54 M E L 
acute fegments; and between them runs a leafy jagged 
border or wing along the upper fide of the midrib, fo as 
to cor.neCt the leaflets at the bafe ; they are of a grey co¬ 
lour. See Botany Plate VI. fig. 20. Spikes pretty long, 
fpringing from between the leaves towards the top of the 
ftalks. Corolla brown or chocolate colour. Linnaeus re¬ 
marks, that, if this plant be Ihaken whilft it is in flower, it 
diftilse fhower of neCtar. He alfo informs us that it was 
fent from the Cape of Good HopetoThomas Bartholinus 
in Holland, by Hermann, in the year 1672. It was intro¬ 
duced into England in 1690, by Mr. Bentick. 
2. Melianthus minor, or frnall honey-flower: ftipules 
in pairs, diftinCt-racemes axillary, elongated ; flowers in 
whorls; brattes linear, elongated. This rifes with round, 
loft, woody, ftalks, fending out two or three branches 
from the fide. Leaves not half fo large as thofe of the 
preceding, deep green on the upper, and whitiffi on the 
tinder, fide. The flowers come out from the fide of the 
ftalks in loofe hanging panicles, each fuftaining fix or 
eight flowers, fmaller than thofe of the firft fort: the lower 
part of the petals is green, the upper faffron-colour, and on 
the outfide, in the fwelling part of the petals, is a bluffi of fine 
red. Mr. Curtis remarks, that the ftem, which is fhrubby, 
and from three to five feet high, during the flowering fealon 
is apt to exhibit anaked appearance,having then fewer leaves 
on it, and thofe not of their full fize ; that the foliage has an 
unpleafant fmell; and that the liquor does not flow fo co- 
pioufly as in the large fort, but is retained at the bottom 
of the corolla. Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 
3. Melianthus comofus, or tufted honey-flower: fti¬ 
pules diftinft; racemes infrafoliaceous ; flowers alternate; 
bradtes cordate; leaves villofe above. Stem upright, 
branched, four feet high, round. Leaves pinnate, con¬ 
fining of about five pairs of linear, deeply-toothed, foft 
leaflets with an odd one, hoary underneath. Flowers in 
pendent clufters, on lhort ftalks, of a yellow colour. Na¬ 
tive of the Cape. 
Propagation and Culture. Thefe plants may be increafed 
by fuckers from the roots and cuttings of the young ftalks 
or branches. The firft fort is, however, belt raifed by 
planting the fuckers, or fide-flioots, any time in the fpring 
or fummer, choofing fuch as are furniftied with root-fibres, 
in pots, or the places where they are to remain ; which, 
after they are planted and have taken root, require little 
further care, but to keep them clean from weeds. The 
cuttings may be planted duringany of thefummermonths, 
due water and fliade being given. When they have taken 
root, they fhould be planted out where they are to remain, 
or in feparate pots, to be managed as green-houfe plants. 
But the fecond fort is raifed with more difficulty, and 
chiefly from cuttings, which ffiould be planted upon an 
old hot-bed, the heat of which is over, and covered clofe 
■with belt or hand glaffes to exclude the air. When they 
have taken root, they may be planted out in pots, and 
-flickered in the winter under a frame for a year or two, 
till they are become ftrong, after which they may be fet 
out in a warm border, and be managed in the fame 
manner as the firft fort. They fucceed belt in a dry foil 
and warm fituation; but fome plants fhould always be 
kept in pots, and treated as green-houfe plants, left thofe 
in the open ground be deftroyed by fevere frofts. All the 
fpecies afford ornament and variety in the borders and 
clumps, as well as among other plants in green-houfe 
collections. 
MELIAPOU'R, a town of Hindooftan, now called St. 
Thomas’s. 
MELIBO'CHI, or Melibochus, in ancient geogra¬ 
phy, the name of a mountain in Germany. Near which 
Crodo, the Saturn of the Latins, together with Ifis, was 
worfhipped. It feems to be a variation of the ancient 
terms Melecli Boclms, “ the Lord Bochus.” Bacchus was 
often miftaken for Dionufius, and in many countries called 
Bochus and Bocchus; as in Mauritania and Numidia. 
Bryant. 
MELIBCE'A, in ancient geography, an ifland of Syria, 
MEL 
at the mouth of the Orontes; which, before it falls into 
the fea, forms a fpreading lake round it. This ifland 
was famous for its purple dye. Thought to be a colony 
of Theffalians ; and hence Lucretius’s epithet, Thejalicus . 
MELIBCE'A, a town of Greece, in the part of Theffaly 
called Magnefia, about the precife fituation of which au¬ 
thors differ. Strabo places it in a gulf, on the eaftem 
coaft, between Mount Offa and Mount Pelion. The epi¬ 
thet Melibceus is applied by Virgil to PhiloCtetes, becaufe 
he reigned there. JEn. iii. v. 
MELIBCE'US, the name of a fliepherd introduced in 
Virgil’s Eclogues. 
MELIBCE'US MON'S, a mountain of Germany, which, 
according to Caefar, (Bell. Gall. 1 . vi.) formed a feparation 
between the Cherufci and Suevi. It was part of thofe 
mountains which covered the foreft Bacenis.—A moun¬ 
tain of Italy. 
ME'LIC-GRASS. _ See Melica. 
MEL'ICA, f. [derivation uncertain.^ Melic or Rope 
Grass ; a genus of the clafs triandria, order digynia, na¬ 
tural order of gramina, graffes. Generic characters—Ca¬ 
lyx : glume two-flowered, two-valved ; valves ovate, con¬ 
cave, nearly equal. Corolla : two-valved ; valves ovate, 
awnlefs ; one concave, the other flat and fmaller ; a cor- 
pufcule between the florets, turbinate, pedicelled; nec- 
tary one-leafed, horizontal, furrounding the germ, flefhy. 
Stamina : filaments three, capillary, thickened at the bafe, 
connate, the length of the flower ; antherse oblong, forked 
at each end. Piftillum : germ obovate, turbinate ; ftylea 
two, briftle-fliaped, fpreading, naked at the bafe ; ftigmas 
oblong, feathered. Pericarpium : none ; corolla inclofing 
and dropping the feed. Seed : Angle, ovate, grooved on. 
one fide.— Ejjentiul Character. Calyx two-valved, two- 
flowered ; with the rudiment of one or two florets that 
are abortive, between the two others. There are feventeen 
fpecies. 
1. Melica ciliata, or fringed melic-grafs: the outer petal 
of the lower floret ci'iate. Root perennial. Culms fe- 
veral, upright, from two to three feet high, round, fmooth, 
with feven fmooth purple joints. Leaves lanceolate, 
mucronate, flat, from three to nine inches long, one or 
two lines wide, fmooth underneath, flightly pubefeent 
above, fomewhat rugged downwards. A white nerve runs 
along the back. Ligule white, cloven. Sheaths ftriated, 
the lower a little pubefeent and rugged, the upper ones 
fmooth. Panicle ereft, cylindric, fpiked, round, from 
two to three inches long, four lines wide, when young ap¬ 
pearing to be fmooth, but becoming feathered by age. 
Branches two or one, fpringing from the fcape, fome¬ 
what rigid, and divided from the very bafe into fmaller 
and even very frnall branches ; the final peduncles, on 
which the flowers are placed either fingly or in bundles, 
are very fhort. Spikelets lanceolate, mucronate, ftriated, 
two-flowered, green, white, and purple, fhining, com- 
prefled a little, near three lines long, doled, fcarcely one 
line wide. Larger glume of the calyx longer than the co¬ 
rolla, lanceolate, mucronate; outer valve of the corolla, 
in the larger feffile floret adorned with white feathers 
Handing out, but in the fmaller pedicelled floret fmooth ; 
both are awnlefs ; antherse white ; ftigmas white,feathered. 
The fcape is entirely covered with the fpikelets. Native 
of the North of Europe; introduced, in 1771, by Monk 
Richard. It flowers in July. 
2. Melica gigantea, or gigantic melic-grafs: corollas 
hirlute, awned ; panicle whorled ; culm upright. Native 
of the Cape of Good Hope. 
3. Melica geniculata, or jointed melic-grafs: corollas 
rough-liaired; panicle contracted; culm decumbent. 
This is alfo a native of the Cape. In the Supplement of 
the younger Linnaeus, it is named Aira Capenfis. 
4.. Melica decumbens, or proftrate melic-grafs : corollas 
liirfute; flowers racemed, nodding; culm decumbent. 5. 
Melica racemofa, or racemed melic-grals : corollas rough¬ 
haired; racemes drooping; culm ereCt. Both natives of 
the Cape of Good Hope. 
4 
6. Melica 
