735 



Klyz Cwarfurj) of 2Sfltau|). 



[ment 



MEXISCATE. A cylinder bent into half 

 a circle. 



MEXI3CIUM. A genus of coarse-habited 

 polypodiaceous ferns, with simple or pin- 

 nate fronds, having the venules angularly 

 or arcuately anastomosing between the 

 pinnate veins, and throwing out an ex- 

 current free veinlet from the apex of the 

 arc or angle. The sori are naked, linear- 

 oblong, and curved, placed on the trans- 

 verse venules. Sometimes the fronds are 

 contracted, and the fructifications then 

 become crowded and almost acrostichoid. 

 The genus inhabits the tropics of both the 

 Old and the New W orld, and is not very 

 numerous in species. [T. M.] 



MEXISCOID. Thin, concavo-convex, and 

 hemispherical, resembling a watch-glass. 



MEXI3PERMACE.E. (Menispermads.) A 

 natural order of dicotyledons belonging to 

 Lindley's menispermal alliance of diclinous 

 Exogens. Trailing shrubs with alternate 

 simple usually entire leaves, and incom- 

 plete usually unisexual (often dioecious) 

 flowers. Sepals and petals similar, in one 

 or several rows, hypogynous, deciduous ; 

 stamens monadelphous, or occasionally 

 free, the anthers adnate, extrorse ; carpels 

 solitary or numerous, distinct or partially 

 coherent, one-celled ; ovule solitary. Fruit 

 a succulent one-seeded drupe. They occur 

 in the tropical woods of Asia and America, 

 and have bitter and narcotic properties, 

 some being very poisonous. Anamirta 

 paniculata yields cocculus indicus, illegally 

 used to impart bitterness to malt liquor ; 

 Jateorhiza palmata supplies bitter Calumba 

 root : and Cissampelos Pareira is the tonic 

 Pareira brava. There are about 60 sen era 

 and 350 species. [J. H. BJ 



MENISPERMTTAf. A genus of Meni- 

 sp&rmace(e,the species of which have broad, 

 palmately lobed or angled leaves, and pa- 

 nicled flowers with four to eight sepals in 

 two rows, six to eight petals, the males 

 with twelve to twenty-four free stamens, 

 the females with six sterile stamens and 

 two to four capsules. The fruit is a com- 

 pressed drupe. There are two species, one 

 in Vjrth America, and the other in the 

 temperate parts of Eastern Asia. The name 

 Moon-seed is derived from the lunate form 

 of the seed. [J. H. B.] 



MBNODORA. A small genus of Jasmi- 

 nacece inhabiting Mexico, having a shrub- 

 by habit, erect or creeping quadrangular 

 branches, simple leaves, axillary or termi- 

 nal but always isolated flowers, a bell- 

 shaped persistent and many-toothed calyx, 

 a funnel-shaped corolla with a long tube 

 and Ave lobes, and abivalved capsule. The 

 two known species grow on dry and sterile 

 hills. [B. SJ 



MENONVTLLEA. A genus of Cruciferos, 

 of tlie tribe Cremolobidre, from Peru. The 

 species have smooth linear leaves, the ra- 

 dical ones crowded and toothed at the 

 apex, and terminal racemes of dull reddish 

 flowers. The pouch is somewhat stipitate, 

 crowned by the furrowed style, with the 



valves convex on the back, and the margin 

 ! of each expanded into a wing. The seeds 

 I are solitary. [j. t. SJ 



I MEXOW WEED. Buellia taberosa. 



MENSTRUAL, MENSTRTJOUS. Last- 

 ) ing for a month. Bimestris is said of things 

 that exist for two months ; trimestris, for 

 three months, &c. 



I MENTHA. The Latin version of the 

 j Greek name Mintha borne by the daughter 

 I of Cocytus, who, according to the poets, 

 ; was metamorphosed into a mint plant by 

 Proserpine from motives of jealousy. The 

 I name is applied to a genus of Labialee, whose 

 j species are widely distributed over the 

 j world, but are not met Avith in the hotter 

 I regions. They are herbaceous plants with 

 I flowers in dense whorls, arranged in ter- j 

 minal or axillary heads or spikes. The I 

 calyx is five-toothed, usually regular ; the I 

 corolla bell-shaped with a short tube and ! 

 ! a nearly regular four-lobed limb; and the j 

 I stamens are four, erect, of equal size. I 

 ! Great difficulty exists in discriminating j 

 the species, owing to tbe capacity for va- 

 riation possessed by these plants. 



M. Piperita, a plant occasionally found j 



wild in this country, is the well-known ! 



Peppermint. It is extensively cultivated : 



for the sake of its volatile oil, which is 



procured by distilling the leaves. The oil 



j and the preparations made from it, are 



largely used as aromatics, carminatives, 



and stimulants, and are especially useful 



I iu the alleviation of nausea, griping pains, 



j and flatulence. Owing to its powerful taste, 



, Peppermint in some shape or other is fre- 



I Cjuently used to conceal the nauseous taste 



of medicine. A kind of liqueur is also pre- 



; pared from it. M. viridis, or Spearmint, is j 



the plant that is used for culinary pur- i 



poses under the name of Mint. It possesses 



the same properties as Peppermint, but in 



a less degree ; its flavour, however, is pre- 



; ferred by many people. M. Pulegium, like 



the two preceding a native of Britain, is 



best known under its common name of 



Pennyroyal. Its taste is very peculiar, and 



to most people not a little objectionable ; 



its properties are similar to those of the 



other mints, but in former times, and still 



by the vulgar, this plant had special virtues 



j assigned to it, hence it is still employed as : 



! a domestic remedy in female complaints. ! 



, M. citrata furnishes a sweet-smelling oil, 



in odour like oil of Bergamot. The species 



are abundantly propagated by suckers, and 



but rarely produce perfect seed, hence the 



constancy of the variations. [M. T. M.] 



MENTHASTRE. (Fr.) Mentha rotundi- 

 folia. 



MEXTHE. rFr.) Mentha. — A COQ, or 

 DES JARDIXS. Pyrethrum Tanacetum. 

 | — DES MONTAGXES. Calamintha offici- 

 . nnlis. — POIVREE. Mentha Piperita. — 

 ROMAIXE. Mentha viridis. 



| MEXTOOLOO. An Indian name for Tri- 

 \ gonella foinum graicum. 



I MEXTUM. A projection in front of the 



