M E L 
in Madingley and Kirfgfton woods, Cambridgefliire." 
Found among corn in Walton-field, near Wakefield, 
Yoridhire, by Dr. Richardfon ; Braybrock-wood, New¬ 
ton and Yarwell, in Northamptonfliire. Ray obferved it 
in mountainous woods near Geneva; and it is found in 
many other parts of the continent. It flowers in June 
and July. 
2. Melampyrum arvenfe, or purple cow-wheat: fpikes 
conical, loofe. Bradles fringed with narrow taper teeth. 
This, like the laft, may be confidered as a rare native 
plant, though occurring occafionally in various parts of 
England, in gravelly fields, and flowering in July and 
Auguft; it inhabits Denmark alfo, and Japan. The root 
is annual. Stem about two feet high, eredt,. much 
branched, rough. Leaves lanceolate, pointed, entire. 
Spikes of flowers terminal, of a yellow and purple colour, 
extremely ornamental, indeed fo much fo, that Dr. Smith 
obferves “ we are fcarcely worthy to poflefs it, for its 
charms, however ltriking, have never procured it admil- 
flon into a flower-garden, though it may eafily be raifed 
from frefh feed on a dry gravelly foil.” See the Plate, 
fig. i. 
3. Melampyrum barbatum, or bearded cow-wheat: 
fpikes conical, loofe; bradtes toothed and briftle-lhaped, 
not coloured. Calyx-teeth bearded ; corolla gaping. A 
native of fields on the fouth of Hungary. This new fpe- 
cies has been adopted on the authority of Wildenow, 
who fays that it is very clofely allied to the laft, but dif¬ 
fers in the following particulars: bradtes green, not co¬ 
loured ; calyx-teeth furnilhed with long tranfparent mem¬ 
branous hairs at the margin; upper lip of the corolla 
more hairy; flowers by no means variegated, but altoge¬ 
ther of a yellow colour. 
4. Melampyrum nemorofum, or many-coloured cow- 
wheat : flowers leaning one way, lateral; bradles toothed, 
lieart-lhaped, lanceolate, the upper ones coloured, fterile; 
calyx woolly. A native of woods in the north of Eu¬ 
rope, and efpecially of fome provinces of Sweden and 
Denmark. Dr. Smith alfo found it in Savoy. It flowers 
in July and Auguft. Root annual, fmall. Stem fome- 
what more than a foot in height, upright, branched. 
Leaves entire, ovate, pointed, occafionally rather arrow- 
lhaped, toothed at the bafe; bradtes violet-coloured, laci- 
niated at the bafe, thofe at the top barren; flowers of a 
beautiful yellow and purple colour. The fplendour of 
this fpecies has attracted the notice of various botanifts. 
Linnseus mentions it in his Flora Suecica with great de¬ 
light, which has drawn forth the following obfervation 
from Dr. Smithinhis Tour on the Continent, ed. 2. vol. iii. 
p. 149. “ The red and yellow flowers, amid Iky-blue and 
purple bradtese, form the richeft combination poflible, 
which, but in the hands of nature, would be tawdry. 
Well might Linnaeus efteem this plant worthy to deco¬ 
rate the palace of Flora herfelf.” See fig. 2. 
5. Melampyrum pratenfe, or common yellow cow- 
wheat: flowers lateral, leaning one way; leaves in dif- 
tant pairs ; corolla clofed. Common in woods and thick¬ 
ets throughout England, flowering through the fummer. 
Root annual, branched, Spreading, fmooth. Stem fiender, 
branched. Flowers folitary, all leaning one way, yellow, 
their upper lip fringed with denfe hairs, the lower one 
ltraight; antherse cohering together at their tips. We 
find the following obfervation in Engliih Botany : “ Lin¬ 
naeus fays, the beft and yelloweft butter is made where 
this plant abounds. All authors have'copied him, and 
we do not fcruple to do the fame, in hopes that fome- 
body will in time be induced to make experiments on the 
fubjedt in England, where this plant is far from uncom¬ 
mon, flowering all. fummer long.” 
6. Melampyrum fylvaticum, or wood cow-wheat •. flow¬ 
ers lateral, leaning one way; leaves in diftant pairs; co¬ 
rolla open, with its lip bent downwards. According to 
Linnaeus, this differs thus from the .preceding; Stem 
more nodding, leaves fully threading, corolla only half as 
Vol. XV. No. 1022, ‘ 
M E • L 37 
long, entirely yellow, and not with the tube white; mouth, 
or opening between the lips, gaping wide. But M. pra ¬ 
tenfe has fometimes the whole of the corolla yellow, fo 
that colour, as ufual, muft not be too much trufted. Stem 
upright or nodding, weak, branched, leafy. Leaves very 
entire, all undivided, very long, lanceolate. Flowers in 
pairs, feflile in the -axils, all pointing the fame way, the 
whole of a deep yellow, gaping wide, the beard more 
deeply trifid ; compared with the leaves, three times lefs 
than in the preceding. Fruit ovate-conical, curved in¬ 
wards. According to Villars, it is linaller in all its parts, 
and the leaves are very narrow and entire; the flowers 
alfo are fmaller, paler, and open; the calyx is fquare at the 
bafe. Native of many parts of Europe in woods. Much 
rarer than the preceding in England. Found at Wick 
Clifts by Mr. Swayne; Strechworth, White-wood, and 
Hatley-wood, in Cambridgeffiire ; in the way from Tay- 
mouth to lord Breadalbane’s cafcade, and about Finla- 
rig at the head of Loch-Tay. This is ftiown at fig. 3. 
7. Melampyrum iineare, or linear cow-wheat: leaves 
linear entire; flowers axillary. A very final! fpecies. 
Stem about five inches high, round, eredt, furnifhed with 
oppofite fomewhat-quadrangular branches. Leaves op- 
poiite, feflile, an inch long, little more than a line broad, 
acute. Flowers in the bofoms of the upper leaves, about 
three lines in length. 
Propagation and Culture. All the fpecies are annual; 
but thele plants are feldorn cultivated in gardens. Some 
of them indeed are common weeds, but not noxious in 
England. The fecond fort grows very plentifully among 
corn in Flanders and other parts of the continent, and fs 
laid to make the bread dark, and to affedt the head in the 
fame manner with darnel; but Ray affirms that he has 
often eaten this bread, without perceiving any difagree- 
able tafte in it, and that it was not accounted unwhole- 
fc.ne by the country people; Tabernaemontanus alfo de¬ 
clares, that he has often eaten it without harm, and that 
the bread in which it is mixed is even not unpleafant. 
It is a delicious food for cattle, and might be cultivated 
for fattening oxen. The feeds of all thefe plants Ihould 
be fown in the autumn foon after they are ripe, other- 
wife they feldom grow the firft year. When the plants 
come up, weed them in the Ipring whilft young. As foon 
as they begin to (how their flowers, cattle may be turned 
in upon a fpace hurdled off; for, if they are permitted to 
run over the whole field, they would trample down the 
crop, and deftroy a great part of it. The fourth fort 
makes a pretty appearance with its purple tops during 
the months of July and Auguft, and deferves a place in 
the flower-garden among other annuals. But it muft be 
obferved, that the feveral fpecies of Melampyrum, though 
extremely elegant and ornamental when frelli, are at the 
fame time remarkable for turning brown or black when 
dry, lofing all traces of their living beauty, and making 
a lhabby appearance in the Herbarium. “ The feeds of 
this genus have a remarkable refemblance to grains of 
wheat; on which account (fays Dr. Smith) we prefer the 
old Engliffi name to that of cow-grafs, given by Dr. 
Stokes.” See Acanthus, Barleria, Hebenstrlitia, 
Ranunculus, and Selago. 
MELA'NA, or Milena, in ancient geography, a town 
in Arcadia, in the weftern part, on the river Alpheus, 
fouth-weft of Telphufia. 
MELANAL'US, one of Adteon's dogs. 
MELAN'AGOGUES, /'. [from the Greek y.i’Koci, black, 
and oSaqj, to drive.] Medicines to drive away melan¬ 
choly. 
MELANAN'THERA,/.' in botany. See Bide ns nivea, 
Vol. iii. p. 19. 
MELANCHiE'TES, one of Adteon’s dogs. 
MELANCHOLIC, adj. Difordered with melancholy; 
.fanciful; hypochondriacal; gloomy.—If he be mad or 
angry, melancholic or fprightly, he will paint whatfoever 
is proportionable to any one. Dryden . 
L The 
