MEL 
mends. Melampyrum coma cserulea. C. B. P. 234. 
Cow Wheat with blue tops. 
Thefe plants are feldom cultivated in gardens. The 
firft fort grows naturally in woods in many parts of 
England. The fecond fort grows plentifully in Bed- 
fordshire and Cambridgeshire. The fourth fort grows 
in the northern parts of Europe. The third fort 
grows naturally in fome of the fandy lands in Norfolk, 
tho’ not in great plenty •, but in Well Friezland and 
Flanders, it grows very plentifully among the Corn *, 
and Clulius fays, it Spoils their bread, making it dark •, 
and that thofe who eat of it ufed to be troubled with 
heavinefs of the head, in the fame manner as if they 
had eaten Darnel or Cockle : but Mr. Ray fays, He 
has eaten of this bread very often, but could never 
perceive that it gave any difagreeable tafte, or that it 
was accounted unwholefome by the country people, 
who never endeavour to Separate it from the Corn : 
and Tabernacmontanus declares, he has often eaten it 
without any harm ; and fays, it makes a- very pleafant 
bread. It is a delicious food for cattle, particularly 
for fattening of oxen and cows, for which purpofe it 
may be cultivated. 
The feeds of thefe plants Should be fown in the au- 
tumn Soon after they are ripe, otherwife it feldom 
grows the firft year ; when the plants come up, they 
mufc be weeded in the fpring while young, and as Soon 
as they begin to Shew their flowers, the cattle may be 
fed upon it •, but they Should be confined to a cer- 
tain Space, and not permitted to run over the whole 
field to trample it down, which would deftroy a great 
part of it. 
The third and fourth forts make a pretty appear- 
ance, with their purple and blue tops, during the 
months of July and Auguft, They are all of them 
annual plants. 
MELANTHIUM, Star-flower. 
The Characters are, 
fhe flower has no empalement { unlefls the corolla is Jo call- 
ed) it hath fix oblong , oval , fpreading petals , which are 
permanent , and fix flender erebl ftamina inferted above the 
tails , with globular fumrnits , with a freaked globular 
germen , fupporting three curved diftinbl flyles , crowned 
by obtufe fligma ; the germen afterward turns to an oval 
capfule , having three cells , which are united within , con- 
taining feveral oval comprejfed feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the third fedtion of 
Linnaeus’s Sixth clafs, intitled Hexandria Trigynia, 
the flower having fix ftamina and three ftyles. 
The Species are, 
1. Melanthium ( Virginicum ) petalis unguiculatis. Lin. 
Sp. Plant. 483. Star-flower with tender nai 'i-fhaped pe- 
tals. Afphodelo affinis Floridana, ramofo caule, flo- 
ribus ornithogali obfoletis. Pluk. tab. 434. f. 8. 
2. Melanthium ( Sibericum ) petalis fefiilibus. Amoen. 
Acad. 2. p. 349. Star-flower with feffile petals. Orni- 
thogalum fpicis florum longiSfimis ramofis. Flor. 
Siber. p. 45. 
3. Melanthium {PunClatum ) petalis pun&atis, foliis 
cucullatis. Amoen. Acad. 6. Star-flower with punctu- 
ated petals , and hooded leaves. 
The firft fort grows naturally in Virginia and in other 
parts of North America, but being a plant of little 
beauty, is feldom cultivated except in botanic gar- 
dens ; the flower-ftalks of this rifes from fix to eight 
inches high, branching upward into three or four di- 
visions, garniihed below the flower with two or three 
linear leaves. The flowers are compofed of fix 
fpreading petals of a dufky worn-out colour, which 
are rarely Succeeded by feeds in England. 
If the roots of this plant are planted in a border of 
light earth, not too dry, they will thrive and pro- 
duce their flowers here, but feldom increafe. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in Siberia, fo is at 
prefent a ftranger in England, but may be propagated 
here (if once obtained) by planting the bulbous roots 
in an eaft border. 
The third fort grows at the Cape of Good Hope, fo 
is too tender to thrive in the open air in England. But 
if the roots are planted in a border, covered in win- 
MEL 
ter with a garden frame, and treated in the fame way 
as is directed for the Ixia, they will thrive and flower 
annually. 
MELA STOMA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 481. Groffula- 
ria. Sloan. Hift. Jam. Plum. Sp. 18. The American 
Goofeberry-tree, vulgb. 
The Characters are, 
The flower has a permanent empalement of one leaf fwell- 
ing like a bladder , and obtufe. It hath five roundijh pe- 
tals , which are inferted into the border of the empalement , 
and ten fhort ftamina , terminated by long ereCi fummits a 
little curved . Under the flower is fituated a roundijh 
germen , fupporting a flender flyle, crowned by an incurved 
indented fligma. I* he germen afterward turns to a berry 
with five cells, covered by the empalement which crowns 
it , and contains many fmall feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft feftion of 
Linnaeus’s tenth clafs, intitled Decandria Monogy- 
nia, which includes thofe plants whofe flowers have 
ten ftamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Melastoma {Plant aginis folio) foliis denticulatis 
ovatis acutis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 389. Melaftoma with 
oval, acute-pointed, indented leaves. Groftularia Ame- 
ricana, plantaginis folio ampliflimo. Plum. Sp. 18. 
2. Melastoma ( Acinodendron ) foliis denticulatis fub- 
trinerviis ovatis acutis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 558. Melafto- 
ma with oval indented leaves ending in acute points , 
having three veins. Groflfularia alia plantaginis folio, 
frudhi rariore violaceo. Plum. Sp. 18. 
3. Melastoma (. Hirta ) foliis denticulatis quinquener- 
vibus, ovato-lanceolatis caule hifpido. Lin. Sp. 390. 
Melaftoma with fpear-fhaped indented leaves , with five 
veins , and a prickly folk. Groftularia plantaginis folio 
anguftiore hirfuto. Plum. Sp. 18. 
4. Melastoma ( Holofericea ) foliis integerrimis triner- 
viis oblongo-ovatis tomentofis racemis brachiatis, 
fpicis bipartitis. Lin. Sp. 559. Melaftoma with very 
entire oblong oval leaves , which are woolly on their under 
fide , and fpikes of flowers dividing in two parts. Arbor 
racemofa Brafiliana, folio Malabathri. Breyn. Cent, 
tab. 2 & 3. 
5. Melastoma ( Grojfularioides ) foliis lanceolatis utrin- 
que glabris nervis tribus ante bafln coeuntibus. Hort. 
Cliff. 162. Melaftoma with fpear-fhaped leaves fmooth 
on both fides , and three veins which join before they reach 
the bafe. Grofiularia frudtu non ipinofo, Malabathri 
foliis oblongis, floribus herbaceis racemofis, fru&u 
nigro. Sloan. Cat. 165. 
6. Melastoma {Bicolor) foliis lanceolatis, nervis tribus 
longitudinalibus, fubtus glabris coloratis. Hort. Cliff. 
162. Melaftoma with fpear-fhaped leaves having three 
longitudinal veins , fmooth and coloured on their under 
fide. 
7. Melastoma {Malabathrica) foliis lanceolato-ovatis 
quinquenervibus fcabris. Flor. Zeyl. 171. Melaftoma 
with fpear-floaped oval leaves which are rough , and have 
five veins. Melaftoma quinque nervia hirta major, ca- 
pitulis fericeis villofis. Burm. Zeyl. 155. tab. 73. 
8. Melastoma {Lavigata) foliis oblongo-ovatis minu- 
tiflime dentatis inferne fericeis quinquenervibus, flo- 
ribus racemofis. Melaftoma with oblong oval leaves , 
having very fmall indentures on the edges , and filky on their 
under fide , with five veins , and flowers growing in long 
bunches. Groflulariae fru&u, arbor maximo non fpi- 
nofa, Malabathri folio maximo inodora, flore race- 
mofo albo. Sloan. Cat. Jam. 165. 
9. Melastoma {Petiolatis) foliis denticulatis ovatis acu- 
minatis, inferne nitidifiimis, petiolis longiflimis. Me- 
laftoma with oval acute-pointed leaves , which are indented 
on their edges , very Jhining on their under fide, and have 
very long foot-flalks. 
10. Melastoma (JJmbellata) foliis cordatis acuminatis 
integerrimis, inferne incanis, floribus umbellads. 
Melaftoma with heart-Jhaped , acute-pointed , entire leaves , 
hoary on their under fide , and flowers growing in umbels . 
Sambucus Barbadenfis didta, foliis fubincanis. Pluk. 
Phyt. tab. 221. fol. 6 . 
11. Melastoma {Racemofa) foliis oblongo-cordatis acu- 
minatis, denticulato-ferratis, floribus racemofis fpar- 
fis. 
