MELEXE. (Fr.) Larix eur 



MELHANLA A genus of Sterculiacece of 

 the tribe Dombeyece, characterised by bav- 

 ins- three bracteoles persistent at the base 

 of "the calyx, and by the anthers being al- 

 ways solitary between each two barren 

 lobes of the staminal cup. It consists of 

 about sixteen species, natives of Africa or 

 of tropical or subtropical Asia and Australia. 

 They are all softly tomentose herbs or un- 

 dershrubs, with entire or toothed alternate 

 leaves, and axillary peduncles bearing one 

 or very few flowers. The bracteoles, either 

 broadly cordate lanceolate or linear, are 

 often longer than the calyx, and the petals 

 scarcely spread open. These plants, there- 

 fore, with the aspect of some Malvaccce, 

 or almost that of Hermannia, are of little 

 interest except to the systematic botanist. 



MELIACE.E. (Melice, Meliads.) A natural 

 order of dicotyledons, belonging to Lind- 

 ley's violal alliance of hypogynous Exogens. 

 Trees or shrubs with alternate exstipulate 

 simple or compound leaves. Sepals four to 

 five, imbricated: petals four to five, hy- 

 pogynous, with a valvate or imbricated 

 aestivation ; stamens equalling the petals, 

 or two, three, or four times as many ; the 

 filaments combined in a long tube ; the 

 anthers sessile within the orifice of the 

 tube ; disk often large and cup-shaped ; 

 ovary single, one-celled, the cells often 

 equal in number to the petals ; ovules one 

 to two in each cell; style one; stigmas 

 distinct or united. Fruit baccate, drupa- 

 ceous, or capsular, many-celled or by abor- 

 tion oue-celled; seeds not winged. They 

 are chiefly found in the tropical parts of 

 America and Asia, and possess bitter, 

 tonic, and astringent qualities. Melia 

 Azadirachta is used in India as a febrifuge, 

 and its fruit yields an oil which is em- 

 ployed for domestic purposes, and as an 

 antispasmodic. The root of Melia Azeda- 

 rach is bitter, and used as a vermifuge. Oils 

 are procured also from species of Trick ilia 

 and Garapa. There are upwards of forty 

 genera, including Melia, Turrcea, Trichilia, 

 and Carapa, and a hundred and eighty 

 species. [J. H. BJ 



MELIA. A genus of Mdiacece, conferring 

 its name upon the order to which it be- 

 longs, and consisting of trees and shrubs 

 inhabiting the tropics. They have alter- 

 nate pinnate or bipinnate leaves, and pani- 

 culate flowers. The calyx is five-cleft ; 

 the corolla has five linear petals ; there 

 are ten stamens ; and an almost fleshy five- 

 celled drupe, each cell containing one, 

 seldom two seeds. M. Azedarach, vulgarly 

 known as the Pride of India, False Syca- 

 more, Holy-tree, Arbre a Chapelet, Bead- 

 tree, or Hill Margosa, is widely diffused over 

 the globe, having been carried to America, 

 Africa, and different parts of Southern 

 Europe. It is from thirty to fifty feet 

 high, with bipinnate leaves, and large 

 bunches of lilac flowers emitting an agree- 

 able perfume. In Southern France and 

 Spain the tree thrives well in the open air, 

 and i3 planted in avenues. The Arabic 



name, Azedarach, implies a poisonous 

 plant, and the fruit is generally considered 

 so. The root is bitter and nauseous, and 

 used in North America as an anthelmintic. 

 The tree is supposed to possess febrifugal 

 properties, and a decoction of the leaves 

 is used as a remedy for hysterics. From 

 another Indian species, M. Azadirachta, the 

 Neem-tree or Margosa, a kind of toddy, 

 which the Hindoos consider a stomachic, 

 is obtained by tapping; and from the fruit 

 an oil is extracted fit for burning and other 

 domestic purposes. [B. S.] 



MELIANTHUS. A singular genus of 

 Zygophyllacea;, consisting of small trees, 

 natives of Nepal and of the Cape of Good 

 Hope, the leaves of which are glaucous, un- 

 equally pinnate, the leaflets unequal and 

 extended at the base along the side of the 

 common stalk, and the stipules usually 

 combined within the axil of the leaf. The 

 flowers are in axillary or terminal clusters, 

 the lower ones sometimes imperfect. The 

 structure of the upper flowers, too, is very 

 curious. The calyx is large and generally 

 of a purple colour, its five segments un- 

 equal in size and form ; the lowest very 

 short, bulging below, hooded above, con- 

 cealing a gland, which is itself girt round 

 by a separate membrane ; the others lance- 

 shaped and flat, the two upper ones largest. 

 The five petals are shorter than the sepals, 

 strap-shaped ; the four lower ones bent 

 downwards, hairy in the middle, where 

 they are united one to another, but else- 

 where detached ; the uppermost one when 

 present very small, separate from the rest, 

 placed between the two upper sepals, but 

 usually absent. Stamens four, the two up- 

 per detached, the two lower united together 

 at the base ; ovary and stigma four-lobed ; 

 fruit bladder-like, four-celled, and winged. 

 Two or three species from the Cape are 

 grown in greenhouses in this country, and 

 will even grow out of doors if protected 

 in winter. They are singular in appear- 

 ance, even when the flowers are not pro- 

 duced. The flowers, which rarely appear 

 in this country, are full of honey, whence 

 the name of the genus. [M. T. M.] 



MELICA. A genus of grasses belonging 

 to the tribe Festucece. The inflorescence of 

 the different species consists either of open 

 panicles or dense racemes. The glumes 

 are nearly equal, larger than the pales, 

 one to two-flowered, with the rudiments of 

 one to two additional imperfect flowers. 

 The pales become hardened on the seed. 

 The species have a wide range over the 

 globe, but are mostly natives of temper- 

 ate climates. Two 'are British, namely, M. 

 uniflora and M. nutans. They are hand- 

 some grasses, but of no agricultural value, 

 though the latter is one which grows well 

 under trees, and consequently is of some 

 importance in that respect. [D. M.] 



MELICOCCA. A genus of Sapindacew, 

 now restricted to two American species, 

 trees of considerable size, and natives of 

 the northern part of South America. Their 

 leaves are abruptly pinnate and without 



