THE BROAD LEAVED ROCKFOILS 
249 
M. crasstfolia. — A variable plant from Cen- 
tral Asia, which it covers from the Altai Mts. 
to Mongolia. Perfectly hardy it resists rough 
treatment and severe cold, and grows freely 
in good soils. It blooms very early and its 
great heads of fragrant flowers, in loose clus- 
ters which are divided into long drooping 
sprays, are soft pink in colour with a trace of 
lilac. The dark green leaves are smaller than 
in cordifolia^ slightly indented at the edges, 
and instead of showing a broad base they taper 
rapidly towards the stalk, creeping down it 
for some distance like a narrow wing. There 
are many garden forms of this useful old plant, 
the most distinct being alba — a dwarf kind of 
moderate growth and seldom more than 6 
inches high, with white flowers and leaves 
prettily tinted in winter. Media is a distinct 
and pretty kind with dark shining leaves and 
aprofusion of brightrose-pinkflowerson strong 
stems ; ovata has oval leaves in which the blade 
is not narrowed to the stalk, and flowers of 
deeper colour displayed well above the foliage. | 
M. orbicularis is a semi-prostrate variety which 
is often classed as a species but is more cor- 
rectly a small much-branched form of crassi- 
folia ovata, in which the leaves are more 
rounded and the flowers a pale rose-colour, 
very profuse and finely displayed. This kind 
is the earliest to flower, beginning with Febru- 
ary or even earlier in warm districts, and with 
a delightful scent of almonds and Hawthorn. 
Other kinds are rubra, with darker flowers ; 
and aureo-marginata in which the leaves are 
edged with yellow. 
M. ligulata. — A charming kind from the i 
mountains of Nepaul, of a very dwarf habit 
and less hardy than those just described. The 
plant spreads by long woody stems bearing at 
the growing point a crown of glossy ever- \ 
green leaves, oval in outline, tapering gradu- 
ally to the base. It blooms very early — often 
by the end of January — and for this reason is 
safest under glass in all save the warmest gar- i 
dens, flowering for many weeks even in a living 
room and the flowers agreeably fragrant. Borne 
in large loose clusters their colour varies from 
bright pink to deep rose with crimson anthers. 
When in the open air the plants need shelter 
and slight shade, for while rarely killed out- , 
right by frost a series of sharp winters will 
kill them by inches. After a fine season the 
foliage often turns a brilliant red in autumn. 
Syn. M. achmidtii. 
Varieties. — Several forms of this species 
are grown, the most distinct among them be- 
ing ciliata,2i beautiful plant from the Mussoree 
Hills of Nepaul, at a lower elevation than M. 
ligulata. It is consequently less hardy and only 
succeeds well as an open-air plant in the warmer 
parts of the country, and even then is apt to 
lose its leaves from frost. With shelter these 
are evergreen, large, and broadly oval, hairy 
on both sides and crisped around the edges, 
which bear a narrow red line and a thick fringe 
of bristly hairs. The flowers come in loose 
clusters which are smaller than in most kinds 
and so early as to be often spoiled by frost. 
Their rosy-white colour varies, with some- 
times a deeper red towards the centre and 
sometimes towards the edges of the petals, 
while the whole eff'ect is increased by the 
dark red anthers. So charming a plant well 
repays the protection that is needed to bring 
it to perfection in many gardens, shelter, partial 
shade, and a light soil, being the best condi- 
tions. There is a very distinct pure white 
form known as ciliata alba, which bears 
long-fringed leaves and small clusters of large 
white flowers with a tuft of reddish-brown 
anthers. Minor forms are rubra, with darker 
red flowers ; dwarf-growing forms known as 
compacta and nana ; and speciosa, which comes 
between ciliata and atraclieyi and appears to be 
a cross. It is a very good plant with large 
heart-shaped leaves and abundant flowers of 
clear pale pink, and while hardier than ciliata 
in the open it makes an effective pot-plant for 
the cool greenhouse. A plant grown on the 
continent as M. ornata is probably only a form 
of ligulata, remarkable for its vigour and the 
size and number of its flowers. 
M.Milesi. — A plant of garden origin former- 
ly regarded as a form of M. atraclieyi but now 
supposed to be a cross between that kind and 
ligulata var. ciliata. It is of very dwarf growth 
and bears pure white flowers of great beauty, 
particularly in the early stages, the distinct claw 
to each petal distinguishing them from those 
of any other kind. Coming before the leaves 
(which die away in winter) and on short stems, 
the flowers need the shelter of a handlight. 
