MIRABILIS 



4 of which are cultivatiil for their pretty or showy fls 

 The fls. have no eoroUa, but the calyx is colored and tu- 

 liular and exactly like a corolla in appearance. The tls. 

 are surrounded by a leafy involucre, and sometimes (as 

 in if. Jalapa) only one flower is borne in an involucre 

 simulating; a corolla in a 5-clef t calyx. The stamens are .'. 

 or 6, as long as the perianth, the'ir tilaments united at 

 llie base. Style 1, with a capitate stigma. Fruit har- 

 dened, capsule-like and indeliiscent. They are peren- 

 nial herbs, although grown as ann\ials from seeds, with 

 Ivs. petioled and opposite, and fls. solitary or panicu- 

 late and nearly or quite sessile in tlie involucres. 



A. Jiifolucrc eonfaininfi miji/onr flmrrr : plmit qla- 

 bruus or virif iirati/j .so. 



Jal4pa, Linn. Focr-O'Ce.im'k-. MarveIj np Peru. 

 Fig. 14UI). Erect-bushy, i|uick-growing herlj. ^-.^rniinat- 

 ing readily from the large, conical-oi)loug fruits, 2-3 ft. 

 high, bearing profusely in late suinmer and fall long- 

 tubed fnnnelform Hs. in white ami shades of red and 

 yellow, and striped, opening in cloudy weather or late 

 in the afternoon (whence the coniiuou name Four- 

 O'Clock), and closing in themorning. Lvs. ovate-lanceo- 

 late, short-potioled, acuminate, entire : fls. in clusters 

 amongst the lvs. ; stamens not exserted. Tropical 

 Amer. B JM. 371.-Cultivateil from early times, and 

 always a favorite. In tropics it has tuberous roots, and 

 these were once supposed to be the source of Jalap, 

 whence the name Jalapa. There are dwarf and conjpact 

 varieties ; also forms with variegated foliage. The 

 Pour-0'Clock is an "old-fasliione<l flower." It is treated 

 as a tender annual. Thrives in any garden soil. A use- 

 ful plant for growing in a hedge (p'nnts 1 ft. apart) at 

 the rear of the flower garden. It sometimes comes up 

 in the spring from self-sown seeds. Even as f.-ir north 

 as New York, it often produces tuberous roots large 

 enough to be lifted and stored like dahlias. 



AA. Involucre containing l-,WI,i.: phiiit rixciihjiiihex- 

 ceiil. 

 Califdmica, Gray. Plant 1-:! ft. tall, yellowish green, 

 the many stems ascending from asomewhat woody base: 

 Ivs. thick or almost fleshy, ovate-oblong to round-ovate, 

 short-stalked: involucres .'j-cleft, short-pednncled, con- 

 taining 1-3 rose-purple fls. a half-inch long, with sta- 

 mens sometimes protruded. .'^. t'alif. to t'tah ami S.— 

 Little known in cultivation. 



AAA. Involucre conlaininij ;; or nnn-e lonij-l nhed fU. 



multifldra. Gray. Stout and bill iL'-:: ft.), nuudi- 

 branche<l, somewdjat pubescent or sometimes glabrous; 

 lvs. rather thin, gray-green, lance-ovate to broad-ovate, 

 more or less cordate, short-stalUed, acute or acuminate: 

 involucre )4. in. long, stalked: Hs. 6, with a tube often 

 2 in. long, rose to purple, the style and the 5 stamens 

 protruded. — Var. pubSscens, \Vats.'( M. Fro'beli i , Greene ) , 

 is very pubescent throughout. The M. muUiflora of 

 B.M. G2G6 is probably this variety. The species ranges 

 from Colo, to S. Calif, and S. Little known in cult." 



longiflora, Linn. Plant 2-3 ft., glandular-pubescent 

 above: Ivs. cordate and usuidly acuminate, short-stalked, 

 pubescent: fls. pubescent, with a very narrow ttibe 5-G 

 in. long, and a small, flaring white, rose or violet limb, 

 very fragrant at evening. Mexico. — An old garden 

 plant, but less frequent than ^f. Jnhipu . Easily gi-own 

 from seeds. It has been hyliridized with J/". JaUi'pu. 



L. n. C. 



MISCANTHUS (Greek, niiskoa, a stem, and ,n,thi<s, a 

 flower). Grantincir. Eulalia. Oouj})rises aljout (J spe- 

 cies in southern and eastern Asia, several of which are 

 cultivated for ornament. Tall perennial grasses with 

 ample terminal fan-shaped panicles, allied to the sugar 

 caue and Eri.anthus. Includes the Eulalias of the trade 

 but not Eulalia, Ktinth, which is referred to Pollinia, 

 Trin., by Hackel. Spikelets I-fld., in pairs at the joints 

 of the rachis, one nearly sessile, the other pedicellate, 

 usu;dly awTied. Glumes 4. A cluster of silky hairs 

 arises from the base of the spikelets, which gives the 

 panicle its beautiful feathery appearance. Increased 

 by seed or division of roots. 



Although many progressive nurservTuen now adver- 

 tise these f.avorite grasses as Miscantbus, the name 



MISSISSIPPI 



1021 



Eulaha will probably remain in the EnglLsh lauKiiai;.' as 

 a thorou!;hly naturalized word, like Geranium and Chrys- 

 antheuiuin. Eulalias probably rank among the Hrst half 



1407. Miscanthus Sinensis. 



Whi''li. un<li-r tlie name nf Kiilali.i, is niio of tliHi 



nrost [,uijular of oraamcutal gras.sea. 



dozen most popular grasses cultivated for ornament. 

 They are remarkably hardy and are universal favor- 

 ites for bedding. One of the commonest and best de- 

 signs for a bed of ornamental grasses employs Arundo 

 Dunax as a tall center piece, surrounded by Eulalias. 



sacchdriSer, Bentli.(sonietinu's written sccchnrifhh-iis). 

 riistin-uislied bv its ncarlv or <|uite awnloss spikelets 

 China, (it. 18r,2 :3,-,7.- Procurable of dealers in. Jal):inrs„ 

 plants. 



Nepalensis, Hack. IIimalava Faihv Grass. Rpikeh-ts 

 one-fourth as loui; as the bn.wn iuvobicral liaii-s. Lvs. 

 smooth "11 the mari,'in. ( ircasii.nally cultivatid. JTima- 

 layas. 



Sinensis, Amlcrs. i/dh'ih'a .1,/ pihi i,;i , Trin.). Fi-s. 

 14(1/, 14(I,S. .Spikelets aliont r,|ualiug tho wliito or sub- 

 violet involncral hairs. (_'ulm \-'.t 

 ft.: lvs. 2-3 ft., UKirgins si'a- 

 brous; panicle G-12 in., formed 

 late in the season. Estaldishcd 

 plants form clumps as much as 

 18 ft. in circumfcrrnee. The 

 forms in cultivatifui are njostly 

 the following varieties : ^'ar. ! :^ 

 variegatus, with leaves striped; ' '' 

 zehrinus, leaves banded. These 

 two varieties are not quite so 

 hardy as the type, and are usual- 

 ly propagated by division, as tho 

 seeds are not so sure to come 

 true. Gng. 4::i7."i; (1:107. B.M. 

 731)4. Var. graclllimus I E'fh'ilia. 

 II, -'ir ill Inn, niili-lft:'ltn.i;.J,,j„;,i. 

 Irn ,/i-,ii-ini„i<,. etr.l. Lr;ives 

 much narrower than the t\ pe. 

 Gn.oO.p. lOS. Gug. :::273. K.B. 

 21. p. 179. 



A. 



Hr 



1408. Variegation in 

 Miscanthus Sinensis. 

 At the left, '-Tr/'v?"/"-? ; 

 midiJle, zcbrinii.s: r]<i)\t., 

 graciUimus. 



MISSISSIPPI, HORTICUL- 

 TURE IN. Fig. UOn. Mis- 

 sissippi extends aliout 325 miles from tiortli to south and 

 175 miles from east to west. The .surfa<.'e is mostly un- 

 lUilating. with few nbrupt hills, aDd the highest part of 

 the state, the northeastern section, is less than 1,000 feet 

 above tlie sea level. It has an annual rainfall of about 



