MELOCACTUS  , the genus of See also:

• MELON (Late Lat. melo, shortened form of Gr. p XoaEawv, a kind of gourd; µijXov, apple, and a- brow, ripe)

melon-See also:

• THISTLE

thistle or Turk's-cap cactuses, contains, according to a See also:

• RECENT

recent estimate, about 90 See also:

• SPECIES

species, which inhabit chiefly the See also:

• WEST
• WEST, BENJAMIN (1738-1820)
• WEST, NICHOLAS (1461-1533)

West Indies, See also:

• MEXICO
• MEXICO (Span. Mejico, or Mexico,)
• MEXICO, FEDERAL DISTRICT OF
• MEXICO, GULF OF

Mexico and See also:

• BRAZIL
• BRAZIL, or BRASIL

Brazil, a few extending into New See also:

• GRANADA
• GRANADA, LUIS DE (1504-1588)

Granada . The typical species, M. communis, forms a succulent See also:

• MASS (O.E. maesse; Fr. messe; Ger. Messe; Ital. messa; from eccl. Lat. missa)
• MASS, IN

mass of roundish or ovate See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form, from t ft. to 2 ft. high, the See also:

• SURFACE

surface divided into numerous furrows like the ribs of a melon, with projecting angles, which are set with a See also:

• REGULAR

regular See also:

• SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of stellated spines—each bundle consisting of about five larger spines, accompanied by smaller but See also:

• SHARP, GRANVILLE (1735-1813)
• SHARP, JAMES (1618-1679)
• SHARP, JOHN (1645-1714)
• SHARP, RICHARD (1759-1835)
• SHARP, WILLIAM (1749-1824)
• SHARP, WILLIAM (1856-1905)

sharp bristles—and the tip of the plant being surmounted by a cylindrical See also:

• CROWN

crown 3 to 5 in. high, composed of reddish-See also:

• BROWN
• BROWN, CHARLES BROCKDEN (1771-181o)
• BROWN, FORD MADOX (1821-1893)
• BROWN, FRANCIS (1849- )
• BROWN, GEORGE (1818-188o)
• BROWN, HENRY KIRKE (1814-1886)
• BROWN, JACOB (1775–1828)
• BROWN, JOHN (1715–1766)
• BROWN, JOHN (1722-1787)
• BROWN, JOHN (1735–1788)
• BROWN, JOHN (1784–1858)
• BROWN, JOHN (1800-1859)
• BROWN, JOHN (1810—1882)
• BROWN, JOHN GEORGE (1831— )
• BROWN, ROBERT (1773-1858)
• BROWN, SAMUEL MORISON (1817—1856)
• BROWN, SIR GEORGE (1790-1865)
• BROWN, SIR JOHN (1816-1896)
• BROWN, SIR WILLIAM, BART
• BROWN, THOMAS (1663-1704)
• BROWN, THOMAS (1778-1820)
• BROWN, THOMAS EDWARD (1830-1897)
• BROWN, WILLIAM LAURENCE (1755–1830)

brown, See also:

• NEEDLE (O. Eng. ncedl; the word appears in various forms in Teutonic languages, Ger. Nadel, Dutch naal, the root being ne-, to sew, cf. Ger. nahen, and probably Lat. nere, to spin, Gr. vi)ats, spinning)

needle-like bristles, closely packed with cottony See also:

• WOOL, WORSTED AND WOOLLEN MANUFACTURES

wool . At the See also:

• SUMMIT

summit of this crown the small rosy-See also:

• PINK

pink See also:

• FLOWERS, ARTIFICIAL

flowers are produced, See also:

• HALF

half protruding from the mass of wool, and these are succeeded by small red berries . These See also:

• STRANGE, SIR ROBERT (1721-1792)

strange See also:

• PLANTS

plants usually grow in rocky places with little or no See also:

• EARTH
• EARTH (a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Erde, Dutch aarde, Swed. and Dan. jord; outside Teutonic it appears only in the Gr. 'pq'e, on the ground; it has been connected by some etymologists with the Aryan root ar-, to plough, which is seen in
• EARTH, FIGURE OF
• EARTH, FIGURE OF THE

earth to support them; and it is said that in times of drought the See also:

• CATTLE (Norman Fr. catel, from Late Lat. capitale, wealth or property, a word applied in the feudal system to movable property and particularly to live stock, and surviving in its wider meaning as " chattel " or " chattle ")

cattle resort to them to allay their thirst, first ripping them up with their horns and tearing off the See also:

• OUTER

outer skin, and then devouring the moist succulent parts . The See also:

• FRUIT (through the French from the Lat. fructus; frui, to enjoy)

fruit, which has an agreeably See also:

• ACID (from the Lat. root ac-, sharp; acere, to be sour)

acid flavour, is frequently eaten in the West Indies . The Melocacti are distinguished by the distinct cephalium or crown which bears the flowers .