M E .L 
43 
leaves three-cornered, fraooth ; flowers in fpikes. Found 
at the Cape by Thunberg and Mafl'on. 
io. Melanthium monopetalum, or one-petalled melan- 
thium : corolla one-petalled ; leaves cowled, lanceolate. 
Root globular, fmooth. Stem none, or a finger’s length, 
round, Simple, fheathed, ftriated. Spike an inch long, 
flexuofe. Flowers alternate, Somewhat remote, whitilh, 
with the teeth black at the edge ; it varies with white and 
purple corollas, with a blackand purple edge, with alhorter 
and longer tube. It refembles M. Capenfe. The one- 
petalled corolla is not Sufficient to make this of a feparate 
genus, fince the proportion of the tube varies in this and 
M. Sibiritum, and it may eafdy be divided by a needle. 
Found at the Cape of Good Hope by Sparrmann, Thun¬ 
berg, and Mafl'on. Introduced by the latter in 1788. 
Propagation and Culture. 1,2, 3. Plant the roots in a 
border of light earth, not too dry. They will produce 
their flowers, but feldom increafe. 4, See. Plant the roots 
in a border, covered in winter with a garden-frame ; and 
treat them in the fame way as is directed for Ixia, vol. xi. 
p. 580. See alfo Garidella, vol. viii. p. 256. 
MELAN'THUS, Melan'tkes, or Melanth'ius, afon 
of Andropompus, whofe anceftors were kings of Pylos. 
He was driven from his paternal kingdom by the Hera- 
clidse, and came to Athens, where king Thymcetes re¬ 
signed the crown to him, provided he fought a Single com¬ 
bat againft Xanthus, a general of the Boeotians, who made 
war again!!: him. He fought, and conquered, but it was 
by fraud; for, when they began the engagement, Melan- 
thus exclaimed that his antagonift had tome perfon be¬ 
hind him to Support him, upon which Xanthus looked 
back, and was killed by Melanthus. Melanthus and his 
family, fiirnamedthe Neleidce, fat on the throne of Athens 
till the age of Codrus. He Succeeded to the crown 1128 
years B. C. and reigned tnirty-feven years. 
MELAPA'RA, a town of Bengal: ten miles eaft- 
north-eaft of Dacca. 
ME'LAS, in ancient geography, the name of Several 
rivers : e. g. a river of the Peloponnefus, in Achaia ; a river 
of Bceotia, which had its Source Seven ftadia from Orcho- 
raene, and discharged itfelf into the lake Cephifus ; a river 
of Theilaly, near Heraclea ; a river of Mygdonia ; a river 
of Thrace; a river of ASia, whole Source was near the 
town of Caefarea ad Argteum ; a river of ASia, in Pam- 
phylia ; a river of ASia, in Armenia Minor. 
MELAS'MA, f. in botany. See Gerardja nigrina, 
vol. viii. p. 458. 
MELASPH-fER'ULA, f. in botany. See Gladiolus, 
gramineus, vol. viii. 
MELAS'SES. See Molasses. 
MELAS'SO, a town of ASiatic Turkey, in Natolia. It 
W'as anciently called Mylafa, or Mylaffa, and belonged to 
Caria. It is Situated on a fertile plain near a mountain ; 
abounding in fine white marble. Here was a temple de¬ 
dicated to Auguftus Caifar, and the goddefs Rome, which 
was Handing not many years Since ; it had fix columns in 
front, and the whole number was twenty-two. This city 
was lo adorned with public buildings, efpecially temples, 
that a certain mulician entering the agora, or market¬ 
place, as if to make proclamation, ufed the words Axs/I e 
va.cn, Hear ye temples ; inftead of Axaele Xaoi, Hear ye peo¬ 
ple. Under the Romans it was a free city. It is at this 
time a large place ; the houfes are numerous, but mean. 
The air is accounted bad ; and Scorpions are Said to abound. 
It is eighty miles South of Smyrna. Lat. 37. 10. N. Ion. 
27. 40. E. 
MELAS'TOMA, J. [So named by Burman from psTia;, 
black, and aropet, Gr. a mouth ; becaule the pulp blackens 
children’s mouths in eating the fruit.] American Goose¬ 
berry ; in botany, a genus of the clafs decandria, order 
rnonogynia, natural order of calycanthemte, (mel&ftomas, 
Juff.) Generic characters—Calyx: perianthium one-leaf- 
ed, bell-lhaped, ventricofe at the bafe, four or five cleft, 
permanent. Corolla: petals.four or five, roundilh, in¬ 
serted into the throat.of the calyx. Stamina: filament* 
4 
M E L 
eight or ten, inferted into the calyx, fhort; anthers: long, 
Somewhat curved, upright, one-celled, gaping at top with 
an oblique hole ; fcalelets two, very Small, diverging, an¬ 
nexed to each filament below the anthera, the rudiment of 
another cell. Pillillum : gerrnen roundilh, in the belly 
of the calyx; ftyle filiform, ftraight; ftigma blunt or 
headed. Pericarpium : berry two, three, four, or five, 
celled, wrapped up in the calyx, roundilh, crowned with 
a cylindric rim. Seeds: very many, neftling. —Effential 
CharaRer. Calyx five-cleft,' bell-fnaped ; petals five, in¬ 
ferted into the calyx ; berry five-celled, v/rapped up in the 
calyx; (capfuie with a Soft pulp, five-celled, opening in 
five parts at top. Gartner. ) 
General Defcription. Thefe are trees or Ihrubs. Leaves 
oppofite, ftrongly nerved at the back. Flowers oppofitely 
corymbed, panicled or Spiked; axillary and terminating, 
Sometimes four-petalled and eight-ftamened, with a four- 
cellecl fruit. Species 53 and 67 have twelve ftamens. 
Calyx in moll of the Species contracted above the fruit, 
and prominent beyond it; in Some, equal to the truncated 
fruit, and not contrasted. The petals in Some are ap~ 
pendicled on one fide. Germ, according to Linnams, 
wrapped up in the calyx ; according to Jacquin Subinfe¬ 
rior ; to Gaertner, Superior; or as Aublet Says, Sometimes 
inferior, Sometimes Superior. Aublet mentions Some with 
a three-celled, others with a two-celled, fruit; Some with 
a capfular fruit divifible into valves, Some with a calyx 
two-brafted on the outiide, Some with an herbaceous Stem 
more allied to Rhexia, one with five barren ftamens, one 
with a ten-toothed calyx. Linnaeus has only fifteen fpe- 
cies ; but the genus has now been augmented So much 
by modern discoveries, that it requires farther examina¬ 
tion, and perhaps to be diftinguilhed into Several genera. 
Fothergilla of Aublet belongs to this genus. Melaftoma 
is diftinguilhed from Rhexia principally by the fruit, 
which in the former is a berry, in the latter a capfuie. 
Thefe trees are remarkable for the tranfcendent beauty of 
their foliage. They are chiefly natives of the Weft Indies; 
Some few of the Eaft Indies. 
I. Species from Linnaeus, 
1. Melaftoma acinodendron: leaves toothletted, with 
three nerves or thereabouts, ovate, acute. This becomes 
a large tree, Having many crooked branches, covered with 
a brown bark. Leaves Smooth, entire, above five inches 
long, and two broad in the middle, with three deep veins 
running through them ; both Sides are of a light green, 
the edges are lharpiy indented, and they end in acute 
points. The fruit grows in loofe fpikes at the end of the 
branches, is thinly placed in the Spikes, and of a violet 
colour. Native of South America. 
2. Melaftoma grofTulariodes : leaves toothletted, triple- 
nerved, ovate acuminate. This was found in Surinam by 
Bartfch. 
3. Melaftoma ScabroSa: leaves triple-nerved, toothletted, 
ovate, rugged, hirfute ; flowers axillary, aggregate, feffile, 
eight-ftamened. Stem flirubby, Scarcely a fathom in height, 
branched, hirfute. Flowers axillary, very much oluftered, 
fefiile, extremely minute, whitifh red, eight-ftamened. 
Native of the cooler mountains of Jamaica; flowering in 
November and December. 
4. Melaftoma hirta: leaves toothletted, five -neryed, 
ovate-lanceolate; ftern hifpid. Stem Ihrubhy, a fathom 
in height. Native of the woody mountains of Jamaica, 
flowering in fpring and autumn. 
5. Melaftoma.fragilis : leaves ferrate, five-nerved, net¬ 
ted ; racemes with leilile flowers, all directed one way. 
This is a ftiffifh Shrub. -Found at Surinam by Daiberg; 
probably alio native of Mexico and Brafil. 
6 . Melaftoma alpe.ra : leaves quite entire, three- nerved, 
lanceolate, rugged. Native of the Eaft Indies.' 
7. Melaftoma holofericea: leaves entire, three-nerved, 
fefiile, ovate-acute, villofe-filky; racemes brachiate; 
branches tw o-parted ; Stem'acutely quadrangular. Native 
of Jamaica and Brafil. 
g. Me- 
