M Y R M Y R 4o5 
clida; who reigned in Lydia. Ke is .alfo called Cundaules. 
See Gyges, vol. ix. p. 135. 
MYR'SINE, f. [the Greek word which properly be¬ 
longs to the myrtle, Myrtus ; but, being unoccupied, 
Linnaeus referred it to this African fhrub, which is of a 
limilar habit.] African Box-tree ; in botany, a genus 
of the clafs pentandria, order monogynia, (polygamia, 
dioecia, Brown,) natural order bicornes, Linn, (fapotis, 
Juff. ophiofperma, Vent. myriinece, Brown.) Generic Cha¬ 
racters—Calyx: perianthium five-parted, fmall; leaflets 
fubovate, permament. Corolla : one-petalled, half-five- 
cleft ; fegments half-ovate, converging, blunt. Stamina: 
filaments five, fcarcely vifible, inferted into the middle of 
the corolla; anthers awl-fhaped, ereCt, fhorter than the 
corolla. Piflillum: germen fubglobular, almoft filling the 
corolla; ftyle cylindric, longer than the corolla, perma¬ 
nent ; ftigma large, woolly, hanging on the outfide of 
the flower. Pericarpium : berry roundilh, deprefled, one- 
celled. Seed : one, fubglobular, (fixed obliquely to the 
bottom of the berry. Gartner.) The unripe berry has 
five feeds ; but when ripe it has only one.— JEjJential Cha¬ 
racter. Corolla half-five-cleft, converging ; germen fill¬ 
ing the corolla ; berry one-feeded, with a five-celled nu¬ 
cleus. There are fix fpecies. 
1. Myrfine Africana, African myrfine, or box : leaves 
elliptic, acute. Flowers axillary, in threes, on fliort pe¬ 
duncles ; corolla pale, rugged with teftaceous dots ; ci- 
liate, doled; ftamens oppofite to, not alternate with, the 
fegments of the corolla. Berry of the fame form and 
flrape with that of Uva urfi, blue: Gasrtner defcribes it 
as globular, deprefled, pulpy, very dark blue with a bloom 
on it, fmooth, one-celled. Rind, before it is fully ripe, 
fubcoriaceous, eal'y feparating from the inner flefhy lpongy 
fubftance, but afterwards very thin and cohering with the 
pulp. Seeds regularly five, placed round the receptacle 
in a ring, but only one, or at molt two, opening; that is, 
globular, deprefled, or hemifpherical, hollowed near the 
umbilicus, the reft fmooth, rufefcent, and very minutely 
dotted. Native of the Cape of Good Hope, from whence 
it was one of the firft plants introduced into the gardens 
of Europe. It is a hardy greenhoufe-flirub, flowering 
very plentifully from March to May. 
2. Myrfine retufa, round-leaved myrfine, or tamaja : 
leaves obovate, obtufe, emarginate-toothletted at top. 
Native of the Azores, where it was found by Mr. Francis 
Maffon. It was introduced in 1788 ; and flowers in June. 
Berries the fize of red currants, fpherical, rugged all over 
with fmall tubercles. Rind fubcoriaceous, not coloured, 
pale or inclined to ftraw-colour. In other refpeCis like the 
preceding; but every way fmaller. 
3. Myrfine variabilis,or variable-leaved myrfine: leaves 
obovate-oblong, entire, or toothed ; umbels axillary, fef- 
file ; anthers fertile ; flowers occafionally four-cleft. 
Gathered by the late Mr. David Burton, as well as by 
Mr. Brown, near Port Jackfon, New South Wales. A 
larger fhrub than the foregoing fpecies. Leaves near 
three inches long, bluntifh, with various fhallow teeth in 
their upper part; the bafe tapering and entire ; both fides 
are fmooth, and of a light green, reticulated with numer¬ 
ous veins. Footftalks thick, fmooth, angular, about three 
quarters of an inch long. Umbels of about eight or ten 
flowers ; their ftalks angular, one-third of an inch in 
length, rufty, like the calyx and corolla. The latter is 
very deeply divided,. The young fhoots and leaf-buds 
are clothed with ruli:y down. 
4. Myrfine craffifolia, or thick-leaved myrfine: flowers 
axillary, aggregate, nearly fertile ; leaves obovate, nearly 
entire. Gathered by Mr. Brown in the tropical part of 
New Holland. The leaves are two or two inches and a 
half long. The almolt-fertile flowers form a diftinguifh- 
ing character. 
5. Myrfine urceolata, or cup-flowered myrfine: leaves 
lanceolate-oblong, entire; umbels axillary, fertile; ftalks 
fmooth ; flowers four-cleft; corolla of the male pitcher- 
fhaped, longer than the ftamens.' Gathered by fir Jofeph 
Banks in the tropical part of New Holland. - 
6. Myrfine manglillo, or laurel-leaved myrfine : leaves 
elliptical, obtuie, entire; umbelsaxillary, fertile; ftalks 
fmooth ; antherae fertile. Found by Dombey in great 
plenty about Lima in Peru, growing near rivulets, and 
flowering in May. It has the afpeCt of the cherry-laurel, 
and rifes to the height of twelve feet. Leaves three or 
four inches long, on fliort thick ftalks, exactly elliptical, 
quite entire, evergreen, fmooth. Flowers about fix in 
each umbel, five-cleft, fmooth in all their parts. This 
fhrub is taken at Lima for the Paraguay-tea, which its 
leaves refemble, but the feeds are very different. Dom¬ 
bey named it Dichamelia, unconfcious, probably, that 
Hamellia was already confecrated to the memory of the 
great French phyfiologift of vegetables. 
Propagation and Ctilture. The firft fpecies may be in- 
creafed by lowing the feeds in fpring on a hot-bed ; and, 
when the plants are fit to tranfplant, planting them out 
fingly into fmall pots of good mold, due fhade and water 
being given ; and in the autumn they may be removed 
into the green-houfe for protection during the winter- 
feafon. They may alfo be railed by planting cuttings of 
the young fhoots in pots in fuminer, due (hade and water 
being given. They afterwards require the management 
of other green-houfe plants. They afford variety among 
collections of plants of the green-houfe kind. 
MYRSINI'TES, J. in botany. See Euphorbia. 
MYR'THE, a town of Hindooftan, which, in the year 
1399, was taken and deftroyed by Timur Bee. The men 
were flayed alive, and the women and children fold for 
Haves. It is 120 miles eaft of Delhi. 
MYR'TI AFFI'NIS. See Liquidambar. 
MYRTIDA'NON, f. A word ufed by the old Greek 
writers on medicine, but in a different fenfe by different 
authors. Hippocrates calls it a round fruit, which the 
Perfians in his time called pepper, and which probably 
had all the heating qualities of that fruit. Diofcorides 
exprefies by it an excrefcence common on the trunk of 
the myrtle, and which, as he obferves, is more aftringent 
than the myrtle itfelf. Myrtidanum vinum alfo fignihed 
wine impregnated with myrtle. 
MYRTIFO'LIA, J. in botany. See Celastrus. 
MYRTIFO'LIO. See Myrtus. 
MYR'TIFORM, adj. Having the lhape of myrtle.. 
MYR'TILIS, in ancient geography, a town of Spain,, 
in Lufitania, fituated on the right of the Anas, fouth-eaft 
of Pax Julia ; called alfo “ Julia Myrtilis.” Now Meriola. 
MYRTIL'LUS, J'. in botany, a name applied to the 
whortle-berry, Vaccinium, on account of the refemblance 
of its round bluifh-purple berries to thofe of the myrtle. 
It is ftill retained as the fpecific appellation of our bil¬ 
berry, Vaccinium myrtillus, to whofe fruit the above 
comparifon is moll applicable. See Vaccinium. 
MYR'TILUS, in fabulous hiftory, a fon of Mercury 
and Phaetufa, orCleobule, armriiearer to CEnomaus king 
of Pifa. He was fo experienced in riding and in the ma¬ 
nagement of horfes, that he rendered thofe of CEnomaus 
the fwifteft in all Greece. His infidelity proved at laft 
fatal to him. CEnomaus had been informed, by an oracle, 
that his daughter Hippodamia’s hufband fliould caufe - 
his death, and on that account he refolved to marry her 
only to him who fliould overcome him in a chariot-race. 
This feemed totally importible 5 and to render it more ter¬ 
rible, CEnomaus declared that death would be the confe- 
quence of a defeat in the fuitors. The charms of Hip- 
podamia were fo great, that many facrificed their life in 
the fruitlefs endeavour to obtain her hand. Pelops, at 
laft, prelented himfelf, undaunted at the fate of thofo 
who had gone before him.; but before he entered the 
courfe he bribed Mvrtilus, and allured him that he ftiould, 
fhare Hippod-.mia’s-favours if he returned victorious from, 
the race. Myrtilus, who was enamoured of Hippodaraia, 
gave an old chariot to CEnomaus, which broke in the 
eon tie. 
