1002 



MELILOTUS 



MENISCIUM 



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

 few-seeded, not twisted, but more or less reticulated 

 flattish pod. Two species, M. officinalis, Lam. (yellow- 

 fld.), and M. alba, Desv. (white-fid.), have become 

 weeds along roadsides and in 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 Ibs. of seed is required per acre. It is 

 an excellent bee plant. L. H. B. 



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

 Balm). Labiate. About 8 species of hardy perennial 

 herbs from Europe and western Asia. M. officinalis is 

 Balm (which see), a sweet herb, with white or pale 



J'ellow fls. A variegated form is cult, for ornament, 

 t has silvery white markings. M. Patavina, Benth.= 

 Calamintha Patavina, Hort. This has light purple fls., 

 and may be told from C. grandiflora and officinalis by 

 the calyx being bulged or gibbous at the base. Melissas 

 have dentate Ivs. : whorls few-fld., lax, axillary, secund : 

 fls. white or yellowish; corolla tube recurved-ascending 

 below the middle. 



MELOCACTTJS (melon-cactus, referring to the shape 

 of the plant-body). Cactacefe. 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 in wool and bearing in their 

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

 pearance of an Echinopsis surmounted by a Mammillaria. 



1389. Melocactus communis (Xl-5). 



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

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

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

 hemispherical, becoming cylindrical in time, reaching a 

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

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

 fr. % in. long, crowned by the persistent remains of the 

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



Head." B.M. 3090. 



KATHARINE BRANDEGEE. 



MELON. See Muskmelon and Watermelon ; als< 

 Citrullus and Cucumis. M. Fapaw. See Carica Papaya 

 M. Shrub. See Solanum muricatum. Chinese Preserv 

 ing Melon is Benincasa. 



MELOlHRIA (probably a name for a bryony-lik< 

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

 shape of the fruit). Cucurbitacece. About 54 species o; 

 slender herbaceous vines, climbing or trailing, annua 

 or perennial, with small yellow or white fls., found in th< 

 warmer parts of the world. Three kinds are known t< i 

 the trade as M. scabra, Mukia scabrella and Pilogytn 

 suavis, the last being perhaps the best. These thm 

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

 climbers, which may be grown indoors in winter, bui 

 preferably outdoors in summer for covering unsightlj 

 objects. They are presumably more attractive in fruii 

 than in flower. 



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

 Vol. 3, 1881, makes three sections of the genus. M. 

 scabra belongs to the first, M . punctata to the second 

 and M. Maderaspatana to the third. M. punctata has 

 sensitive tendrils. 



Section I. EUMELOTHRIA. Fls. usually monoeck 

 males mostly racemose ; anthers subsessile : fr. 

 with long and slender peduncles: seeds usually 

 margined. 



Section II. SOLENA. Fls. mostly dioecious, mi 

 corymbose; anthers borne on rather long filaments, 

 connective not produced : fr. mostly short-pedunclt 

 seeds mostly margined. 



Section III. MUKIA. Fls. monoecious, males ch 

 tered; anthers subsessile, the connective apiculate: 

 subsessile: seeds margined, usually pitted. 



scabra, 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, Cogn. (PiUgyne suavis, Schrad.). Lvs. 

 membranous, cordate, angled or slightly 3-5-lobed, 

 white-spotted above, pilose, 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 

 punctata is a beautiful climbing herbaceous perennial, 

 better known as Pilogyne suavis, and sometimes called 

 Zehneria suavis. Even when protected", it is too tender 

 to stand the northern winters. It blooms in clusters; 

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

 grance: Ivs. green, small 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 be 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. 

 Rapidly increased by cuttings. 



Maderaspatana, Cogn. (Mukia scabrtlla, Arn.). Lvs. 

 scabrous or short-hairy beneath : fr. small, globose : 

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

 ripe." J. M. Thorburn & Co. J AMES VlC K and W. M. 



MENlSGITJM (Greek, a crescent; referring to the 

 shape of the sori). Polypodiacece. A small genus of 

 about 10 tropical species, with simple or pinnate Ivs. and 

 the main veins united by successive transverse arches, 

 on which the naked sori are borne. 



reticulatum, Swz. Stalks 1-3 ft. long, stout : Ivs. 2-4 ft. 

 long, 1 ft. or more wide, pinnate; pinnae 1-4 in. wide, 

 with an acuminate apex, naked or slightly pubescent; 

 main veins 1-1 /-a lines apart, with 8-12 transverse arches. 

 Mexico and W. Indies to Brazil. L> M> UNDERWOOD. 



