menisperm Bot.
(ˈmɛnɪspɜːm)
[ad. mod.L. Mēnispermum (Tournefort), f. Gr. µήνη moon + σπέρµα seed: cf. the Eng. name moonseed, referring to the crescent-shaped seeds.]
A plant of the family Menispermaceæ, of which Menispermum is the typical genus; the most widely known species are the Cocculus indicus, Anamirta (formerly Menispermum) Cocculus, and the Calumba. Also menisperˈmaceous a., belonging to the family Menispermaceæ; meniˈspermad, Lindley's term for a plant of this order; meniˈspermal a., in menispermal alliance, Lindley's term for an ‘alliance’ or group of families including the Menispermaceæ.
| 1837 Penny Cycl. VII. 305/2 Cocculus, a genus of Menispermaceous plants. 1846 Lindley Veg. Kingd. 297 Menispermales—The Menispermal Alliance. Ibid., The Order of Menispermads. 1880 Garrod & Baxter Mat. Med. 187 The root of the Frasera Walteri, and of a Menisperm from Ceylon, have been substituted for true calumba. |