mesembrya'nthemum. 



181 



METROSIDE v ROS. 



Hottentots ; and to the flowev, which 

 resembles that of a marigold in shape, 

 and sometimes in colour. There are 

 two kinds of Mesembryanthemum 

 which are called the Ice-plant — viz., 

 M. glaeiale, and M. crystallinum, 

 the former being an annual, and the 

 latter a biennial — and they take their 

 English name from the little globular 

 protuberances, or rather blister's (which 

 botanists call papulae), filled with a 

 soft watery matter, which glisten over 

 the whole of the plants, and make 

 them look as though they were co- 

 vered with ice. The flowers of these 

 plants are white ; but there are other 

 Mesembryanthemums AVith pink or 

 purple flowers, and those of the com- 

 monest and hardiest kind, M. pome- 

 ridianum, are of a brilliant yellow. 

 This kind is an annual, the seeds of 

 which should be sown on a hotbed, 

 and the young plants transferred to 

 the open ground in May ; and they 

 should be always planted out into the 

 open border, as they never flower well 

 in a pot. The perennial kinds may be 

 grown either in pots, or in the open 

 ground ; but in the latter case they 

 should either be taken up or carefully 

 protected during winter, as they are 

 killed by the slightest frost. They 

 should be grown in sandy or gravelly 

 soil, which, for the larger-growing 

 species, may be mixed with a little 

 loam : but even of these, the poorer 

 and more sandy the soil, the more 

 brilliant will be the colours of the 

 flowers, though the leaves and stems 

 will become small and weak. All 

 the species should be kept quite dry 

 when in a dormant state, and abund- 

 antly supplied with water when they 

 are about to flower ; and all the per- 

 ennial kinds are propagated by cut- 

 tings, which should be kept quite dry 

 for several days after they are put 

 into the ground, till they begin to 

 wither, when they should be supplied 

 with a little water, and they will di- 



reetly begin to throw out roots. The 

 pots in which these plants are grown 

 should be well drained with cinders ; 

 and when planted out in the open 

 air, it should be on a dry, open, sunny 

 bank. 



Me'spilus. — Rosacea. — This is 

 one of those genera which have been 

 dismantled, and almost annihilated, 

 by modern botanists. A few years 

 ago, and almost all the flowering- 

 shrubs and low trees, included in the 

 order Rosacea;, were referred to Mes- 

 pilus. All the Cratseguses, a great 

 number of the Pyruses, the Aronias, 

 Amelanchier, Eriobotrya, and many 

 other allied genera, were all consi- 

 dered to belong to Mespilus. Now, 

 however, the genus Mespilus is con- 

 fined to the two kinds of Medlars ; 

 and even of these, M . grandiflbra 

 seems rather doubtful. Mespilus 

 Germdnica, the common Medlar, 

 and its varieties, are now, therefore, 

 the sole support of this once extensive 

 genus ; and they are not only trees 

 of considerable size, but trees that, 

 notwithstanding their large white 

 blossoms, are too coarse-growing to 

 be called ornamental. 



Metroside v ros. — Myrtaceee. — 

 Australian and Cape shrubs, with 

 tassel-like flowers, nearly allied to 

 Melaleuca. One species, (3f. ve- 

 nts) the Iron wood, is a tree, and a 

 native of the East Indies. The most 

 beautiful of the Australian shrubs 

 formerly considered as belonging to 

 this genus, are now removed to the 

 genus Callistemon ; and these have 

 generally crimson flowers. The re- 

 maining species are generally kept in 

 a greenhouse in England, but they 

 may be grown in the open air, if they 

 are slightly protected during winter ; 

 and in sheltered situations they will 

 indeed often stand several years with- 

 out any protection whatever. They 

 should be grown in a mixture of sandy 

 loam and peat, but any common gar- 



