MEDEOLA— MENISPERMUM. 
127 
MEDEO'LA. 6—5. (Asparagi.) 
virgin" ica, (Indian cucumber, g y. m. Tp.) 
leaves in whorls, lance-oval, acuminate ; 
pedicels aggregated, terminal; root white. 
12-18 i. 
.MEDICA'GO. 16—10. (Leguminosm.) [Call- 
ed medike, by Dioscorides, on account of its 
supposed medicinal virtues.] 
hipuli'iin, (hop medipk, y. J. @.) spikes 
oval; legumes renifovm, 1-seeded; stipules 
entire; leaves obovate; stem procumbent. 
inte.rtex" ta, (y. Au.) stem procumbent; 
leafets obovate, toothed ; stipules ciliate, 
toothed; peduncles somewhat 2-llowered; 
legume pilose, spiral, oval; spines straight, 
thick, rigid, and acute. Sandy field.s. Conn, 
to Car. Introduced. 
sati'va, (p. Ju. 2X) peduncles racemed; 
legume smooth, cochleate ; stipules entire ; 
leaves oblong, toothed. Naturalized. 
tribuloi'des, (hedge hog. @.) peduncles 
2-flowered; legume cochleate, cylindric, 
flat both sides, aculeate, conic 2-ways, re- • 
flexed; stipules toothed; leaves toothed, 
obovate. Ex. 
scntella'ta. (snail-shell, bee-hive, Ju. 0.) 
peduncles about 2-flowered ; legumes un- 
armed, .cochleate in an orbicular form, with 
a convex base and a flattop ; stipules tooth- 
ed ; leaves oblong, toothed. Ex. 
macula ta, (p.) stem prostrate ; leafets 
obcordate, tootned, spotted ; stipule* tooth- 
ed ; peduncles 3 5-flowered ; legumos com- 
pactly spiral, furrovi'ed on the margin, and 
fringed with a double row of long-curved 
spines ; seeds reniform, yellowi.sh. S. 
denticula'ta, (p.) neai-ly glabrous ; stem 
prostrate ; leafets obcordiite ; stipules lacin- 
iate; peduncles 2 to 5-tlowered ; legumt'S 
broad, loosely-spiral and flat, with 13 con- 
volutions, reticulated ; the margin ±in, 
keeled, with a double compact row of sub- 
ulate-curved prickle.s. 1-2 f. S. 
MELAiVIPY'RUiW. 13—2. (Perfiruk es.) [From 
melas. black, and purns, wheat.] 
amenca' uum, (cow-wheat, y. Ju. 0.) 
slender ; lower leaves linear, entire ; floral 
ones lanceolate, toothed behind ; flowers 
axillary, distinct. Ya.r. laf/ifo'l-ium,h-ds vevy 
broad leaves. Woods, (b. 
MELAN"THIUM. 6—3. {Juncce.) [Fiommelas, 
black, anthos, flower.] 
virgin"icum, (g y. black flower.) panicle 
pyramid-form, very large ; petals ovate ; 
leaves long, linear-lanceolate, flat, smooth ; 
flowers become black. 3-4 f. 
kyhrid/'iivc (bunch-flower, w. J. 24^.) pan- 
icles racemose ; petals sub-orbicular, plait- 
ed with long claws; glands connate. 2 f. 
glau'cum, (g-w. Ju. 11.) root a tunicated 
bulb ; leaves glaucous, gramineous, mar- 
gined; racemes mostly simple, few flower- 
ed; segments of the perianth roundish, 
clawed, with two peculiar spots ; seeds 
subulately-winged. 1-3 f. Northern lakes. 
Canada. Mich. 
monoi'cum, (Ju. Z/.) panicle with the 
lower flowers sterile ; upper ones fertile, 
racemed ; petals oblong, flat with short 
claws ; styles half the length of the germ. 
H. 
32 
MELANANTIIE'RA. IT— 1. (Corymhifprcr..) 
[From mdas. black, and anlhos, flowei ] 
hastji'ta, (w. S. 2^.) leaves hastate, 3- 
lobed ; chaff" of the receptacle lanceolate, 
acuminate. Var. lohn'ta, leaves deeply 3- 
lobed. Var. pnndura'ta, leaves slightly 3- 
lobed, paiiduriform. 4-6 f. S. 
ME'LIA. JO- 1. (Melia:.) [From otpZz, honey ] 
azed"arach, (pride of China, leaves 
doubly pinnate ; leafets smooth, ovate, 
toothed. 30-40 f. S. 
MELI'CA. 3—2 (Graminem.) 
specio'sa, (melic gra.ss, J. 11. ) smooth; 
panicle loose, erect, few-flowered ; branch- 
es simple; leaves flat, pubescent beneath; 
florets obtuse. 3-4 f. Charleston, S. C. 
dijfn'sa, (J. 11.) panicle diffuse, very 
branching; stem erect, pubescent; flowers 
acute, beardless. 
gla'bra, (lai-ge flowered melica, Ap.) stem 
glabrous; leaves nan'ow, scabrous; pani- 
cle erect, loose branches simple, few-flow- 
ered ; flowers with the glumes unbearded. 
2 3 f. S. 
MELILO'TUS. 16—10. (LeguminoscE.) [From 
meli, honey, and lotus, a plant.] 
qffici/ia'lis, (yellow melilot-clover, y. J. 
©.) stem erect, branching ; leafets lanceo- 
late, oblong; spikes axillary, paniculate; 
leL;ume 2 seeded, rugose; flowers in long 
yellow racemes. 2-4 f. 
' al"ba, (white melilot-clover, w. J. ^.) 
stem erect ; leafets variable, (oval, ovate, 
obovate, and oblanceolate,) mucronately 
serrulate ; banner longer than the wings ; 
racemes axillary, panicled ; the longe.st 
raceme 6 to 10 times as long as the longest 
leafet at its base ; legumes oval. 3-6 f. 
Probably introduced, but now very com- 
mon, and growing wild. 
occideittd'lis, (y.) erect ; leafets linear-ob- 
long or obovate, serrate, truncate at the ex- 
tremity ; flowers minute : teeth of the calyx 
unequal, as long as the tube; legume 12 
seeded, ovate-orbiculate, slightly wrinkled. 
California. 
IVIELIS"SA. 13—1. (Lahiatm.) [From melissay 
a bee, becauae it affords lioney.] 
qfficiiia'lia, (balm, w. b. Ju. 11.) flowers 
wliorled half-way round, Bub-.sessile ; bracts 
oblong, pcdicelled ; leaves ovate, acute, 
serrate. Naturalized. 
MKLlJ'TIfRlA. 19—15. (Cucurhitacea:.) [From 
melon, fruit, and thrion, food.] 
pendu'la, (small creeping cucumber, y. 
J. @.) leaves sub-reniform, lobed, and an- 
gled, slightly hispid : fruit oval, smooth, 
pendulous. A slender vine, ruiming over 
small shrubs and herbs on the banks of 
streams; stem hairy; leaves petioled ; ten- 
drils 5-6 inches high ; flowei's axillary ; the 
sterile in small racemes, the fertile solitary. 
MENISPER"MUM. 20—12. [From menu, the 
moon, hudsperma, seed : seed crescent-form.] 
canadeii'se, (moon-seed, y. Ju. 2/.) leaves 
peltate, cordate, round-angular; racemes 
compound ; petals 8. 
smilaci'num, fy. Ju. li) racemes gener- 
ally simple ; petals 4-leaves peltate, some- 
what glabrous, cordate, nearly round, 00 • 
tusely angled, glaucous beneath. S 
lyo'ni, (Ju. li-) racemes simple; petals 
