MELA STOMA CEAE 
463 
Ilelampodium Linn. Compositae (v). 25 sp. Am. 
Ifelampyrum (Tourn.) Linn, Scrophulariaceae (111. 12). 25 sp. N. 
Hemisph.; 4 in Brit, (cow-wheat). Semi-parasites (see order). The 
flr. has a loose-pollen mechanism (p. 98 and order) ; the 4 anthers lie 
close together and form a pollen-box; the filaments of the sta. are 
covered with sharp teeth which ensure that a bee shall insert its pro- 
boscis down the middle line of the flr. 
Melandrium Roehl. = Lychnis Linn. [M. rubrum Garcke=Z. dioicai] 
Melanorrhoea Wall. Anacardiaceae (1). 6 sp. Malay. M. usitata 
Wall. (Theetsee) yields a valuable black varnish, obtained by tap- 
ping the stem ; the sap turns black on exposure to air. 
Blelanoxylon Schott. Leguminosae (11. 8). 1 sp. Brazil, M. Braun a 
Schott (Brauna). The timber is useful. 
Melanthium Clayt. ex Linn. Liliaceae (1). 3 sp. N. Am. 
Melastoma Burm. ex Linn. Melastomaceae (1). 40 sp. trop., exc. Afr., 
Am. 
Melastomaceae. Dicotyledons (Archichl. Myrtiflorae). 148 gen. with 
2500 sp. of trop. and sub-trop. plants, forming a very natural family, 
easy to recognize in most cases, even when not in fir., on account of 
the peculiar leaf-veining &c. The habit of the various genera differs 
much, as they inhabit very various soils and exist under varied 
conditions. Some are herbs, others trees or shrubs; some climb, 
usually by roots; some are epiphytes, water or marsh plants. The 
leaves are nearly always decussate (the stem is often 4-angled), but 
one leaf is generally much larger than the other (p. 47) ; the lesser in 
some cases withers away as it grows older, and drops off. The veins 
of the leaf, which is usually simple and entire or nearly so, diverge 
from the base and converge again at the apex, as in many mono- 
cotyledonous leaves, so that there is no true midrib. This peculiarity 
is possibly correlated with the fact that most of these plants live in 
rainy tropical regions, and this arrangement of the veins aids in 
conveying away the water from the surface of the leaf (see Ficus 
religiosa and p. 143). Many M. are myrmecophilous plants, e.g 
Tococa, Maieta, &c. (q.v.). 
The infl. is cymose, but exhibits great variety. The flr. is usually 
very characteristic and easily recognized by the curious appendages of 
the anthers. The receptacle (‘calyx-tube’) is tubular or bell-shaped, 
commonly more or less united with the ovary, and very often brightly 
coloured. K 4 or 5 ; C 4 or 5, perigynous. The perianth is usually 
regular, but irregularity often occurs in the androeceum. Sta. usually 
twice as many as petals, standing (when mature) in one whorl, bent 
down in bud so that the anthers come between the ovary and the 
receptacle. The anther-loculi open by a common apical pore. The 
connective is developed in various ways and usually provided with 
curious appendages, frequently of sickle-like form, giving a character- 
istic aspect to the flr. Ovary superior or inferior, usually 4 — 5-loc., 
