MELASPH^RULA 



544 



MELICHRUS 





The Melanths are all more or less poisonous. Half- 

 hardy bulbs, requiring the greenhouse or cold pit in 

 winter, or the bulbs to be kept dry and at rest ; propa- 

 gated by offsets and seeds ; sandy loam and peat. 

 M . cape'nse (Cape). See ANDROCYMBIUM LEUCANTHUM. 



cilia'tum (hair- fringed). See DIPIDAX CILIATA. 



eucomoi'des (Eucomus-like). See ANDROCYMBIUM 



EUCOMOIDES. 



grami'neum (grassy). See ANDROCYMBIUM PUNCTA- 



TUM. 



hy'bridum (hybrid). See M. VIRGINICUM. 

 ju'nceum (rush-leaved). See DIPIDAX TRIQUETRA. 

 latifo'lium (broad-leaved). See M. VIRGINICUM. 

 massoniafo'lium (Massonia-leaved). See WHITE- 



HEADIA LATIFOLIA. 



monoi'cunv (monoecious). See M. VIRGINICUM. 



tnonope'talum (one-petaled) . See WURMBEA CAP- 



ENSIS. 

 parvifto'rum (small-flowered). 2. Brown. June. 



N. Amer. 1811. 

 phalangioi'des (Phalangium-like). See ZYGADENUS 



MUSCITOXICUM. 



secu'ndum (side-flowering). See DIPIDAX CILIATA. 

 ,, sibi'ricum (Siberian), i. Siberia. 1823. 

 spica'tum (spicate). See WURMBEA CAPENSIS. 

 trique'trum (three-sided). See DIPIDAX TRIQUETRA. 

 uniflo'rum (one-flowered). See B<EOMETRA COLUMEL- 



LARIS. 

 virgi'nicum (Virginian). 3-5. Creamy- white, fading 



to brown. July. N. Amer. 1768. " Bunch 



Flower." 



vi'ride (green). See ORNITHOGLOSSUM GLAUCUM. 

 wu'rmbeum (Wurmbean). See WURMBEA CAPENSIS. 



MELASPHffi'RULA. (From melas, black, and the 

 diminutive of sphaira, a globe ; literally, a little black 

 ball, in allusion to the small black bulbs. Nat. ord. 

 Iridaceae.) 



An ornamental, free-flowering greenhouse bulb. Seeds 

 and offsets. Light, rich compost of loam, leaf-mould, 

 some well-rotted cow manure and sand. 

 M. grami'nea (grass-like). White, pale purple. April. 



S. Africa. 1786. 



interme'dia (intermediate), iridifo'lia (Iris-leaved), and 

 parviflo'ra (small-flowered). See M. GRAMINEA. 



MELA'STOMA. (From melas, black, and stoma, a 

 mouth; the eatable berries stain the mouth a dark 

 purple. Nat. ord. Melastomads [Melastomaceas]. Linn. 

 lo-Decandria, i-Monogynia. Allied to Osbeckia.) 



Stove evergreens. Cuttings of the shoots in sandy 

 peat, under a bell-glass, in heat ; peat and loam, sandy 

 and lumpy. Winter temp., 45 to 60 ; summer, 60 

 to 85. 

 M. affi'ne (related). See M. MALABATHRICUM. 



afzelia'num (Afzelius's). See OSBECKIA MULTIFLORA. 



,, a'sperum (rough). 6. Purple. June. E. Ind. 1815. 



Ba'nksii (Sir J. Banks'). See M. MALABATHRICUM. 



ca'ndidum (white). 4. Purple. China. 1824. 



coryw6o'sm(corymbed). SCCAMPHIBLEMMACYMOSUM. 



cymo'sum (cymed). See AMPHIBLEMMA CYMOSUM. 



dcce'mfidum (ten-cut). See M. SANGUINEUM. 



denticula turn (toothletted). See M. MALABATHRICUM. 



,, ecosta'tum (rib less). See MICONIA ECOSTATA. 



,, elonga'tum (elongated), i. Purple. May. Sierra 

 Leone. 1823. 



,, granulo' sum (granular). See TIBOUCHINA GRANULOSA. 



,, heteroma'llum (variable-haired). See TIBOUCHINA 



HETEROMALLA. 



hi'rtum (hairy). See CLIDEMIA HIRTA. 



Itzviga'tum (smooth). See MICONIA L^VIGATA. 



macroca'rpum (large-fruited). See M. MALABATHRICUM. 



malaba' thricum (Malabar). 6. Purple. June. E. 



Ind. 1793. 



,, napale'nse (Nepaul). See M. NORMALE. 

 norma'le (normal). 5. Lilac-rose. India, Malaya, 



and Polynesia. 1820. 



osbeckioi'des (Osbeckia-like). See OSBECKIA OCTANDRA. 

 pulverule'ntum (powdered). Red. March. Sumatra. 



1823. 



robu'stum (robust) of gardens. Possibly a Miconia. 

 sangui'neum (bloody). 6. Purple. September. 



China. 1793. 

 villo'sum (shaggy). 3. White. July. Cochin-China. 



1820. 



MELHA'NIA. (After Mount Melhan, in Arabia Felix, 

 where the first of them was discovered. Nat. ord. 

 Sterculiads [Sterculiacese]. Linn. i6-Monadelphia, z- 

 Pentandria. Allied to Pentapetes.) 



Stove evergreen trees, with white or scarlet flowers. 

 Cuttings of the half-ripened shoots in sandy peat, in a 

 little bottom-heat, and under a bell-glass ; sandy peat 

 and a little loam. Winter temp., 50 to 60 ; summer, 

 60 to 85. 

 M. dbyssi'nica (Abyssinian). 2. Scarlet. Abyssinia. 



1805. 



Burche'llii (Burcbell's). 15 S. Africa. 1818. 

 Erythro xylon (red-wood). 15. July. St. Helena. 



1772. 



Melano'xylon (black-wood). 2. July. St. Helena. 

 Now extinct. 



ME'LIA. Bead-tree. (Melia, the Manna Ash ; re- 

 ferring to the resemblance of the leaves. Nat. ord. 

 Meliads [MeUaceae]. Linn. lo-Dccandria, i-Monogynia.) 



Seeds and cuttings of the ripe shoots in sand, under a 

 bell-glass, and in a mild bottom-heat ; sandy loam and 

 fibrous peat. Aze'darach and austra'lis will stand against 

 a wall in the south of the island. The monks formerly 

 strung the fruit as beads. 



GREENHOUSE EVERGREENS. 



M. austra'lis (southern). See AZEDARACH. 

 Aze'darach (Azedarach). 45. Blue. July. India 



and China. 1656. 

 ,, ,, umbraculi'fera (umbrella-bearing). Tree with a 



drooping compact head. 1894. 

 floribu'nda (free-flowering). White. 1872. 

 ,, japo'nica (Japanese). See M. AZEDARACH. 



STOVE EVERGREENS. 

 60. 



White. July. 



M. Azadira'chta (Azadirachta). 



E. Ind. 1759. 

 compo'sita (compound-leaved). 20. White, red. July. 



E. Ind. 1870. 

 du'bia (doubtful). 20-30. White, red. Trop. Asia, 



Africa, &c. 1810. 



exce'lsa (lofty). 40. White. July. Malaya. 1819. 

 guinee'nsis (Guinea). See M. AZEDARACH. 

 ,, robu'sta (robust). See M. DUBIA. 

 sempervi'rens (evergreen). See M. AZEDARACH. 

 ,, supe'rba (superb). See M. DUBIA. 



MELIA'NTHUS. Honey Flower. (From melt, honey, 

 and anthos, a flower ; the tubes contain a copious supply 

 of honey-like juice. Nat. ord. Soapworts .[Sapinda.cGse']. 

 Linn. ^-Tetrandria, i-Monogynia.) 



The natives obtain honey for food by shaking the 

 branches of Melia'nthus ma'jor when in blossom. Ever- 

 greens, from South Africa. Cuttings of young shoots in 

 sandy soil, under a hand-light ; rich, sandy soil ; require 

 the protection of a greenhouse, cold pit, or a protective 

 wall in winter. 

 M. como'sus (tufted). 3. Yellow. 1820. 



,, ma'jor (greater). 10. Brown. June. 1688. 



mi'nor (smaller). 2. Brown. June. 1696. 



pectina'tus (comb-like). 3-6. Scarlet. S. Africa. 



,, trimenia'nus (Trimenian). See M. PECTINATUS. 



ME'LICA. Melic Grass. (An old name. Nat. ord. 

 Gramineae.) 



Hardy perennial grasses, except M. papilionacea, which 

 is half-hardy. The flower spikes may be cut and dried. 

 Divisions. Ordinary soil. 

 M. alti'ssima (tallest). Spikelets green to purplish. 



S. Europe. 



,, atropurpu'rea( dark purple). Spikelets dark purple. 

 cilia' ta (eye-lashed). Spikelets green or purple. 



Europe. 

 ,, papiliona' cea (butterfly-like). Spikelets purplish. 



Argentina; Brazil. _i8go. 



,, unifto'ra variega'ta (variegated). Leaves striped with 

 creamy-yellow. 



MELI'CHRUS. (From melichros, honey-coloured ; re- 

 ferring to glands on the flowers. Nat. ord. Epacrids 

 [Epacridacea?]. Linn. ^-Pentandria, \-Monogynia. Allied 

 to Styphelia.) 



