MILLA 



JIILTilXIA 



lOU 



MILLA. (J. Milla was bead fjanlener at the Court of 

 Madrid)- LiUAcccr. Bentharu & HooKcr restrict the 

 £;enus Milla (as Cavaiiillos, its author, intended) to one 

 ■species, M. bifloni. From Brodifiea the /ireuus differs in 

 the fact that the pedicels are not .ioiuted and the peri- 

 anth segments are always ^f-uerved. I\liUa and Brodii>>a 

 are native to the northern iialf of the western hemi- 

 sphere, lu South America is the genus Triteleia, wliiidi 

 is by sonic referred to Milla, by others to Brodifea, and 

 by still others kept distinct. There is one Triteleia i '/'. 

 Hiiiflora) in common cultivation. In his monograph 

 (Journ Linn. Soc. 11, p. 'MS), Baker refers the Tritc- 

 leias to Milla, and this disposition is followed by Index 

 Kewensis, but in a later account (G.C. III. 20, p. 459) 

 he refers them to BrodifBa. Watson ( Proc. Amer. Acad. 

 Arts. & Sci. 9, p. 2-10) restricts Milla to one species. 

 The North Auuuican plants which have been referred 

 to Triteleia are perhaps best treated as Brodiseas, and 

 they are so considered in the account of that genus in 

 Vol. 1 of this work. The South American Triteleias 

 are described under that genus in Vol. IV. 



Milla has a salverforni perianth, with 3-nerved seg- 

 ments which are separate nearly to the base, G nearly 

 sesiile stamens in one row, sessile, oblong-obovate 

 capsule. M. blfldra, Cav., has a scape 0-18 in. high 

 from a sniall coated bulb, bearing 1-5 (usually 2) 

 star-like, waxy white, fragrant fls. 2-2'.2 in. across, 

 with oblong-lanceolate segments: Ivs. rough, 

 nearly terete. S. Ariz, and New Mex. to central 

 Mex. B.R. 18:1555. t\S. U: 14.59. Gn. 24, p. 1.55. 



MiUa bifloi-a is one of the best of the small 

 bulbs. It known as Mexican Star, Mexican Star of 

 Bethlehem, Frost Flower, and Floating Star. 

 The tls. are of a charming waxy consistence, and 

 are borne on long stems. They are excellent for 

 cutting, and last several days. Planted in the lior- 

 der early in spring, they soon throw up their Hs 

 Ivs. They should be allowed to remain until Sei>tember 

 or October, wdien they may be taken up and stored for 

 the winter. Our gardeners know Milla mostly as a pot 

 bulb for flowering under glass late in winter or early in 

 spring. It blooms readily in the conditions given to 

 Freesias. Several bulbs should be placed in a pot, al- 

 though several stalks will spring from one bulb. 



L. H. B. 



MiLLEE, DUSTY. See L.i.-hin.- C„r„n„,-iu. 



MIILETS are important agricultural grasses. The 

 true Millet or Broomcorn Millet of Europe is Panii-iim 

 milaeeuin. The common Millets of the United States, 

 the Foxtail Millets, are forms of Sefaria Itulica. AJri- 

 can Millet, also called Black, Chinese. Indian, and im- 

 properly Pearl Millet, is Sorghutii vulgare. The name 

 African Millet is sometimes applied to Elciisine Coru^ 

 eana. Barnyard or Japanese Millet is P,inii-um Ciiix- 

 galli. Pearl Millet is Pciuiiselnm tijphoidcum. 



A. S. Hitchcock. 



MILLETTI& (named in honor of Dr. Millett, of Can- 

 ton, China). Leguminbsre. About 40 species of Old 

 World tropical trees and large shrubs, usually climbers ; 

 differs from the Japanese and North American genus 

 Wistaria only in the hard, usu:\lly fiat and thick pi.d 

 not opening so readily. Lvs. large, odd-pinnate: Itfs. 

 opposite, stipellate: "tis. showy, in axillary racemes 

 often fascicled, simple .>r paiiiculati- and terminal, 

 white, purple or reddish. 



A. FU, purple. 



CAfJra, Meissn. Iron-wood. A South African tree, 

 20-30 ft. high, with very hard, close-grained, brown 

 wood and dark, rough, rugulose bark, Lvs. on chan- 

 neled petioles 6-8 in. long; Ifts. lanceolate-oblong, acute, 

 in 5-6 pairs, 2-2>^ in. long, 1 in. apart; slender stipul 

 2-3 lines long: panicle 6-8 in. long: fr. leathery 

 vety, used as a medicine by the Kafftrs. Int. by 

 soner Bros., 1891. 



AA. Fls. irliite. 



Jap6mca, Gray. A .Japanese woody climber, 

 light green, odd-pinnate; Ifts, narrowly ovate, 4-G pairs, 

 I Kin. long. 1 in. apart: racemes simple, nodding, .)-8 

 in.' long. Probably not hardy in the North. Procurable 

 of dealers in Japanese plants, S.Z, 1:43 i/^rist'i na 

 Japonica ) . 



MILTONIA (named for Lord Pitzwilliam, Viscount 

 Miltim. a patron of horticulture!. Orrhidiiee't'. This 

 group contains some of the m<.'st beautiful orchids in 

 cultivatiim. The pseudobulbs are cli^sely clustered and 

 sheathed with long, graceful, dark green h's., fnrmiug 

 plants over 1 ft. in diameter, bearing nuniert.ius large 

 hs. They are herbs with short pseudobulbs, bearing 

 1-2 Ivs, at the summit and few or man\' sbeathing Ivs, 



vel- 

 Bea- 



I,v 



14 ^ Milton a vexillaria 



at the base: tlie indorescence arises from tiie base of 

 the pseudobulbs, and consists of a single-tid. peduncle 

 or of a loose raceme of king-pedicelled lis,: sepals sub- 

 equal, spreading, free or the lateral ones slightly unitetl ; 

 petals similar or a little wider: labellum not distinctly 

 clawed, large, expanded, not 3-lobed, l)ut (.dten bitid at 

 the apex: both the segments and the labellum are ex- 

 panded, forming a flat flower: column short. This ge- 

 nus contains nearly 20 species, mostly from Brazil, 

 They are closely related to Odontoglossum and On- 

 cidium, hut may be distinguished by the characters 

 given above, jf. Bii'zJn, M. ^'exiUaria , and some 

 closely related kinds were until recently known in gar- 

 dens as Odontoglossums. In the group containing the 

 "true" Miltonias, the psetidobulbs are separated from 

 each other on the rhizome, and bear 1-2 yellowish green 

 lvs. at the summit and few sheathing lvs. of the sanm 

 color at the base. The Hs. of nearly .all Miltonias re- 

 main on the plants in a fresh condition for a month or 

 more, Heixrich Hasselbrinu, 



The t^olomhiau species of Miltonia, among which are 

 J/, i;.riU,n-i't and 21. Eazlii, grow best in a compost 

 of well-chopped, turfy fern root and very coarse river 

 sand or pulverized coal clinkers. Do not overpot. Fin- 

 ish witli sphagimm. which should be kept growing, 

 ■phese species should have a temperature of 58° to 70"^. 

 Tbev do not like a close atmosphere, hut a good and 

 constant circulation of air. Fumigate slightly once a 

 week or scatter strong tobacco dust on the wet. hot pipes 

 frequentiv to control thrips. After growth is finisheil, 

 these orchids should be carefully rested in a tempera- 

 ture of '^r,^ to i;0^, but at no time should they become 

 verv dr^'. 



All tli'e Brazilian kinds enjoy plenty of diffuse, but not 

 direct, sunlight. They need much water while grow- 

 ing. After growth is complete, gradually withhold water 

 supplv. The Brazilian kinds grow best in shallow per- 

 forate'd pans, with plenty of drainage, and potted in fern 

 root mixed with coarse leaf-mold and sharp sand. 



