;iiit,'uhini, 'J2. 

 jeiiuilaU-Tale, 12. 

 alluiiatum, 'A. 

 .'uit^nstnni, 4 . 

 a.urantiai-m)i, 11. 

 aureuni, I'l. 

 liarbatum, ^il. 

 l)l;unbiin, IK. 

 t'ordifoliuiii, '11. 

 <Tyst;dIiTiiuii, 'Jl. 



cuKr 



. (i. 



INDEX. 



floiisum, rs.T. 

 depressTim, 7. 

 edide, i:.t. 

 elegans, 28. 

 felinum, 2. 

 florihundiim, ^0. 

 geminatuin, 21. 

 elabrum, 20. 

 iindaudetis, 17. 

 linffua^fornio, 5. 

 imit.abile, IG, 

 niurieatuni, 20. 



ponieridianum, 2.'>. 

 pustulatuiii, 8. 

 rubrociiR'tum, 11. 

 epecfabilc, 19. 

 Rtel];it\iai. 32. 

 stipulaccum, 2^, 

 .subeomprcssiini, 20. 

 tigriimin, 1. 

 tricolor, 0. 

 tricoloiiim, 9. 

 variegatum, 27. 



