1002 



MELILOTUS 



oblong or ohlong:-obovate; keel obtiise: fr. a small, 

 few-seeilfd. not twisted, btit more or less reticulated 

 flattisb i"'il. Two species, M. officinalis, Lam. (yellow- 

 fld.), mid M. alba. l>esv. (white-rtd. ). bave become 

 weeds along roadsiiies antl iu waste places. 



The latter, M, alba, is the commoner. It is an erect 

 herb, often higher than a man, flowering abundantly in 

 spring and early summer. It is biennial. It is said to 

 prefer soils rich in lime, and it thrives on poor and dry 

 soils. Under the name of Bokhara clover and sweet 

 clover, it is grown somewhat as a forage plant. Cattle 

 come to like it for grazing, particularly if turned onto 

 it early in the season, before other herbage is attractive. 

 It may also be cut for hay, particularly the second 

 year. About 10 lbs. of seed is required per acre. It is 

 an excellent bee plant. L_ jj g^ 



MELiSSA (Greek, bee; because the bees are fond of 

 Balm). Labiata-. About 8 species of hardy perennial 

 herbs from Europe and western Asia. M. officinalis is 

 Balm {which see), a sweet lierb, with white or pale 

 yellow tis. A variegated form is cult, for ornament. 

 It has silvery whit.- markings. M. Putavina, Benth.= 

 Calami Hth, I '/'.il,, r, mi. Hort. This has light purple fls., 

 and may lie toM Imm C grandiflora and officinalis by 

 the calyx heing bulged or gibbous at the base. Melissas 

 have dentate Ivs. : whorls few-fid., las, axillary, secund : 

 fls. white or yellowish; corolla tube recurved-ascending 

 below the middle. 



MELOCACTUS (meloH-cacftts, referring to the shape 

 of the plant-body). Cact&ceir. Stems globose or ovoid, 

 with vertical ribs, crowned at maturity with a"cepha- 

 lium"— a prolongation of the axis densely covered with 

 small tubercles, imbedded iu wool and bearing in their 

 axils small flowers and berries. The plant has the ap- 

 pearance of an Echinopsis surmounted by a Mammillaria. 



1389. Melocact 



(Xl-5). 



commtmis, Link & Otto. Fig. 1389. Ribs 10-20, acute : 

 areola* nearly 1 in. apart: radial spines 8-11, straight or 

 curved, subulate; centrals 1-4: cephaliura at first low, 

 hemispherical, becoming cylindrical in time, reaching a 

 height of 8 in. ; the dense wool of the cephaliuni is 

 pierced by many red or brown bristles : fls. red, slender; 

 fr. -Ai in. long, crowned by the persistent remains of the 

 flower, red. West Indian islands. Called there "Turk's 

 Head." B.M. 3090. Katharine Brandegee. 



MENISCIUM 



MELON. See Miiskmelon and Watermelon ; also 

 Cih-Klliis nm\ Cucvmis. M. Papaw. See Carica Papaya. 

 M. Shrub. See Solanum muricatum. Chiuese Preserv- 

 ing Melon is Benincasa. 



MELOTHBIA (probably a name for a bryony-like 

 plant; melon is Greek for apple, which may refer to the 

 shape of the fruit). CiiiiirbitAcem. About 54 species of 

 slender herbaceous vines, climbing or trailing, annual 

 or perennial. Willi sinall \ ellow or white fls., found in the 

 warmer parts <.i tlie \\,,iiil. Three kinds are known to 

 the trade as J/, stdlirii. Miikia scabrella and Pilogyne 

 siiavis, the last being perhaps the best. These three 

 are slender, but rapid-growing, half-hardy, annual 

 climbers, which may be grown indoors iu winter, but 

 preferably outdoors iu summer for covering unsightly 

 objects. They are presumably more attractive in fruit 

 than in flower. 



The latest monographer. Cogniaux in DC. Mon. Phan. 

 Vol. 3. istil. makes three secti.ins of the genus. M. 

 scabni belongs to the tirst, .)/. piinctiita to the second 

 and M. Math ru spa tan a to the third. Jf. piDictata has 

 sensitive tendrils. 



Section I. Eumelothria. Fls. usually monoecious, 

 males mostly racemose ; anthers subsessile: fr. mostly 

 with long and slender peduncles: seeds usually not 

 margined. 



Section II. Solena. Fls. mostly dioecious, males 

 corymbose; anthers borne on rather long filaments, the 

 connecti\e not produced : fr. mostly short-peduncled : 

 seeds mostly margined. 



Section III. MtiKiA. Fls. monceeious, males clus- 

 tered; anthers subsessile, the connective apiculate: fr. 

 subsessile; seeds margined, usually pitted. 



sc&bra, Naud. Lvs. rigid, entire or acutely 5-lobed ; 

 tendrils unbranched: anthers roundish, with a wide con- 

 nective, the cells straight, not plicate: fr. ovoid or ovoid- 

 oblong, obtuse, 3-celled, rather large (1 in. long, % in. 

 thick), with broad parallel stripes of white and green. 

 Mexico. 



punctata, Couii. iPiln 

 meml.i-aiious. eer.late. : 



sKfiris, Schrad.). Lvs. 

 or slightly 3-5-lobed, 

 white-spoiieil nli.ivr, |.ilo^,., short-hairy or scabrous be- 

 low, margin remotely denticulate : fr. brown, lightly 

 pitted, about 3 lines thick : seeds small, about 2 lines 

 long, strongly compressed. S. Africa. — Int. 1890 by 

 Henderson & Co. as the Oak-leaved Climber. Melothria 

 /'inirfat'i is a beautiful cliniliiiig herbaceous perennial, 

 better known as l'tli>,i if „,' snnris. and sometimes called 

 Zi'Inii I ill Moif/x. E\ . 11 when [irotected, it is too tender 

 to staml the northern winters. It blooms in clusters; 

 fls. small, white and star-shape, with a strong musk fra- 

 grance: lvs. green, smiiU and glossy. Being a very 

 rapid grower, it is desirable for covering verandas or 

 for house culture. It will do well in any part of a living 

 room where it has light. It will grow as much as 16 

 feet high in one summer by having a liberal supply of 

 water every day and liquid "manure once a week. After 

 growing outdoors it can lie cut down to 6 inches, potted 

 and taken into the house for the winter. In the spring 

 it can be cut back, again planted out and it will do well. 

 The roots can almost be called tuberous, and can be 

 kept dormant during the winter, the same as Dahlias, 

 buried in sand in a cool, dry place, free from frost. 

 Kapidly increased by cuttings. 



Maderaspitana, Cogn. {Mfikia scabrella. Am.). Lvs. 

 scabrous or slmrt-liairy beneath : fr. small, globose : 

 seeds pitted. Trop. Asia and Afr. — " Fruits reddish when 

 ripe." J. M. Tlwrburu & Co. j^mes Vice and W. M. 



MENfSCITIM (Gr 



shape of the s(.ii). 

 about 10 tropiciil spe 



^-ek. a erescevt; referring to the 

 1\>! iipoiliiimr. A small genus of 

 •ies, with simple or pinnate lvs. and 

 tlie main veins iiniteii hy successive transverse arches, 

 on which the naked sori are borne. 



reticuiatum, Swz. Stalks 1-3 ft. long, stout: lvs. 2-4 ft. 

 long, 1 ft. or more wide, pinnate; pinnse 1-4 iu. wide, 

 with an acuminate apex, naked or slightly pubescent; 

 m.ain veins 1-1)4 lines apart, with 8-12 transverse arches. 

 Mexico and W. Indies to Brazil. l_ ji Underwood. 



