FOR VICTORIAN INDUSTRIAL CULTURE. 



129 



Melocanna bambusoides, Triiiius. {BeeshaBkeedei, Kunth..) 

 The berry-bearing Bamboo, from Chittagong and other moun- 

 tainous parts of India. It is a thornless Bamboo, growing on 

 dry slopes of hills. Height up to seventy feet; circumference 

 towards base, one foot ; growth beautifully erect. 



Melocanna humilis, Boeper. 



India. More slender than the preceding species, and attain- 

 ing only a height of twenty feet. 



Melocanna Travancorica. {Beesha Travancorica, Beddome.) 

 A new Bamboo from Travancore, worthy of introduction. 



Mentha piperita, Linne.* 



The Peppermint. Middle Europe. This well-known peren- 

 nial herb is important for its peculiar essential oil, which here 

 by culture is produced in good quality. This distilled oil is 

 in considerable demand, and would be best obtained from 

 plants cultivated in the mountain-regions or naturalised along 

 the forest-rivulets. Eminent authorities refer the Pepper- 

 mint as a variety to Mentha aquatica (L.), the Water-Mint of 

 Europe, North Africa, West and North Asia, from which the 

 true Crisp-Mint (M. crispa, L.) is again derived, as well as 

 the Bergamot-Mint (M. citrata, Ehrh.) 



Mentha Pulegium, Linne. 



The true Penny-royal. Europe, Western Asia, North Africa. 

 A perennial scent-herb, yielding a peculiar ethereal oil. It 

 likes moist soil. 



Mentha rotundifolia, Linne. 



Middle and South Europe, North Africa, Western Asia. 

 Fond of wet places, which by the culture of this and other 

 Mints may be profitably utilised. In odour this Mint 

 approaches to Melissa. The French and Italian Crisp-Mint 

 is partly derived from this species. Closely allied to the fol- 

 lowing, and often regarded as a variety of M. viridis, L. 



Mentha silvestris, Linne. 



The Horse-Mint. Europe, North Africa, temperate Asia. 

 Perennial. One of the Crisp-Mints is derived from this 

 species. 



Mentha viridis, Linne. 



The Spear-Mint. Middle and South Europe. Perennial. 

 A particular sort of Crisp-Mint (M. crispata, Schrad.) belongs 

 to this species. 



Our native Mints, M. Australis, M. gracilis and M. sature- 

 joides, R. Br., yield also oil of good flavour. M. laxiflora, 

 Benth. , is far the largest and most abundant of these plants. 



K 



