AND GENEKAL HORTICULTURE. 



249 



MEL 



Meli'chrus. From melichros, honey-colored, 

 in reference to the color of the glands of the 

 flower. Nat. Ord. Epacridacece. 



A small genus of ornamental green-house 

 shrubs, with a procumbent or somewhat erect 

 habit ; natives of eastern, temperate Australia. 

 They have erect, showy, scarlet flowers with 

 sessile lanceolate leaves, and are propagated 

 by cuttings of the half-ripened shoots. 



Meli'cope. From meli, honey, and hope, a 

 division ; in allusion to the four honey glands 

 at the base of the ovaries. Nat. Ord. Ruta- 

 cecs. 



A genus of about fifteen species of green- 

 house shrubs, natives of New Zealand and 

 the Pacific Islands. M. lernata, the only 

 species yet in cultivation, has greenish-white, 

 rather small flowers, borne in axillary many- 

 flowered cymes. It was introduced from 

 New Zealand in 1822, and is propagated by 

 cuttings of the small side shoots. 



Melilo'tus. Sweet Clover. From meli, honey, 

 and Lotus. The plants are said to be the 

 favorite resort of bees. Nat. Ord. Legumi- 

 nosece. 



This genus consists of about twenty species, 

 mostly belonging to southern and central 

 Europe and western Asia. Some of the 

 species are grown in their native countries as 

 forage plants. M. officinaiis, with yellow 

 flowers, and M. alba, with white flowers, are 

 common on the roadsides in the United States, 

 having become naturalized from Europe, and 

 are sometimes cultivated as " Bee Plants." 



Meli'ssa. Balm. From melissa, a bee; liter- 

 ally, a bee-flower. Nat. Ord. Labiates. 



A genus of hardy, herbaceous perennials. 

 The different species being widely diffused 

 throughout Europe, middle Asia, and by 

 naturalization in the United States. M. 

 officinaiis has varieties having delightfully 

 fragrant leaves finely marked with yellow and 

 white, known as Golden and Silver Balm. 

 They are all hardy perennials, and propagated 

 by cuttings and by division of the roots. 



Meli'ttis. Bee Balm. From melitta, a form of 

 the Greek melissa, a bee, to which insect the 

 plant was considered specially grateful. Nat. 

 Ord. Labiatce. 



M. Melissophyllumvfide\y diffused in Europe, 

 is a very handsome hardy perennial, with 

 large creamy-white flowers, spotted pink or 

 purple. It is most distinct in character, and 

 should be grown extensively on the margins 

 of shrubberies, and in herbaceous borders 

 generally. Propagated by division. 



Melleous. Having the taste or smell of 

 honey. 



Melliferous. Honey-bearing. 



Meloca'ctus. Melon Thistle. From melos, a 

 melon, and cactus ; in allusion to the appear- 

 ance of the plants. Nat Ord. Cactacece. 



A sectional genus of Cactus, differing from 

 Echinocactus in having the flowers produced 

 on a head or cushion covered with dense, 

 woolly and bristly hairs, and beset with spines, 

 while those of the Echinocactus issue from 

 the bare ribs or angles. M. communis, the 

 Turk's Cap Cactus, so called from the flower- 

 ing portion on the top of the plant being of a 

 cylindrical form and red color, like a fez cap, 

 is a fair representative of this class. In 

 South America and in many of the West 



MEN 



Indian Islands it is very common, covering 

 large tracts of barren soil. Notwithstanding 

 the arid places in which they grow, they con- 

 tain a considerable quantity of moisture, and 

 the mules resort to them when hard pressed 

 for water, carefully removing the spines with 

 their fore-feet previous to quenching their 

 thirst with the juice. They are not often seen 

 in cultivation, and are more grotesque than 

 beautiful. 



Melodi'nus. From melon, an Apple, and dineo, 

 to turn round ; referring to the shape of the 

 fruit. Nat. Ord. Apocynacece. 



A genus of woody-stemmed often climbing 

 plant-stove shrubs, natives of the East 

 Indies, China, the Malayan Archipelago, the 

 Pacific Islands and Australia. They are very 

 ornamental plants, closely allied to Dipladenia 

 and are well worthy of cultivation for their 

 showy flowers. D. monogynus has large, 

 white, fragrant flowers, borne in axillary and 

 terminal panicles, followed by four-cornered 

 yellow fruits, the size of an orange, pontain- 

 ing an edible pulp. It was introduced from 

 northern India in 1820. 



Melon. Musk. Cacumis Melo. See Musk- 

 Melon. 

 Melon-Thistle. See Mdocactus. 



Melon. Water. Cucumis CUrullus. See Water- 

 Melon. 



Melon-Wood. A yellow Mexican wood, which 

 resembles Sander's wood ; used for furniture. 



Melo'thria punctata. This is given in " Nichol- 

 son's Dictionary of Gardening " as the cor- 

 rect name of the beautiful little climbing 

 cucurbitaceous plant known as Pilogyne 

 suavis. It is a native of South Africa, and 

 was introduced to this country by way of 

 Germany in 1875. See Pilogyne. 



Meni'scium. A group of ten species of very 

 distinct, though coarse-habited Ferns, with 

 simple, or once-pinnate fronds. The sori are 

 naked, linear-oblong and curved, placed on 

 the transverse venules. Sometimes the fronds 

 are contracted and the fructification becomes 

 crowded, almost like Acrostichum. 



Menisperma'ceee. A natural order of trailing 

 shrubs with alternate, simple, usually entire 

 leaves, and incomplete, usually unisexual 

 flowers. They occur in the tropical woods of 

 Asia and America, and have bitter and nar- 

 cotic properties, some being very poisonous. 

 There about thirty genera, and three hundred 

 species. Illustrative examples are Anamirta, 

 Cissampelos and Menispermum. 



Menispe'rmum. Moon-seed. From mene, the 

 moon, and sperma, a seed ; the fruit is kidney 

 or half-moon shaped ; whence the English 

 name Moon-seed. Nat. Ord. MenispermacecB. 

 A small genus of handsome climbing 

 shrubs, natives of the Northern States and 

 Europe, with curiously-shaped leaves, racemes 

 of yellowish or greenish-white flowers, 

 and red or black berries, which have some- 

 what of an intoxicating quality. M. Canadense, 

 which is the commonest species, is a very 

 ornamental, hardy, free-growing climber, ad- 

 mirably adapted for covering a wall or arbor 

 in a very short time. It is well deserving of 

 general cultivation, and yet it is comparatively 

 little known, perhaps on account of the modest 

 color of its elegant little drooping racemes of 



