346 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



M elia continued. 



M. dubla (doubtful), fl. whitish or pinkish ; peduncles, calyces, 

 and petals rather velvety. Summer. I. somewhat bipinnate, but 

 at the apices of the petioles they are simply pinnate; leaflets 

 almost entire, lower ones ternate. h. 30ft. Tropical Asia, 

 Australia, and Africa, 1810. Stove. SYN. M. composita. 



. 



pani 



japonioa (Japanese). /. lilac, fragrant, in large axillary 

 nicles. Summer. I. large, bipinnate ; leaflets few, distant, 

 ate, crenate. h, 20ft. to 40ft Japan, 1865. A very ornamental 



half-hardy tree. 



M. sempervirens (evergreen), fl. bluish. Summer. I. bi- 



pinnate ; leaflets deeply toothed, usually seven in number, shining 



when young, h. 25ft. Jamaica, 1656. Stove. (B. B. 643.) 



MELIACE.2E. A rather large order of trees and 



shrubs, very rarely sub-herbaceous. They are found 



principally in the tropical parts of Asia and America. 



Flowers dioecious, or rarely polygamo-dicecious, regular, 



terminal or axillary, panicled ; calyx generally small, 



four or five-fid; aestivation usually imbricate; petals 



hypogynons, four or five, rarely three to seven, some- 



times free and contorted or imbricate, sometimes con- 



nate, or adnate to the staminal tube, and valvate. 



Leaves alternate, exstipulate, very rarely dotted, pin- 



nate, or rarely simple, entire. The wood of many 



species of Meliacece is often called Cedar, and is 



esteemed, not only on account of its aromatic fragrance, 



but for its density and fine colour. To this order 



belongs Swietenia Mahagoni, which yields the Mahogany 



of commerce. There are about thirty-seven genera and 



270 species. Examples are: Aglaia, Melia, and Swietenia. 



MELIANTHE1E. A tribe of Sapindacece. 



MELIANTHUS (from meli, honey, and anthos, a 



flower; calyces full of honey). Honey Flower. OED. 



FIG. 536. FLOWERS AND LEAF OF MELIAXTHUS COMOSUS. 



SapindacecB. A small genus (four species) of half-hardy 

 or greenhouse, glaucous or canescent, often strongly 

 scented shrubs; they are natives of the Cape of Good 

 Hope, but one is found on the Himalayas, where it has 

 been introduced. Flowers shortly pedicellate, bracteate ; 

 lower ones sometimes apetalons; racemes terminal and 

 axillary ; calyx five-parted ; petals five, narrow, long- 

 clawei Leaves alternate, stipulate, impari-pinnate ; 



Melianthus continued. 



leaflets unequally toothed, decurrent. The species most 

 frequently seen in cultivation is M. major; this is a 

 very ornamental plant, and is largely employed in sub- 

 tropical gardening. It is not, strictly speaking, hardy, 

 but thrives very well in the open air, throughout the 

 year, if the roots are protected, in the winter, by a 

 covering of leaves. It makes an admirable conservatory 

 plant. Propagated by seeds, or by cuttings, which latter 

 strike freely under a hand glass. 



M. comosus (tufted). fl. green at base ; sepals and petals orange- 

 yellow within, the larger marked externally with a red spot. 

 Autumn. I. 4in. to 6in. long ; leaflets lanceolate, serrate, h. 3ft. 

 to 5ft. Greenhouse. See Fig. 536. (B. M. 301, under name of 

 3f. minor.) 



FIG. 537 MELIANTHUS MAJOR. 



M. major (great).* fl. brownish, in rather long spikes springing 

 from the axils of the upper leaves. Summer. (. stem-clasping, 

 smooth, glaucous ; leaflets four or five, large, deeply cut into 

 acute divisions. Stems hollow, woody at base. h. 4ft. to 6ft 

 1688. Greenhouse. See Fig. 537. (B. K. 45.) 



M. minor (small), fl. dark brown, in whorls; racemes axillary, 

 elongated, drooping. August. I. smooth above and hoary 

 beneath. A. 5ft. 1696. Greenhouse. 



M. pectinatus (pectinate). /. in whorls of four to six ; 

 petals four, scarlet, clawed ; disk fleshy, horseshoe-shaped ; 

 racemes terminal, erect, 4in. to Sin. long. Winter, fr. Jin. in 

 diameter, cruciately four-winged. I. Sin. to 5in. long, shortly 

 petioled, glabrous above, white-tomentose beneath, pinnate ; 

 pinnules six to ten pairs, opposite, linear-strap-shaped, h. 6ft. to 

 10ft. A singular and beautiful conservatory plant. (B. M. 

 6557, under name of If. Trimenianus.) 



M. Trimenianns (Dr. Trimen's). A synonym of .11. pectinatus. 



MELICHRUS (from melichros, honey-coloured ; in 

 reference to the colour of the glands of the flowers). 

 ORD. Epacrideas. A small genus (two species) of very 

 ornamental greenhouse shrubs or sub-shrubs, with a pro- 

 cumbent or somewhat erect habit, restricted to Eastern 

 temperate Australia. Flowers erect ; corolla rotate or 

 urceolate, furnished near the base with five glands, alter- 

 nating with the stamens ; segments bearded. Leaves 

 sessile, lanceolate. The species thrive best in sandy 

 peat. Propagated by cuttings of the shoots, about 2in. 

 long, inserted in sandy soil. 



