mono] 



&f)e Crca^uri) at 330taug. 



•52 



MONOCYSTIS. A genus of Zingibers 

 eece, represented by a Chinese herbaceous 

 plant, with lance-shaped leaves, and flowers 

 in a terminal cluster. The latter have a tu- 

 bular calyx contracted at the throat, the 

 limb short, three-lobed ; a corolla with a 

 short tube, and the outer limb-segments 

 linear and hooded at the point, the inner 

 lateralones very small, and the central one 

 or lip large roundish and crisped at the 

 margin ; a linear filament ; and an inferior 

 one-celled ovary, with one erect ovule. 

 The style passes between the lobes of the 

 anther, and terminates in a fleshy concave 

 stigma, [M. T. M.J 



MONODICHLAMYDEOUS. Having in- 

 differently either a calyx only, or bom 

 calyx and corolla. 



MONODORA. Until recently only a sin- 

 gle species belonging to this genus of 

 Anonacece was known, but a second has 

 been found in western tropical Africa. 

 The original species, M. Myristica, was 

 described from specimens obtained from 

 Jamaica, where it was supposed to have | 

 been introduced from South America, but j 

 there is more reason to believe that it was 

 taken there by the negroes from Western 

 Africa. The genus has hitherto been re- j 

 garded as anomalous among its congeners, i 

 on account of its ovary being supposed to 

 consist of a single carpel, with the nume- 

 rous ovules distributed over the whole of 

 its inner surface; but it has lately been ; 

 shown that it does not essentially differ 

 from the rest of the order, the ovary being : 

 in reality compound, consisting of nume- 

 rous carpels united together, the placentas j 

 becoming confluent, and giving theappear- I 

 ance of the ovules being irregularly dis- 

 persed over the whole surface. The Jamaica j 

 species is a. small tree about fifteen feet 

 high, and the African a shrub seven feet 

 high. Their flowers are solitary, large, i 

 and sweet-scented, and are characterised 

 by their three outer petals being large and ] 

 spreading with crisped or waved edges, 

 and the three inner ones heart-shaped and 

 erect, meeting together at their apices. I 

 The fruit is perfectly smooth, nearly glo- ; 

 bular, and about the size of an orange, 

 containing a number of seeds packed close 

 together with great regularity in the 

 midst of a quantity of pulp. 



The outer petals of the flowers of M. 

 Miirintica are of a bright yellow colour, 

 variegated with purple spots, and the in- 

 ner whitish on the outside and downy, 

 but shining and pale yellow with crimson 

 spots inside. Its seeds contain a quantity 

 of aromatic oil which imparts to them the 

 odour and flavour of nutmegs ; and as they I 

 likewise possess the same kind of interior 

 structure, they are commonly called Ja- 

 maica or American Nutmegs, or Calabash 

 Nutmegs from the entire fruit resembling 

 a small calabash. [A. SO 



M0NO3CI0FS. Having male and female 

 organs in different flowers on the same 

 plant— thus : expressed by signs. J — Q . 



MONOGAMIA (adj. MONOGAMIC). Hav- 



ing flowers distinct from each other, and 

 not collected in a capitulum. 



MONOGRAMMA. A small group of mi- 

 nute graminiform orrachiform ferns, with 

 simple or forked fronds, and havinga non- 

 indusiate line of spore-cases near the apex 

 of the frond, the receptacle consisting of a 

 portion of the costa. In one set the sori 

 lie in a longitudinal depression of the 

 graminiform fronds ; while in another they 

 occupy a vaginiform expansion of the ra- 

 chiform fronds. They occur in the tropics 

 of the old and new worlds. [T. M.] 



MONOGYNOUS. Having but one style, 

 even although many carpels be present. 



MONOICOUS. The same as Monoecious. 



MONOLEPIS. A genus of Clienopodia- 

 cere from North America and Arctic Siberia, 

 with polygamous monandrous flowers, and 

 two styles united at the base, destitute of 

 perianth but furnished with an herbaceous 

 scale. The utricle is compressed with a 

 vertical seed, having a subcrustaceous in- 

 tegument. It is a branched annual, with 

 scattered stalked lanceolate, often trifid 

 leaves, and axillary glomerules of small 

 green dry flowers. [J. T. S.] 



MONOLOPHUS. A genus of Zingibera- 

 cece, represented by an Indian herbaceous 

 plant, with fibrous roots, oblong leaves, 

 flowers in a terminal spike, enclosed at the 

 base within a bract. The calyx is tubular, 

 the tube of the corolla elongated, its outer 

 segments narrow equal, the inner ones 

 wider, two equal, and a third, the lip, larger 

 and cleft ; filament prolonged beyond the 

 anther into a reflexed strap-like body; 

 ovary three-celled. [M. T. MO 



MONOLOPIA. A genus of Composite 

 of the tribe Anthemidece, consisting of two 

 Californian woolly annuals, with narrow 

 entire or scarcely toothed leaves, and soli- 

 tary terminal flower-heads yellow and ra- 

 diating. The involucral scales are in a 

 single row and united below, the receptacle 

 convex and naked, and the achenes with- 

 out pappus, the inner ones apparently 

 abortive. One species, M. major, is rather 

 showy. 



MONOPETALOTJS. Having all the pe- 

 tals united by their edges. 



MONOPHYLLOFS. Having only one 

 leaf, or several leaves united by their 

 edges into one. 



MONOPLOCA. A genus of Cruciferce 

 from South-west Australia, with narrowly 

 linear leaves, and a compressed suborbicu- 

 lar deeply bifid pouch, two-valved, with the 

 valves winged on the back, and each cell 

 containing one seed. [J. T. SO 



MONOPSIS. A genus of Lobeliacem, con- 

 sisting of perennial herbaceous plants, 

 natives of the Cape of Good Hope and of 

 Australia, having weak prostrate stems, 

 and perfect or occasionally dioecious flow- 

 ers, borne on long axillary stalks or in 

 terminal tufts. The tube of the corolla is 



