\ MEL 
bark, and divides at the top into many ftraggling 
branches, which are garnifhed with oblong heart- 
ftiaped leaves fix inches long, and three broad toward 
their bafe, ending in acute points, indented on their 
edges with fharp ferratures •, they are fmooth on both 
fides, and of a light green colour. The flowers are 
produced in very looie bunches at the end of the 
branches ; they are fmall, of an herbaceous colour, 
and are lucceeded by fmall fruit, of a dark colour 
when ripe. 
The twelfth fort rifes with a fhrubby ftalk five or fix 
feet high, dividing into many fmaller branches, which 
are covered with a hairy woolly bark, of a rufty iron 
Colour ; thefe are garnifhed with oval fpear-fhaped 
leaves, one inch and a half long, and three quarters 
of an inch broad in the middle ; they are of a dark 
green on their upper fide, and of a rufty iron colour 
on their under, having five longitudinal veins •, they 
are placed oppofite, and fit dole to the branches. The 
flowers come out in whorls at the joints of the ftaiks ; 
they are fmall, of a purplilh colour, and are fucceed- 
ed by fmall black fruit. 
The thirteenth fort is a low lhrub, feldom rifing 
more than three feet high, dividing at the bottom 
into flender branches, which are garnifhed with fpear- 
fhaped leaves, ending in acute points •, thefe are five 
inches long, and one and a half broad in the middle, 
fawedon their edges, of a dark green on their upper 
fide, but of a hoary white on their under, having 
three longitudinal veins ; they are placed oppofite, 
upon fhort foot-ftalks. The flowers are produced in 
loofe bunches at the end of the branches ; they are 
white, and fucceeded by fmall purple fruit. 
The fourteenth fort hath a fhrubby ftalk eight or nine 
feet high, divided toward the top into many flender 
branches which are fmooth, garnifhed with oval fpear- 
fhaped leaves, which are feven inches long and three 
broad, ending in acute points ; they are entire on 
their edges, and fmooth on both fides, ftanding 
oppofite, and have three longitudinal veins. The 
flowers are produced in loofe panicles at the end of 
the branches, and are fucceeded by very fmall pur- 
ple fruit. 
The fifteenth fort rifes with feveral fhrubby ftaiks five 
or fix feet high, dividing into feveral crooked branches, 
garnifhed with oval leaves three inches long, and 
almoft as much broad, having five longitudinal veins; 
they are rough, of a dark green on their upper fide, 
but of a pale green on their under, indented on 
their edges, ftanding upon very hairy foot-ftalks ; 
they are fometimes oppofite, and at others alternate, 
on the branches. The flowers are produced in very 
loofe bunches, which come out from the fide of the 
ftaiks ; they are fmall, of an herbaceous colour, and 
are fucceeded by fmall purplifh fruit, filled with very 
fmall feeds. 
The fixteenth fort rifes with a fhrubby ftalk feven or 
eight feet high, and divides into many fmooth 
branches, which are garnifhed with fpear-fhaped 
leaves about four inches long, and one inch and a 
quarter broad in the middle ; they are fmooth on both 
fides, of a dark green colour, and have three longi- 
tudinal veins ; the edges of thefe leaves are clofely let 
with briftly flinging hairs. The flowers are produced 
in loofe bunches at the end of the branches ; they are 
fmall,. of a purplifh colour, and are fucceeded by ve- 
ry fmall black fruit. 
The feventeenth fort is in many parts like the former, 
but the leaves are oval, a little more than two inches 
long, and oneand a quarter broad ; thefe have five lon- 
gitudinal veins, and are fmooth on both fides, of a dark 
green colour, and ft and oppofite on fhort foot-ftalks. 
The flowers grow in loofe bunches at the end of the 
branches, they are larger than t.hofe of the former 
fort, but are of the fame colour. The edges of the 
leaves of this fort are clofely fet with flinging hairs, 
as -thole of the other. 
‘The eighteenth fort rifes with a fhrubby ftalk eight 
or nine feet high, dividing into branches ftanding 
oppofite, as do alfo the leaves, which are feven inches 
ME L 
long and three broad, rough on their furface, entire 
on their edges, ending in acute points ; they are of 
a light green on both fides, and Hand upon fhort 
foot-ftalks. The flowers are produced in pretty 
large loofe panicles at the end of the branches ; they 
are fmall, white, and are fucceeded by fmall, round, 
purple fruit. 
All the forts are natives of the warm parts of Ame- 
rica, where there are many more fpecies than are 
here enumerated. Mofl of thefe here mentioned, 
were found by the late Dr. Honftoun, growing na- 
turally in Jamaica, from whence he lent many of their 
feeds to Europe, fome of which fucceeded ; but moft, 
if not all the plants which were raifed from them, 
were loft in the fevere winter in 1740, fince which 
time they have not been recovered in Europe. 
There is great beauty in the diverfity of the leaves of 
thefe plants, many of them being very large, and 
moft of them are of different colours on the two fur- 
faces, their under fide being either white, gold co- 
lour, or ruftet, and their upper of different fhades of 
green, fo that they make a fine appearance in the hot- 
houfe ail the year; indeed, their flowers have no 
great beauty to recommend them, but yet for the 
Angular beauty of their leaves, thefe plants deferve a 
place in all curious collections, as much as moft other 
forts. 
There are very few of thefe plants at prefent in any 
of the European gardens, which may have been oc- 
cafioned by the difficulty of bringing over growing 
plants from the Weft-Indies ; and the feeds being 
fmall when they are taken out of the pulp, foon be- 
come dry, fo feldom fucceed. The beft way to ob- 
tain thefe plants is, to have the entire fruits put up in. 
dry fand as foon as they are ripe, and forwarded by 
the foonefl conveyance to England ; thefe fhould be 
immediately taken out when they arrive, and the 
feeds fown in pots of light earth, and plunged into a 
moderate hot-bed of tanners bark. When the plants 
come up, and are fit to remove, they muff be each 
planted into a fmall pot of light earth, and plunged 
ioto the tan-bed ; and may afterward be treated in 
the manner directed for the Annona, to which I fhall 
defire the reader to turn, to avoid repetition. 
MELIA. Lin. Gen. Plant. 473. Azederach. Tourn. 
Inft. R. H. 616. tab. 387. The Bead-tree. 
The Characters are, 
The empalernent of the flower is fmall , ere ft, and of one 
leafy cut into five points at the top, which are obtufe. 
The flower hath five long , narrow , fpear-fhaped petals 
which fpread open, and a cylindrical nectar him of one leaf 
the length of the petals, indented at the brim in ten parts. 
It has ten fmall flamina infer ted in the top of the nedla- 
rium , terminated by fumrnits which do not appear above 
it , with a conical germen fupporting a cylindrical ftyle , 
crowned by an obtufe indented fligma. The germen af- 
terward turns to a foft globular fruit , including a round- 
ijh nut having five rough furrows , and five cells , each 
containing one oblong feed. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft feflion of 
Linnteus’s tenth clafs, intitled Decandria Monogy- 
nia, which includes thofe plants whofe flowers have 
ten flamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Melia ( Azedarach ) foliis bipinnatis. Flor. ZeyL 
162. Melia with double winged leaves. Azederach. 
Dod. Pempt. 848. The Bead-tree , or Falfie Sycamore. 
2. Melia ( Azedirachta ) foliis pinnatis. Hort. Cliff. 
161. Melia with winged leaves . Olea Malabarica, 
fraxini folio. Pluk. Aim. 269. 
The firft fort grows naturally in Syria, from whence 
it was brought to Spain <md Portugal, where it is 
now become as common almoft, as if it were a native 
of thofe countries. This in warm countries grows to 
a large tree, fpreading out into many branches, which 
are garnifhed with winged leaves, competed of three 
fmaller wings, whofe lobes are notched and indented 
on their edges ; they are of a deep green on their up- 
per fide, and paler on their under. The flowers 
come out from the fide of the branches in long loofe 
bunches ; 
