1002 



MELILOTUS 



MENISCIUM 



oblong or ohlong-obovatc; keel olitnse: fr. a small, 

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

 fiattish pod. Two species, M. oificinalis, Lam. (yellow- 

 fid.), and M. ^Iba, Desv. (wbite-tld.), bavu become 

 ■\\-eeds along roadsides and in "waste places. 



The latter, M. alt/a, is the commoner. It is an erect 

 lierb, often higher than a man, flowering abundantly in 

 spring and early summer. It is biennial. It is said to 

 lirefer soils rich in lime, and it thrives on poor and dry 

 soils. Under the name of Bokhara clover nnd sweet 

 clover, it is grown somewhat as a forage plant. Cattle 

 come to like it for grazing, purticnlarly if turned onto 

 it early in the season, before other herbage is attractive. 

 It nmy also be cut for hay, particularly the second 

 year. About 10 lbs. of seed is required per acre. It is 

 an excellent bee plant. L, JI. B. 



MELfSSA (Greek, bee; becau 

 I'.alm). Ldbiillce. About 8 spe 

 herbs from Europe and western 

 Balm (which see), a sweet her 

 vellow tls. A variegated form 

 it has silverv white markings. 

 i'aJahiintha 'pafavhin^HorU Th 

 and may be told from C. grandi 

 the calyx being bulged or gibbon 

 have dentate Ivs.: whorls few-fl 

 fls. white or yellowish; corolla t 

 below the middle. 



e the bees are fond of 

 ies of hardy perennial 

 Asia. M. offieinalia is 

 b, with \Yhite or pale 

 is cult, for ornament. 

 ^f. Pi/t'fvina. Benth.== 

 is has light purple fls., 

 flora i\ud official !i.'> by 

 s at the base. IMelissas 

 1.. lax, axillary, secnnd: 

 iibe recur\'ed-ascending 



MELOCACTUS {nulnn-racf}<.:^, referring to the shape 

 of the ])lant-bodyj. Caciacett:. Stems globose or ovoid, 

 with vertical ribs, crowned at maturity with a"cepha- 

 lium"— a prolongation of the axis densely covered with 

 t-mall 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. 



1339. Melocactus communis {X 1-^ 



communis. Link ^t Otto. Fig. b'isii. Ril)s 10-^0, acute: 

 areolae nearly 1 in. apart: radial sjiines ^6-^\, straight or 

 curved, subulate; centrals 1—1: ce|tbalium at lirst low, 

 hemispherical, becoming cylindrical in time, reaching a 

 height of 8 in.; the dense wool (\\ the ceplnilium is 

 ]iiercedby many red or brown bristles: fls. red, slender: 

 tr. 3^ in. loTig, crowned by the persistent remains of the 

 fhiwer, rod. West Indian isbmds. (.'ailed tlien^ "Turk's 

 Head." B.M. JOUO. Katttakine BiJANnEfJEE. 



MELON. See Miisl-inelon and JVafermcJon ; also 

 CilruUus and Cucuviis. M. Papaw. See Caricit Papaya. 

 M. Shrub. See Solavnm muricaium-. Chinese Preserv- 

 ing Melon is Benincasa. 



MELdTHRIA (probably a name for a bryony-like 

 ]dant; melon is Greek tor apple, which may refer to the 

 shape of the fruit). Cucurhiidcea'. About 54 species of 

 slender herbaceous vines, climbing or trailing, annual 

 or perennial, with small yellow or white fls., found in the 

 ■warmer parts of the world. Three kinds are known to 

 the trade as M. scahra, Mul'ia .scabrelhi. and Pilogyne 

 .snai^is, the last being perhaps the best. These three 

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

 climbers, which may be grown indoors in winter, but 

 preferably outdoors in summer for covering unsightly 

 objects. They are presumably more attractive in frui't 

 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. MadcraHpatana to the third. M. punctata has 

 sensitive tendrils. 



Section I. Eujielothria. Fls. nsually monoecious, 

 males mostly racemose ; anthers subsessile: fr. mostly 

 with long and slender peduncles: seeds usually not 

 margined. 



Section II. Solen'A. Fls. mostly dicecious, males 

 corj'mbose; anthers borne on rather long filaments, the 

 connective not produced : fr. mostly short-peduncled : 

 seeds mostly margined. 



Section III. Mukia. Fls. monoecions, males clus- 

 tered; anthers subsessile, the connective apiculate: fr. 

 subsessile: seeds margined, usually pitted. 



sc^bra, 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. {PiJ6gyne su(ivis, Schrad.). Lvs. 

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

 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 

 pnnctatxi is a beautiful climbing herbaceous perennial, 

 better known as Pilor/i/ue siiavis, and sometimes called 

 Zehneiirt siiai-is. Even when protected, it is too tender 

 to stand the northern winters. It blooms in clusters; 

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

 grance; lvs. green, small and glossy. Being a very 

 rapid grower.it is desirable for covering verandas ot- 

 for house culture. It will do well in any part of a living 

 room where it has light. It will grow as much as l(i 

 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 dowji to 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 :\ cik.I, dry place, free from frost. 

 Kapidly increased by cuttings. 



MaderaspAtana, Cogn. (Mul-ia scahreUa, Am.). Lvs. 

 seahrous or f>hort-hairy beneath: fr. small, globose: 

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

 ripe." J. 21. Tliorbaru d- Go. James Vick and W. M. 



MENfSCIUM (Greek, a crescent; referring to the 

 shape of the sori). Polifpodidcea/. A small genus of 

 about 10 tropical species, with simi)le or pinnate lvs. and 

 the main v<dns nniteil by successive transverse arches, 

 on which the naked sori are borne. 



reticuUtum, Swz. Stalks 1-3 ft. long, stout: lvs. 2-4 ft. 

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

 with an acuminate apex, naked or slightly pubescent; 

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

 Mexico and \V. hnlies 1u Brazil. j^ |\j_ PT>jdkrwood. 



