66 M E L 
fhrub, little branched, only three feet high in open rocky 
fituations, but feven feet high in woods. Common pe¬ 
duncles folitary, fuftaining in an umbel at top about five 
flowers with roi’e-coloured corollas. According to Swartz, 
it is.eafily known from the preceding, by its being a fhrub 
often a fathom in height, with rod-like branches, having 
a brown bark ; leaves foft, crenate, plaited, tomentofe ; 
peduncles umbelled, many-flowered ; flowers larger, pur¬ 
ple. Browne fays, that the leaves are whitilh, and the 
flowers of a light flefh-co'our. Native of Jamaica, 
Martinico, St. Martin’s, and other i’flands of the Weft 
Indies. 
3. Melochia crenata, or notch-leaved melochia: leaves 
roundifh, crenate^ tomentofe, marked with lines ; nmbels 
axillary and terminating, peduncled. This is a fhrub with 
a purpiifh bark, and alternate, villofe-tomentofe, hoary, 
branches. Leaves diftant, fcarcely an inch long or fmaller; 
the younger ones tomentofe on both iides, foft, hoary, 
plaited; when older fmoother above and marked with lines. 
Native of South America, where it was obferved by Von 
Rohr. 
4. Melochia deprefla, or flat-fruited melochia : flowers 
folitary; capfules depreffed, five-cornered ; angles blunt, 
ciliate. This riles with a Ihrubby ftalk five or fix feet high. 
Leaves angular, refembling thofe of the currant-bulh. 
Flowers produced lingly from the fide of the ftalk ; they 
are of a flefti-coiour, and in lhape like thole of the fmall 
flowering mallow: capfules five-cornered, rough, in- 
clofing five mallow-fliaped feeds. Browne fays, it rifes 
only to the height of two or three feet, throwing out a 
few flender flexile branches on all Tides. The leaves fpread 
themfelves every day about noon, to receive the heat of 
the fun more freely; but, as the air grows cooler, they ge¬ 
nerally rife upright, and ftand almoft parallel to the Item 
or branches ; this mechanifm of the leaves is greatly for¬ 
warded by the knee in the footftalk of each. It is found 
in many parts of Jamaica ; and, according to Miller, was 
difcovered at the Havannah by Dr. Houftoun. 
5. Melochia venofa, or veiny-leaved melochia : pedun¬ 
cles diftinCt, terminating, many-flowered ; leaves ovate, 
ferrate, veined, tomentofe, underneath ; Item hairy. Stem 
wood}', four feet high, covered with brown hairs', and 
fending out a few long flender branches, on the lower 
parts of which are leaves an inch and a half long and three 
quarters of an inch broad, flightly ferrate, and having 
many longitudinal veins ; the upper parts have ho leaves 
for more than a foot in length, and from their Tides come 
out peduncles two inches long, fuftaining fevefal fmall 
yellow flowers in clufters, having hairy calyxes, cut at the 
top into feveral acute fegments. Found in South Ame¬ 
rica by Dr. Houftoun, and in Jamaica by Swartz. 
6. Melochia concatenata : racemes cluftered, terminat¬ 
ing ; capfule globular, fefiile. This is a perennial upright 
fmcoth plant, with ftiff branches. Native of the Ealt 
Indies. 
7. Melochia nodiflora: flowers conglobate, axillary; 
capfules globular; leaves ovate, acuminate, fmooth. This 
is a ftirub, with round alternate fmooth purple branches, 
a little fiexuofe. Leaves two inches long and more, 
fmooth on both fides, nerve-veined above, with the veins 
purpiifh underneath, ferrate, acute. Native of Jamaica 
and other iflands of the Weft Indies. 
8. Melochia lupulina : racemes cluftered, axillary; ca¬ 
lyxes inflated, membranaceous; leaves ovate-cordate, gafh- 
ferrate, tomentofe, underneath. Native of Jamaica, where 
it was found by Swartz. 
9. Melochia corchorifolia, or red melochia : flowers in 
fefiile heads ; capfules roundifh ; leaves i’ubcordate, lub- 
lobate. This is an annual plant, hardifh and diffufed, with 
rugged rod-like branches. Flowers terminating ; corollas 
pale purple, with a yellow bottom. Native of the Eaft 
Indies; cultivated in 1732 by James Sherard,.M. D. from 
feeds lent over by Jo. Phil. Breynius. 
10. MelochiaTupina, or proftrate melochia : flowers in 
Reads j leaves ovate, ferrate j Items procumbent. This is 
MEL 
an annual plant, with trailing ftalks, and fmall betony- 
fhaped leaves. The flowers and fruit are produced in 
clufters at the ends of the branches. Native of the Eaft: 
Indies. 
11. Melochia odorata, or fweet-fcented melochia : pa¬ 
nicles peduncled, compound ; leaves ovate, fubcordate, 
lublobate, biferrate, fmooth. Linn. Cymes corymbed, ax¬ 
illary ; leaves cordate, acuminate, ferrate. FurJ't. This is 
fmooth. The leaves referable thofe of the ninth fort, but 
are much larger. Flowers large. Native of the iflands of 
TannaandTongatabooin the South Seas. Wifenia Indica 
of Gmelin, and Vifenia umbellata of Houttuyn, is the 
fame as this. 
Propagation and Culture. Sow the feeds on a hot-bed, 
and when the plants come up treat them in the fame man¬ 
ner as is directed for Sida. The Ihrubby forts may with 
care be preferved through the winter in a ftove, whereby 
good feeds may be obtained ; for they feldom ripen their 
feeds well the firft year, unlcfs the plants are brought for¬ 
ward early in the fpring, and the fummer proves warm. 
The other forts generally ripen their feeds the fame year 
they are fown. See Waltheria. 
MELOCOT'ON, f. [1 nelocotone, Span, malum cotoneum, 
Lat.] A quince. OhJ'olete. —In apricots, peaches, or melo- 
cotones upon a wall, the greateft fruits are towards the 
bottom. Bacon. 
MELOD'INUS, f. [fo named by Forfter, from the 
Gr. an apple, and to turn round ; this plant bearing- 
a round fruit like an apple, and having a twining item by 
which it climbs trees.] In botany, a genus of the clafs- 
pentandria, order digynia, natural order of contort®, 
(apocineas, Juff.) Generic characters—Calyx: perian- 
thjum one-leafed, five-parted, permanent; leaflets ovate, 
lying over each other at the edge. Corolla : one-petalled, 
falver-fliaped; tube cylindrical, three times as long as the 
calyx; border five parted, flat; fegments fickle-lliaped, 
crenulate, twilled to the right, Ihorter than the tube ; nec¬ 
tary in the mouth of the tube, ftellatc ; fegments five, 
cloven, lacerated. Stamina : filaments five, awl-fliaped, 
very lhort, in the middle of the tube ; anther® ovate. 
Piftillum : germen globular, fuperior; ftyle round, the 
length of the calyx, bipartile ; ftignia conical, acute. Pe- 
ricarpium : berry flelhy, globular, many-feeded ; with a 
flelhy partition. Seeds : numerous, ovate-roundilh, flatted 
a little, neftling.-— Effential Character. CoroRa contorted ; 
neftary in the middle of the tube, ftellate; berry two- 
celled, many-feeded. 
Melodinus feandens, or climbing melcdinus; the only 
fpecies. Gathered in New Caledonia by Forfter, Sept. 13, 
1774, and lent to Kew Garden. It is kept in the ftove, 
but does not appear to have flowered. The Item is Ihrubby, 
climbing, with round fmooth leafy branches. Leaves op- 
poflte, ovate-oblong, with a blunt point, entire, three or 
four inches long, thick-edged, fmooth and Ihining, with 
one rib, and numerous fine reticulated veins; paler be¬ 
neath. Flowers terminal, numerous, in a der.fe downy 
panicle, with oppolite ftalks, and fmall ovate braCtes. Co¬ 
rolla externally downy, about half an inch long. Fruit 
the fize of a fmall orange. The habit of this plant, and 
form of the flowers, are much like Rauyvolfia ; but the 
numerous feeds afford a fufficient mark of diftinCtion. 
MELO'DIOUS, adj. [from melody.'] Mufical, harmo¬ 
nious : 
Fountains! and ye that warble as you flow. 
Melodious murmurs ; warbling tune his praife. Milton. 
MELO'DIOLSLY, adv. Mufically; harmonioufly. 
MELO DIOUSNESS, j. Harmonioufnefs; muficalnefs. 
MELODO RUM, / [fo named by Loureiro, from met, 
honey, and odorunt, fragrant, on account of the remarka¬ 
ble fweetnefs and fragrance of the fruit.] In botany, a 
genus of the ciafs poiyandria, order polygynia, natural 
order eoadunatse, Linn, (anon®, Ju[j.) Generic characters 
—Caiyx: perianthium inferior, of three lhort, acute, 
fpreacling, permanent, leaves. Corolla: petals fix, trian¬ 
gular, 
