form the extreme limit of seaweed growth. 

 The peculiarities of most of the natural 

 orders, as Fucacece, Laminar iacece, Chorda- 

 riece, and Ectocarpece, have already been 

 particularised, as well as the several uses 

 to which the species have been applied. 

 In the latter order we have minute fila- 

 mentous Alga, which form a strange con- 

 trast to the gigantic Lessonia, D'Urvilhca, 

 &c, or even to our own Laminaria. In 

 some of the lower species there is a depar- 

 ture from the main type, and the spores 

 are replaced by zoospores. [M. J. BJ 



MELANOXYLON. A large 'timber tree 

 called Brauna by the Brazilians and M. 

 Branna by botanists, is the sole represen- 

 tative of this genus of leguminous plants. 

 It has large pinnate leaves, covered with 

 rust-coloured down underneath, and bears 

 branched racemes of yellow flowers which 

 are likewise clothed with rusty down. The 

 pods are flat and sickle-shaped, and contain 

 several seeds. Brauna timber is of a very 

 dark reddish-brown colour, and of excel- 

 lent quality, being both hard and durable. 

 It is employed in Brazil in the construction 

 of sugar-mills, particularly for making the 

 heavy rollers for crushing the canes. A 

 reddish-brown colouring matter is also ob- 

 tained from both the wood and the bark, 

 and is used by the Brazilians for dyeing 

 cotton cloth of various shades from light- 

 brown to nearly black. [A. S.] 



MELANTHACE^E. (Colchicacew, Vera- 

 trece, Melanths.) A natural order of hy- 

 pogynous monocotyledons, belonging to 

 Lindley's lilial alliance of Endogens. Herbs 

 with bulbs, conns, or fasciculated roots, 

 and white green or purple flowers. Peri- 

 anth petaloid, in six pieces, which are 

 sometimes slightly coherent, usually invo- 

 lute in aestivation ; stamens six, with the 

 anthers extrorse; ovary three-celled, the 

 ovules numerous, the style three-parted, 

 and the stigmas three, undivided. Fruit a 

 three-celled capsule, with septicidal or locu- 

 licidal dehiscence ; seeds with a membra- 

 nous spermoderm ; albumen dense, fleshy ; 

 embryo very minute. Natives of various 

 parts of the globe, but most abundant in 

 northern countries. They are acrid, pur- 

 gative, emetic, and sometimes narcotic in 

 their qualities. Asagrcea officinalis yields 

 sabadilla seeds, used in neuralgia. Colchi- 

 cum autumnale, the meadow saffron, is 

 prescribed in gout and rheumatism, its 

 conns and ripe seeds being used. There 

 are upwards of thirty genera, and above a 

 hundred and thirty species. Examples : 

 Colchicum, Melanthium, Uvularia, Vera- 

 trwm. [J. H. B.] 



MELANTHERA. A genus of rough, 

 branching, somewhat shrubby weeds of the 

 composite family, found in the Southern 

 United States, and southwards to Equador. 

 They belong to the Helianthece, and differ 

 from their near allies in the absence of 

 strap-shaped ray florets, all the florets being 

 tubular and perfect, and in the pappus, 

 which consists of a few rigid bristles. The 

 florets are white, and the anthers black : 

 whence the generic name. [A. A. B.] 



MELANTHIUM. A genus of Cape Me- 

 lanthacccp, consisting of bulbous herbs, 

 with linear or lanceolate leaves sheathing 

 at the base, and spicate flowers, which have 

 a white yellow or pinkish perianth of six 

 deciduous leaves, which are narrowed into 

 claws and either hooded or bisaccate at the 

 base. They have six stamens inserted on 

 the perianth. [J. T. S.] 



MELANZANE. (Fr.) Solatium escuten- 

 turn. 



MEL ARANCIO. An Italian name for the 

 Orange-tree. 



MELA-ROSA, or MELLA-ROSA. A 

 variety of Citrus Limetta. 



MELAS. In Greek compounds = black 

 without the mixture of any other colour. 



MELASTOMACE.^. (Melastomce, Meme- 

 cylacece, Mouririacece, Melastomads.) A 

 natural order of calycifloral dicotyledons 

 belonging to Lindley's myrtal alliance of 

 epigynousExogens. Trees, herbs, or shrubs, 

 with opposite ribbed leaves, and showy 

 flowers. Calyx with four five or six di- 

 visions, sometimes united and separat- 

 ing from the tube like a lid ; petals equal 

 to the calyx, perigynous, the aestivation 

 twisted ; stamens alternate with the petals, 

 usually with intermediate sterile ones; 

 the anthers long, often beaked, two-celled, 

 dehiscing by two terminal pores or longi- 

 tudinally ; ovary more or less adherent to 

 the calyx; ovules usually indefinite ; style 

 one ; stigma simple, either capitate or 

 minute. Fruit mairy-celled, either capsular 

 with loculicidal dehiscence, or succulent 

 combined with the calyx and indehiscent. 

 Seeds minute. They are found chiefly in 

 warm climates. Many are natives of 

 America and India. There are no unwhole- 

 some plants in the order, and the succulent 

 fruit of several is edible. There are 165 

 genera, and about 2,000 species. Examples : 

 Melastoma, Lasiandra, Ehexia, Miconia, 

 Charianthus, Memecylon. [J. H. BJ 



MELASTOMA. This genus gives its 

 name to the order Melastomacece. It con- 

 tains a considerable number of species, 

 distributed over tropical Asia and the 

 islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, 

 extending to as far south as Moreton Bay. 

 The plants are small shrubs covered with 

 close- pressed hairs ; and have three, five, or 

 seven-nerved leaves, and large violet pur- 

 ple pale rose or white flowers, mostly in 

 fascicles at the summit of the branches. 

 Their floral envelopes are generally in 

 fives ; the calyx with a campanulate tube 

 and acute deciduous teeth nearly as long 

 as itself, and smaller teeth between them ; 

 the petals unequal-sided ; the stamens ten 



i in number, dissimilar in size, shape, and 

 colour, five being large and violet, and 

 five small and yellow, the anthers of the 

 former having a downward arcuate pro- 

 longation of the connective generally end- 

 ing in two spurs, while those of the latter 

 have the cells seated immediately upon 

 the filament. The ovary is usually five- 



i celled. [A. S.] 



