MEN 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



MEN 



113 



dric, the length of the stamina; stigmas three, thickisli, 

 oblong. Pericarp: berry ovate-oblong, internally without 

 the partitions, three-parted. Seeds: several, oblong, com- 

 pressed. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: bell-shaped, 

 five-cleft. Corolla: wheel-shaped, one-petalled. Berry: 

 three-celled, many seeded. The only known species is, 



1. Melothria Pendula; Small Creeping Cucumber, or Ame- 

 rican Bryony. It grows wild in the woods of Carolina, Vir- 

 ginia, and also in many of the American islands; creeping 

 upon the ground with slender vines, having angular leaves, 

 somewhat resembling those of the Melon, but much smaller. 

 These vines strike out roots at every joint, which fasten 

 themselves into the ground, and thereby a larger share of 

 nourishment is drawn to the plants, by which means their 

 stalks extend to a great distance each way, and closely cover 

 the ground. The flowers are very small, in shape like those 

 of the Melon, and of a pale sulphur colour. The fruit in 

 the West Indies grows to the size of a pea, of an oval figure, 

 and changes black when ripe, and the inhabitants sometimes 

 pickle them when green. In England, the fruit are much 

 smaller, and are so hidden by the leaves, that it is difficult 

 to find them. The plants will not grow in the open air of 

 our climate, the seeds must therefore be sown upon a hot- 

 bed, and if the plants be permitted, will soon overspread the 

 surface of a large bfd; and when the fruit is ripe, if it scatter 

 the seeds, the plants will come up where the earth happens 

 to be used on a hot-bed again, and if they are supplied with 

 water, will require no further care. 



Memecylon; a genus of the class Octandria, order Mono- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth undi- 

 vided, superior, bell-shaped, turbinate, quite entire, with a 

 pitcher-shaped, striated base, permanent. Corolla : petals 

 four, ovate, acute, spreading. Stamina: filamenta eight, 

 erect, widened and truncated at top; antherse simple, inserted 

 by their sides into the apex of the filament. Pistil: germen 

 turbinate, inferior: style awl-shaped ; stigma simple. Peri- 

 carp: berry crowned with a cylindrical calix. Seeds: not 

 described. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Calix: superior, 

 with a striated base, and the margin quite entire. Corolla : 

 four-petalled. Antherce: inserted into the side of the apex 

 of the filament. Berry: crowned with a cylindrical calix. 



The species are, 



1. Memecylon Capitellatum. Leaves ovate, bluntish ; 

 heads axillary, subpeduncled. This is a tree, with round 

 branchlets. Native of Ceylon. 



2. Memecylon Grande. Leaves ovate, acuminate; pedun- 

 cles axillary, with many-flowered pedicels. This is a large 

 tree, with round branches. Native of the East Indies. 



3. Memecylon Umbellatum. Berry inferior, globular, 

 crowned with the calix, permanent, tubular, eight-streaked 

 within ; cuticle coriaceous, thin ; pulp watery, fugaceous. 

 Native place not stated. 



4. Memecylon Edule. Leaves ovate, acute; umbellets 

 compound, naked. This is a very common tree, or large shrub, 

 in every jungle on the coast of Coromandel. It flowers about 

 the beginning of the hot season. The ripe berries are eaten 

 by the natives : they contain a large quantity of bluish black 

 pulp of an astringent quality. 



Four other species of Memecylon have been described by 

 Botanists; which we omit. 



Menais; a genus of the class Pentandria, order Monogy- 

 nia, GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth three-leaved; 

 leaflets concave, lax, acuminate, small, permanent. Corolla: 

 one-petalled, salver-shaped ; tube cylindrical, longer than 

 the calix; border flat, five-parted, with rounded segments. 

 Stamina: filamenta five, very short, inserted into the tube; 



antheroe awl-shaped, at the throat of the corolla. Pistil.: 

 germen roundish; style filiform, the length of the tube; 

 stigmas two, oblong. Pericarp: berry globular, four-celled. 

 Seeds: solitary, subovate, sharp at one end. ESSENTIAL 

 CHARACTER. Calix : three-leaved, Corolla: salver-shaped. 

 Berry : four-celled. Seeds : solitary.- The only known 

 species is, 



1. Menais Topiaria. A shrub, with alternate, ovate, entire, 

 rough leaves ; and round, somewhat villose stems. Native 

 of South America. 



Meniscium; a genus of the class Cryptogamia, order Filices, 

 or Ferns. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Capsules neaped in cres- 

 cents, interposed between the veins of the fronds. There 



are five species, the first of which only we shall describe: 



1. Meniscium Reticulatum. Root fibrous, black; fronds 

 several, pinnate, four feet long; stipe black, grooved in 

 front, angular, brown, appearing somewhat villose when mag- 

 nified; pinnas very many, alternate, with an odd one, on short 

 petioles, from an ovate base, long, lanceolate-acuminate, 

 crenate, a little sickle-shaped at the end, smooth above, 

 somewhat villose along the nerves underneath, from six to 

 nine inches long, an inch or an inch and half wide. The 

 midrib is prominent at the back, and at a very obtuse angle 

 puts forth on both sides towards the edges numerous parallel 

 nerves, which are also prominent: these are connected by 

 several arched veins; whence the pinnas seen against the 

 light appear like beds in a parterre. On these veins are 

 placed as many arched, oblong, parallel, dark, rufous fructifi- 

 cations, composed of very minute shining globules, those 

 which are next the midrib larger. They are not so close 

 upon the whole as in most of the Aspleniumg ; and even 

 sometimes exhibit distinct globules thinly placed. Native of 

 Martinico, Brazil, &c. 



Menispermum ; a genus of the class Dioecia, order Dode- 

 candria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Male: Calix: perianth 

 two-leaved; leaflets linear, short. Corolla: petals, outer six, 

 ovate, spreading, equal; inner eight, obcordate, concave, 

 smaller than the outer, four of them in the inner row wider. 

 Stamina : filamenta sixteen, cylindric, a little longer than 

 the corolla ; antherse terminating, very short, bluntly four- 

 lobed. Female. Calix and Corolla: as in the male. Sta- 

 mina : filamenta eight, like those of the male ; antheree pel- 

 lucid, barren. Pistil: germina two or three, ovate, curved 

 inwards, converging, pedicelled ; styles solitary, very short, 

 recurved; stigmas bifid, blunt. Pericarp: berries two or 

 three, roundish kidney-form, one-celled. Seeds: solitary, 

 kidney-form, large. Observe. The above character is taken 

 from the Menispermum Canadense, and should be compared 

 with the fructifications of the other species : the calix being 

 six-leaved, the corolla six-petalled, six stamina, and three 

 pi-stilla, according to Willich, Miller, and others ; or, accord- 

 ing to Walter, the calix three-leaved, petals three, scales of 

 the nectary six, six stamina, six germina, without any styles, 

 and six berries. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Male. Petals: 

 four outer, eight inner. Stamina: sixteen. Female. Corolla: 

 as in the male. Stamina: eight, barren. Berries: two, one- 

 seeded. Gsertner remarks, that the species of this genus 

 vary much in their number, in the flower and fruit ; but that 

 they all not only agree in the position of the cotyledons, but 

 differ from all other plants in having a distinct cell for each 

 cotyledon. The species are, 



1. Menispermum Canadense ; Canadian Moon-seed. Leaves 

 peltate, cordate, roundish-angular. Root thick, woody ; stems 

 many, climbing, becoming woody, and rising to the height 

 of twelve or fourteen feet, twisting themselves about the 

 neighbouring plants for support. It flowers in June and 



