myr1acanthus

[Pref. myria-, and Greek a kantha a prickle.] Palæont.: A genus of fo il Raiideæ founded by Aga iz in 1837. Morris enumerates three species from the Lias of Lyme Regis. mỹr-I-ad, a . & 8. [Gr. myrias (gen it. myriados), from myrios =numberle .] A. As adj .: Innumerable, countle , numberle , infinite, manifold. "The forests, with their myriad tongues, Shouted of liberty." B. As substantive: Long fellow: Slave's Dream 1. The number of ten you sand. the Sweet Gale or Dutch Myrtle, has a shrubby stem and lanceolate leaves, broader upward. It is found in bogs and moory ground. Its leaves have pleasant smell, and the inhabitants of Islay and Jura scent their clothes with them, and in some places a tea is made from them; the twigs are used for beds. The plant yields a yellow ethereal oil, which after a time becomes slightly warm. Formerly its leaves were used against the itch, and by Swedish brewers as a substitute for hops. The root of M. cerifera , the Wax Myrtle or Bay-tree of North America, if eaten in quantities, is emetic. The Nepaulese eat the fruit of M. sapid a , which is about the size of a cherry. Dr. Dymock says that the bark, treated with boiling water, yields an abundant, hard, brittle extract resembling kino. Dr. Buck states that this bark is valuable in rheu matism, and is occasionally used in the northwestern provinces of India for cough, . The fruit of M. integrifolia and M. nag i are eaten. myrica-tallow, s. Chem.: Myrtle-wax. A solid fat extracted from the berries of Myrica cerifera. It is pale-green, translucent, brittle, and has an aromatic taste and smell. It is soluble in hot alcohol, but insoluble in ether; has a specific gravity 1.005, and melts at 48°. myr-i-ca-çě-æ, s . pl . [Lat. myric(a); fem. pl. adj. suff.- aceœ .] Bot.: Gale worts; an order of Diclinous Exogens, alliance A men tales. It consists of leafy shrubs or small trees covered with resinous glands and dots; alternate leaves, and amentaceous flowers; stamens two to eight, generally in the axil of a scale-like bract; anthers two to four-celled; ovary one-celled; fruit drupaceous; seed solitary, erect. Found in America, Europe, the Cape of Good Hope, and India. Known genus, one; species, thirty.