M NI 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



M O L 



13.5 



one-leafed, fleshy, bell-shaped, four-cleft; clefts large, ovate, 

 spreading, covered above with very numerous, immersed, very 

 small florets; perianth proper, scarcely any. Corolla: none. 

 Stamina: filamenta one, very short, upright; antherse erect, 

 channelled, embracing the style. Pistil: germen inferior; 

 style shorter than the stamina, within the excavation of the 

 antheree; stigma simple. Pericarp: none: common recep- 

 tacle enlarged, more fleshy; the segments converging, tur- 

 binate, hollow in the middle, containing the seeds within its 

 substance. Seeds: solitary, ovate. Observe. According to 

 jussieu, the flowers are monoecous. The male has the invo- 

 lucre at first ovate, converging, entire ; afterwards four- 

 parted, spreading, covered on the inside with very numerous 

 antherae : and the female has the involucre ovate, hollow with- 

 in, pervious at the navel at top. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. 

 Calix: common four-cleft, enlarged, fleshy, containing the 

 seeds. Corolla: none. Fruit: globular, depressed. Seeds: 

 solitary, arilled. The only known species is, 



1. Mithridatea Quadrifida; Drum-tree, or Monkey-apple. 

 Leaves subopposite, entire, evergreen ; flowers in racemes, very 

 seldom, solitary, growing on the trunk and lower branches ; 

 females fewer, mixed with the males. It is a milky tree, with 

 branches opposite. The fruit is fleshy, about the size of an 

 apple. Native of the islands of Madagascar, Mauritius, and 

 Bourbon. Ambora is the Madagascar name of this tree. 



Mithridate, Mustard. See Thlaspi, and Biscntella. 



Mnasivm; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Mono- 

 gynia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: spathe two-valved; 

 valves ovate, terminated by a linear patulous leaflet; perianth 

 one-leafed, three-parted; segments lanceolate, concave, acute, 

 margined. Corolla: one-petalled ; tube very short; border 

 three-parted; parts lanceolate, concave, acute. Stamina: 

 tilamenta six, very short, inserted into the tube; antheree 

 long, four-cornered, terminated by an ovate, excavated acute 

 leaflet. Pistil: germen three-lobed; style long, striated; 

 stigmas three, rolled spirally. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. 

 Calix: one-leafed, three-parted. Corolla: one-petalled, three- 

 parted, with a very short tube. Anthera: four-cornered, 

 terminated by an ovate leaflet. Germen: three-lobed. Stig- 

 mas: three, spiral. The only known species is, 



1. Mnasium Paludosum. This is a perennial plant, with a 

 fibrose woody root; the leaves are very long, narrow, sharp, 

 and smooth, striated, perfectly entire, sheathing at the base, 

 and mutually embracing each other, and are narrowed above 

 the sheath; the stalks are several, naked, two feet high, stri- 

 ated, compressed, margined; corolla jellow. Native of 

 Guiana; growing in marshy woods. 



Mniarum; a genus of the class Monandria, order Digynia. 

 GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: involucre four-leaved, 

 two-flowered; leaflets ovate, acute; the two lowest united; 

 perianth one-leafed, four-cleft. Corolla: none. Stamina: 

 filamenta one, (Solander says two,) capillary, erect, scarcely 

 longer than the calix, and inserted into the base of it ; 

 antheree roundish, grooved. Pistil: germen inferior, oval, 

 scarcely angular, hard, longer than the calix; styles two, 

 filiform, gradually divaricating, the length of the calix ; stig- 

 mas simple. Pericarp: none. Seed: one, oblong, very 

 small, inclosed in the hardened bottom of the calix. ESSEN- 

 TIAL CHARACTER. Calix: four-parted, superior. Corolla: 

 none. Seed: one. The species are, 



1. Mniarum Biflorum. Stems tufted; branches very smooth ; 

 leaves finely toothed at the base only, shorter than the fruit- 

 stalks. This plant resembles Minuartia so much in its appear- 

 ance, that, without examining the flower, it would be ranked 

 with that genus. It is very smooth, dichotomous, covered 

 ajl over with approximating, acerose, connate flowers, termi- 

 VOL. n. 77. 



nating in pairs, subsessile, generally shorter than the leaves. 

 Native of New Zealand and Terra del Fuego. 



2. Mniarum Fasciculatum. Stems procumbent, branched ; 

 branches minutely downy; leaves finely toothed throughout; 

 fruit-stalks hardly as long as the leaves. Found in Van 

 Diemen's Land. 



Mnium; a genus of the class Cryptogamia, order Musci. 

 EssENTiALGENERicCHARACTER. Capsule: with alid. Calyp- 

 tre : smooth ; bristle from a terminating tubercle. Male Flowers : 

 headed or discoid. Or thus, from Withering. Capsule: with 

 a veil. Fringe : with sixteen teeth ; sometimes, though rarely, 

 with four. Male. Bud circular, rarely knob-like, mostly 

 on a separate plant. Withering has enumerated twenty-four 

 species, besides many varieties. Of all these, the most re- 

 markable is Mnium Hygrometricum. If the fruit-stalks be 

 moistened at the bottom, the head makes three or four turns ; 

 and if the head be moistened, it turns the contrary way. 



Moehringia; a genus of the clas-s Octandria, order Digy- 

 nia. GENERIC CHARACTER. Cafe: perianth four-leaved; 

 leaflets lanceolate, spreading, permanent. Corolla: petals 

 four, ovate, undivided, spreading, shorter than the calix. 

 Stamina: filamenta eight, capillary ; antherae simple. Pistil: 

 germen globular; styles two, erect, the length of the stamina; 

 stigmas simple. Pericarp: capsule subglobular, one-celled, 

 four-valved. Seeds: very many, roundish, convex on one 

 side, angular on the other. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. 

 Cafe .-four-leaved. Petals: four. Capsule: one-celled, four- 

 valved. The only known species is, 



1. Moehringia Muscosa. Root annual, slender; stems 

 filiform, eight, ten, or twelve inches long, upright, very much 

 branched; flowers axillary, erect, on slender one-flowered 

 peduncles : petals narrow, milk-white. Native of the moun- 

 tains of France, Austria, Silesia, &c. among moss on rocks, 

 by the trunks of trees, 'or springs or little rills of water. 



Mogorin; a name given by the Portuguese to an Indian 

 or Chinese flower, which grows upon a small shrub. It is of 

 a wonderfully white colour, and not unlike the Ginseng, only 

 that it abounds more with leaves, and smells much sweeter, 

 one single flower filling a whole house with its odoriferous 

 effluvia. On this account the Chinese value it highly, and 

 carefully defend the shrub it grows upon from the inclemency 

 of the winter, by covering it with vases provided on purpose. 



Molluyo; a genus of the class Triandria, order Trigynia. 

 GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth five-leaved; 

 leaflets oblong, from upright spreading, coloured within, per- 

 manent. Corolla: none. Stamina: filamenta three, bristle- 

 shaped, shorter than the corolla, approximating to the pistil; 

 antherce simple. Pistil: germen superior, ovate, three- 

 grooved; styles three, very short; stigmas blunt: or, according 

 to Gartner, style one, trifid at top. Pericarp: capsule 

 ovate, three-celled, three-valved. Seeds: numerous, kidney- 

 form. ESSENTIAL CHARACTEII. Calix: five-leaved. Co- 

 rolla: none. Capsule: three-celled, three-valved. To pro- 

 pagate these plants, permit them to scatter their seeds, and 

 they will sometimes come up in the following spring; but if 

 sown upon a hot-bed, they will come up more certainly, and 

 be forwarder and stronger. The species are, 



1. Mollugo Oppositifolia: Opposite-leaved Mollugo. 

 Leaves opposite, lanceolate; branches alternate; peduncles 

 lateral, clustered, one-flowered. Annual. Native of Ceylon. 



2. Mollugo Stricta; Upright Mollugo. Leaves commonly 

 in fours, lanceolate; flowers panicled, nodding; stem erect, 

 angular. Root fibrous; stems three or four, stiff, even; leaves 

 in whorls; flowers white. Native of Africa, Ceylon, &-C, 



3. Mollugo Hirta; Hairy Mollugo. Leaves in fours, 

 obovate, villose; stem decumbent. 'Native of the Cape, 



2M 



