FABACEiE. 



167 



MIRBELIA. 



Gen. Char. (Decandria Monogynia.) Calyx five-cleft, two- 

 lipped ; pod two-celled, with each suture bent inwards. 



Named after M. Mirbel, a Erench botanist. An Australian 

 genus containing the following species of very pretty and 

 showy greenhouse plants : — M. reticulata, speciosa, pungens, 

 dilatata, rubimfolia, floribunda, and Meisneri, are purple- 

 flowered ; grandiflora has reddish-yellow flowers ; Meisneri is 

 smaller than dilatata, but a most lovely greenhouse plant, 

 and deserves to be introduced into every collection ; the 

 leaves are very curious in appearance, as they are wedge- 

 shaped, rigid, waved, crisp, and at the apex three-cleft, and 

 of a dark green ; the flowers are numerous, red-purple, and 

 of a deeper hue at the lower part of the petals. These 

 plants are very desirable for the greenhouse, as they are gay 

 with flowers in the spring; they require peat or heath- 

 mould and very well drained pots, but the soil must not be 

 suffered to get quite dry. 



AOTUS. 



Gen. Char. (Decandria Monogynia.) Calyx five-cleft, two-lipped; 

 stamens falling off • ovary two-seeded ; style filiform ; pod two- 

 valved, and no appendage to the seed. 



