MEBEOLA— MENISPERMUM. 



127 



MEDEO'LA. 6—3 (Asparagi.) 



virgin 'tea, (Indian cucumber, gy. m. ^ .) 

 leaves in wliorls, lance-oval, acuminate ; 

 pedicels aggregated, terminal ; root white. 

 12-18 i. 



MEDICA'GO. 16—10. (Leguminosm.) [Call- 

 ed medike, by Dioscorides, on account of its 



supposed medicinal virtues.] 



lupul/na, (hop medick, y. J. ^.) Bpikes 

 oval ; legumes reniform, 1-seeded ; stipules 

 entire; leaves obovate; stem procumbent. 



i)iteptcx"ta, (y. Au.) stem procumbent; 

 leafcts obovate, toothed ; stipules cilialo, 

 toothed; peduncles somewhat 2-llowered; 

 legume pilose, spiral, oval; spines straight, 

 thick, rigid, and acute. Sandy fields. Conn. 

 to Car. Introduced. 



sati'va, (p. Ju. 11. ) peduncles racemed; 

 legume smooth, cochleate ; stipules entire ; 

 leaves oblong, toothed. Naturalized. 



trihuloi'dcs, (hedgehog, 0.) peduncles 

 2-flowered; legume cochleate, cylindric, 

 flat both sides, aculeate, conic 2-ways, re- 

 flexed ; stipules toothed ; leaves toothed, 

 obovate. Ex. 



scntella'tn, (snail-shell, bee-hive, Ju. ^.) 

 peduncles about 2-Ho%vered ; legumes un- 

 armed, cochleate in an orbicular form, \vith 

 a convex base and a flattop ; stipules tooth- 

 ed; leaves oblong, toothed. Ex. 



macula'ta, (p.) stem prostrate ; leafets 

 obcordate, toothed, spotted ; stipule"* tooth- 

 ed ; peduncles 3-5-flowered ; legumes com- 

 pactly spiral, furrowed on the margin, and 

 fringed with a double row of long-curved 

 ppines ; seeds reniform, yellowish. iS. 



denticnla'ta, (p.) nearly glabrous ; stem 

 prostrate ; leafets obcordate ; stipules lacin- 

 iate; peduncles 2 too-flowered; legumes 

 broad, loosely-spiral and flat, with 13 con- 

 volutions, reticulated ; the margin ^hin, 

 keeled, with a double compact row of sub- 

 ulate-curved prickles. 1-2 f. »S'. 

 MELAMPY'RUM. 13—2. {Pediculmes.) [From 



tnelas, black, and puros, wheat.] 



america' num, (cow-wheat, y. Ju. ©.) 

 slender ; lower leaves linear, entire ; floral 

 ones lanceolate, toothed behind ; flowers 

 axillary, distinct. Var. /<7///b7mm,has very 

 broad leaves. Wood.s. »S^. 



MELAN"TniUM. 6—3. (Junccc.) [Frommelas, 



black, antlios, flower.] 



virg:iu"icum, (gy. black flower.) panicle 

 pyramid-form, very large ; petals ovate ; 

 leaves long, linear-lanceolate, flat, smooth ; 

 flowers become black. 3-4 f 



hybrid" um. (bunch-flower, w. J. ZJ!.) pan- 

 icles racemo.se ; petals sub-orbicular, plait- 

 ed with long claws ; glands connate. 2 f 



glau'cum, {g-w. Ju. 24^.) root a tunicatcd 

 bulb ; leaves glaucous, gramineous, mar- 

 gined ; racemes mostly simple, few-flower- 

 ed; segments of the perianth roundish, 

 clawed, with two peculiar spots ; seeds 

 subulalely-winged. 1-3 f. Northern lakes. 

 Canada. Mich. 



monoi'cnm, (Ju. 2^.) panicle with the 

 lower flowers sterile ; uppei^nes fertile, 

 racemed ; petals oblong, flat with .short 

 claws ; styles half the length of ilio germ. 



MELANANTIIE'RA. 17—1. {Corymhlfcrce ) 

 [From mdas, black, and anthos, flower.] 

 hastu'ta, (w. S. If.) leaves ha.stale, 3- 

 lobed ; chaff of the receptacle lanceolate, 

 acuminate. Var. loha'la, leaves d(;eply 3- 

 lobed. Var. pandura'ta, leaves slightly 3- 

 lobed, panduriform. 4 6 f S. 

 ME'LIA. 10— 1. (MpUcc.) [From wipZ?, honey ] 

 azed''arach, (pride of China, ^.) leaves 

 doubly pinnate ; leafets smooth, ovate, 

 toothed. 30-40 f. S. 

 MELI'CA. 3—2. (Graminem.) 



spccio'sa. (melic grass, J. 2i.) smooth; 

 panicle loose, erect, few-flowered ; branch- 

 es simple ; leaves flat, pubescent beneath ; 

 florets obtuse. 3-4 f. Charleston, S. C. 



dijfu'sa, (J. IX-) panicle dilFuse, very 

 branching ; stem erect, pubescent ; flowers 

 acute, beardless. 



gla'bra, (large flowered melica, Ap.) stem 

 glabrous ; leaves nairow, scabrous ; pani- 

 cle erect, loose branches simple, few-flow- 

 ered ; flowers with the glumes unbearded. 

 2 3 f. ti. 



MELILO'TUS. 16—10. (Leguminosa.) [From 



mcli, honey, and lotus, a plant.] 



officina'Us, (yellow raelilotclover, y. J. 

 ©.) stem erect, branching; leafets lanceo- 

 late, oblong; spikes axillary, paniculate; 

 legume 2sceded, rugose ; flowers in long 

 yellow racemes. 2-4 f. 



al'ba, (while mehlol-clover, w. J. 0.) 

 stem erect ; leafets variable, (oval, ovate, 

 obovate, and oblanceolate.) mucronalely 

 serrulate ; banner longer than the wings ; 

 racemes axillary, panicled ; the longest 

 raceme 6 to 10 times as long as the longest 

 leafet at its base; legumes oval. 3-6 f. 

 Probably introduced, but now very com- 

 mon, and growing wild. 



. occidenta'lix, (y.) erect ; leafets linear-ob- 

 long or obovate, serrate, truncate at the ex- 

 tremity ; flowers minute ; teeth of the calyx 

 unequal, as long as the tube; legume 1-2 

 seeded, ovatc-orbiculate, slii^htly wrinkled 

 California. 

 MEL1S"SA. 13— 1. (Labiatat.) [From melissa, 



a boe, because it affords honey.] 



ojjicina'lis, (balm, w. b. Ju. 14..) flowers 

 whorled half-way round, sub-sessile ; bracts 

 obloiig, pedicelled ; loaves ovate, acute, 

 serrate. Naturalized. 

 MliLO'TIIRlA. li)— 15. (CucurbitacecE.) [From 



melon, fruit, and thrion, food.] 



peudii'la, (small creeping cucumber, j'. 

 J. @.) leaves sub-reniform, lobed, and an- 

 gled, slightly hispid : fruit oval, smooth, 

 pendulous. A slender vine, running over 

 small shrubs and herbs on the banks of 

 .streams; stem hairy; leaves petioled ; ten- 

 drils .5-6 inches high ; flowers axillary; the 

 sterile insmall racemes, tiie fertile solitary. 

 1MEMS1'ER".\1U\I. 20—12. [From mrna, the 



moon, and sperma, seed ; seed crescent-form.] 



C(Viadcn"i<e, (moon-seed, y. Ju. I/.) leaves 

 peltate. 'cordate, round-angular; racemes 

 compound ; petals 8. 



stmihjci'nnm, (y. Ju. If.) racemes gener- 

 ally simple ; petals 4-leavea peltate, some 

 what glabrous, rordate. nearly round, oh 

 tusely angled, glaucous beneath. iS 



lyn'ni, (Ju. 1(.) racemes simple: pclult? 



