74 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



it pervades the atmosphere for a distance around towards the close 

 of the day and through the night, when it is simply delicious and 

 widely diffused. When in flower they may be placed in a room, 

 window, or the greenhouse, but in the event of their being used for 

 the ornamentation of rooms, it must be borne in mind that their 

 perfume is very powerful, and that where one would scent a room 

 delightfully, half a dozen would give off a perfume which would be 

 most oppressive. Other varieties possessing equal attractions are 

 M. odoratissima, M. annua (the Ten-week Stock), M. incana (the 

 Brompton Stock), a biennial variety, and several others. All are 

 readily grown from seed, and the beautiful double forms of the 

 flowering Stock family are worthy a prominent place in gardens 

 where sweet blossoms are a desideratum. 



Mauritia carana. — A South American Palm. A whole acre of Mignon- 

 ette would not emit more perfume than a single plant of the Fan 

 Palm of the Rio Negro. In approaching one of these plants through 

 the thick forest, the sense of hearing would, perhaps, give the first 

 notice of its proximity, from the merry hum of winged insects, 

 which its scented flowers had drawn together to feast on the honey, 

 and to transport the pollen of the male to the female plants ; for it 

 is chiefly dioecious species of Palms that have such sweet flowers. 



Maxillaria. See Orchids. 



Meadow-sweet. See Spiraea ulmaria :— 



' To nod from banks, from whence depend 

 Rich cymes of fragrant Meadow-sweet ; 

 Alas ! those creamy clusters lend 

 A charm where death and ardour meet.'— Campbell. 



Mediocosma. See Acronychia. 



Megastigma Skinner i. — A fragrant Mexican shrub. 



Melaleuca minor. — An Australian flowering shrub, the leaves of which 



possess a powerful aromatic odour, and, when distilled, produce the 



Oil of Cajeput. 



Melia. — A genus of tropical shrubs or trees, originally from India, 

 now found in many countries. If. Azedarach is a giant variety, 

 bearing large bunches of lilac flowers emitting an agreeable perfume. 



Melicocca bijuga. — A Central American timber-producing tree, bear- 

 ing honey-scented flowers and aromatic berries. 



Melilotus alba [BoJchara Clover). — An arborescent variety of Clover 

 from Asia ; its uses with us are chiefly for bee-feeding, as they are 

 extremely fond of the honey also found in the white bloom. It is 

 a useful plant for flavouring hay, but its growth is so strong and 

 fibrous that animals find it diflicult to masticate the woody pieces. 

 Both the seed and dried leaves are highly scented. 



