muscle: General features of muscle and movement: …by means of rods called myonemes, which are capable of shortening rapidly.

neuromuscular junction, site of chemical communication between a nerve fibre and a muscle cell. The neuromuscular junction is analogous to the synapse between two neurons. A nerve fibre divides into many terminal branches; each terminal ends on a region of muscle fibre called the end plate.

p’ansori: P’ansori from the 17th through the 19th century: …on the work of several myŏngch’ang (“great singers”). During the early myŏngch’ang period, which spanned the first half of the 19th century, singers strove to expand the audience of p’ansori by employing vocal techniques and melodies that were intended to appeal to the upper classes. However, the melodic vocabulary of…

myopathy, any skeletal muscle disorder that directly affects the muscle fibres and does not arise secondarily from disorders of the nervous system. Myopathies are marked by muscular degeneration and weakness and may have a genetic or nongenetic basis. Heritable myopathies include the muscular

Myophoria, genus of extinct clams found as fossils in Triassic rocks. It is readily identified by its distinctive shell form and ornamentation, and thus it is a useful guide, or index, fossil for the Triassic Period (251 million to 200 million years ago). The shell in Myophoria is angular, with

McArdle disease: …which encodes an enzyme called myophosphorylase that specializes in the breakdown of glycogen specifically in muscle cells. Mutations in PYGM may be inherited from one or both parents, with full-blown disease arising from autosomal recessive inheritance (both parents passing mutations to offspring). When mutated, PYGM encodes a less functional form…

myopia, visual abnormality in which the resting eye focuses the image of a distant object at a point in front of the retina (the light-sensitive layer of tissue that lines the back and sides of the eye), resulting in a blurred image. Myopic eyes, which are usually longer than normal from front to

acouchy, (genus Myoprocta), either of two species of South American rodents that resemble the small tropical-forest-dwelling hoofed animals of Africa and Asia (see royal antelope; chevrotain). Weighing 1 to 1.5 kg (2.2 to 3.3 pounds), acouchys are 30 to 39 cm (12 to 15 inches) long, with a very

acouchy: The coarse fur of the red acouchy (Myoprocta acouchy) is dark chestnut red or orange on the sides of the body and legs and black or dark red on the rump; underparts range from dark red to orange. Upperparts of the green acouchy (M. pratti) are covered by grizzled fur,…

acouchy: Upperparts of the green acouchy (M. pratti) are covered by grizzled fur, each hair of which has several alternating black and yellow bands, giving the animal an overall green or olive-coloured appearance. Underparts are pale orange, sometimes with white patches.

cephalopod: Annotated classification: Suborder Myopsida Eye covered by transparent membrane; neritic, inshore animals. Suborder Oegopsida Eye open to water, completely surrounded by free eyelid; open-ocean animals living from the surface down to at least 3,000 m. Order Vampyromorpha Purplish-black

lemming: The wood lemming (Myopus schisticolor) and steppe lemming (Lagurus lagurus) are the smallest, measuring 8 to 12 cm (3.1 to 4.7 inches) in body length and weighing 20 to 30 grams (0.7 to 1.0 ounce). The other species are larger, weighing 30 to 112 grams, with…

Dead Souls, novel by Nikolay Gogol, published in Russian as Myortvye dushi in 1842. This picaresque work, considered one of the world’s finest satires, traces the adventures of the landless social-climbing Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, a dismissed civil servant out to seek his fortune. It is admired

sarcoma: (chondrosarcoma), muscle (myosarcoma), or blood vessels (angiosarcoma). The varieties overlap, and the name given to the sarcoma is taken from that of the most developed tissue contained within the tumour.

squirrel: General features: …equally long tail; but the African pygmy squirrel (Myosciurus pumilio) of the West African tropical forests is even smaller, at 13 to 20 grams, with a body length of 6 to 8 cm and a somewhat shorter tail.

Japan: Samurai groups and farming villages: …statuses among the peasantry, including myōshu, prominent farmers with taxable, named fields (myōden) of significant size and long standing; small cultivators with precarious and shifting tenures; and others who paid only labor services to the proprietor or jitō. These groups, while distinct from one another, were also quite separate from…

muscle: Myosin: The main constituent of the thick filaments is myosin. Each thick filament is composed of about 250 molecules of myosin. Myosin has two important roles: a structural one, as the building block for the thick filaments, and a functional one, as the catalyst of…

myositis, inflammation, and frequently infection, of muscle tissue; it may be caused by any of a number of bacteria, viruses, and parasites; in many cases it is of unknown origin. Most inflammatory muscle diseases are destructive to the tissue involved and to the surrounding areas. They may occur

myositis ossificans, disorder of unknown cause in which connective tissue and muscle are replaced by bone. In the more common local type (myositis ossificans circumscripta), only one area is affected; ossification is usually observed to follow injury to the part. In the rare progressive type

myositis ossificans: …more common local type (myositis ossificans circumscripta), only one area is affected; ossification is usually observed to follow injury to the part. In the rare progressive type (myositis ossificans progressiva), group after group of muscles become ossified, until the individual is completely rigid. Breathing and swallowing become difficult, and…

myositis ossificans: …the rare progressive type (myositis ossificans progressiva), group after group of muscles become ossified, until the individual is completely rigid. Breathing and swallowing become difficult, and fatal respiratory infections may occur. Steroid treatment of muscle injury and the use of medications to prevent calcification may slow the progression of…

forget-me-not, any of several dozen species of the plant genus Myosotis (family Boraginaceae), native to temperate Eurasia and North America and to mountains of the Old World tropics. Some are favoured as garden plants for their clusters of blue flowers. (For Chinese forget-me-not, see

forget-me-not: The water forget-me-not (M. scorpioides) is shorter and has weaker stems; it grows in marshlands but is otherwise similar. Both are perennial and occur in white- and pink-flowered forms as well as blue.

forget-me-not: The woods forget-me-not (M. sylvatica), like most other Myosotis, changes colour from pink to blue as the tubular, flaring, five-lobed flower matures. The water forget-me-not (M. scorpioides) is shorter and has weaker stems; it grows in marshlands but is otherwise similar. Both are perennial and occur…

zokor, (genus Myospalax), any of seven north Asian species of subterranean rodents. Zokors are molelike animals that have chunky cylindrical bodies with short powerful limbs. Their feet are large and robust, and the long front claws are self-sharpening and very strong. The tiny eyes are very

mousetail, any of about 15 species of small, annual, herbaceous (nonwoody) plants constituting the genus Myosurus of the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). They occur in the temperate zones of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Mousetails are so named for a long, slender column covered with

thugyi: …two local royal officials: the myothugyi, or township chief, most common in the south, and the thaikthugyi, or regional chief, exclusive to the north.

brown bat: …bats belonging to the genera Myotis (little brown bats) or Eptesicus (big brown bats). Both are vesper bats, and both are widely distributed, being found in almost all parts of the world. Both genera are insectivorous.

brown bat: …80 species, among them the little brown bat (M. lucifugus) of North America and the large mouse-eared bat (M. myotis) of Europe. Members of the genus are about 3.5–8 cm (about 1.4–3.1 inches) long without the 4–6-cm (1.6–2.4-inch) tail and weigh about 5–45 grams (0.2–1.6 ounces). Apart from humans, they…

large mouse-eared bat, species of brown bat

white nose syndrome: Future impacts and management: …bat (Myotis lucifugus), the endangered Indiana bat (M. sodalis), and the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus). The disease has since been detected in other species, several of which are endangered. However, more than 20 bat species found in the contiguous United States and Canada hibernate and, therefore, presumably are susceptible…

animal development: The body muscles and axial skeleton: …upper, dorsolateral part called the myotome remains compact, giving rise to the body muscles. The lower, medioventral part of the somite, called the sclerotome, breaks up into mesenchyme, which contributes to the axial skeleton of the embryo—that is, the vertebral column, ribs, and much of the skull. The parietal layer…

myotonia, any of several muscular disorders characterized by difficulty in relaxing voluntary muscles after contraction. All the muscles or only a few may be affected. These disorders are often inherited. Myotonia congenita and myotonic muscular dystrophy are usually caused by a mutation or other

myotonia: Myotonia congenita and myotonic muscular dystrophy are usually caused by a mutation or other abnormality in a gene known as CLCN1 (chloride channel 1, skeletal muscle). That gene normally produces a protein that controls chloride channels in skeletal muscle fibre cells. However,

myotonia: Myotonia congenita and myotonic muscular dystrophy are usually caused by a mutation or other abnormality in a gene known as CLCN1 (chloride channel 1, skeletal muscle). That gene normally produces a protein that controls chloride channels in skeletal muscle fibre cells. However, defects in CLCN1 disrupt ion flow,

myotonia: Myotonia congenita and myotonic muscular dystrophy are usually caused by a mutation or other abnormality in a gene known as CLCN1 (chloride channel 1, skeletal muscle). That gene normally produces a protein that controls chloride channels in skeletal muscle fibre cells. However, defects in CLCN1 disrupt ion flow,

dormouse, (family Myoxidae), any of 27 species of small-bodied Eurasian, Japanese, and African rodents. The largest, weighing up to 180 grams (6.3 ounces), is the fat, or edible, dormouse (Glis glis) of Europe and the Middle East, with a body up to 19 cm (7.5 inches) long and a shorter tail up to

sculpin: …Arctic, and North America; the longhorn sculpin (M. octodecemspinosus), a common North American species, variable in colour and with long cheek spines; and the sea raven, a North American fish distinctively adorned with fleshy tabs on its head and notable for its ability, like certain other sculpins, to inflate itself…

sculpin: …include such forms as: the bullrout, or shorthorn sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius), a large, mottled-brownish sculpin found in Europe, the Arctic, and North America; the longhorn sculpin (M. octodecemspinosus), a common North American species, variable in colour and with long cheek spines; and the sea raven, a North American fish distinctively…

food pyramid: Origins and evolution: …the USDA replaced MyPyramid with MyPlate, which displayed the basic food groups (fruits, grains, protein, and vegetables) as sections on a plate, with each section’s size representing the dietary proportions of each food group. MyPlate did not incorporate an exercise component, nor did it include a section for fats and…

human nutrition: Food guide pyramids and other aids: Different formats for dietary goals and guidelines have been developed over the years as educational tools, grouping foods of similar nutrient content together to help facilitate the selection of a balanced diet. In the United States, the four food-group…

Myra, one of the most important towns of ancient Lycia, located near the mouth of the Andriacus River on the Mediterranean Sea in southwest Turkey. Its early history is unknown. St. Paul is known to have visited the city, and in the 4th century St. Nicholas was its bishop. The Eastern Roman emperor

Mae West: …1960s, and she appeared in Myra Breckinridge (1970), an adaptation of a novel by Gore Vidal, and Sextette (1978), based on a play that she wrote. The title of her autobiography, Goodness Had Nothing to Do with It (1959), captured her style precisely—it was a retort one of her characters…

novel: Social and economic aspects: …to Brooklyn or Gore Vidal’s Myra Breckinridge can expect little objection, on the part of either publisher or police, to language or subject matter totally unacceptable, under the obscenity laws then operating, in 1922, when Ulysses was first published. This is certainly true of America, if not of Ireland or…

hydrocarbon: Natural occurrence: ) Myrcene and limonene, for example, are alkenes found in bayberry and lime oil, respectively. Oil of turpentine, obtained by distilling the exudate from pine trees, is a mixture of hydrocarbons rich in α-

jaboticaba: …related trees of the genus Myrciaria.

Alva Reimer Myrdal was a Swedish diplomat, government minister, author, and advocate of nuclear disarmament. She was the corecipient with Alfonso García Robles of Mexico of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1982. Alva Reimer married the Swedish economist Gunnar Myrdal in 1924. After a career as a

Gunnar Myrdal was a Swedish economist and sociologist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1974 (the co-winner was Friedrich A. Hayek). He was regarded as a major theorist of international relations and developmental economics. Myrdal was educated at Stockholm University, where he

Gunnar Myrdal was a Swedish economist and sociologist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1974 (the co-winner was Friedrich A. Hayek). He was regarded as a major theorist of international relations and developmental economics. Myrdal was educated at Stockholm University, where he

Mýrdalsjökull, glacier, southern Iceland. Together with its former western extension, Eyjafjallajökull (Eyjafjalla Glacier)—from which it is now separated by the small ice-free Fimmvörduháls Pass—Mýrdalsjökull is 30 miles (48 km) long and 20 miles (32 km) wide and covers an area of 268 square miles

Mýrdalsjökull, glacier, southern Iceland. Together with its former western extension, Eyjafjallajökull (Eyjafjalla Glacier)—from which it is now separated by the small ice-free Fimmvörduháls Pass—Mýrdalsjökull is 30 miles (48 km) long and 20 miles (32 km) wide and covers an area of 268 square miles

Celtic literature: The Middle Ages: …once existed a legend of Myrddin Wyllt, a wild man of the woods who went mad at the sight of a battle, a legend associated with Suibne Geilt in Ireland and with Lailoken in Scotland. This Myrddin (later better known as Merlin) had the gift of prophecy. The historical poet…

Jean d’Outremeuse: Ly Myreur des histors (“The Mirror of History”) is more ambitious, purporting to be a history of the world from the Flood up to the 14th century.

Oklahoma City: The contemporary city: Myriad Botanical Gardens (1988), a 17-acre (7-hectare) recreational park located downtown, has gardens, an amphitheatre, and the seven-story Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory. Other attractions include the Oklahoma City Zoo; the Harn Homestead, preserving an 1889 claim; the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame; and the Oklahoma…

ancient Greek civilization: The effect of the Persian Wars on philosophy: …city of 10,000 souls, a myriandros polis, was the ideal size. That was the number of colonists allegedly sent out to Heraclea in Trachis by the Spartans, and the concept of the myriandros polis was to be very influential in the 4th century and Hellenistic period.

fungus: Annotated classification: Order Myriangiales Parasitic on fungi and insects, epiphytic on leaves and stems; found mostly in tropical or subtropical regions; ascocarp present; asci borne singly in locules arranged at various levels in a globose stroma; included in subclass Dothideomycetidae; example genera include Myriangium and Elsinoe. Order Pleosporales

myriapod, any member of several closely related groups of the invertebrate phylum Arthropoda, including the extinct Archipolypoda, extant Diplopoda, or millipedes (see millipede), Chilopoda, or centipedes (see centipede), Pauropoda (see pauropod), and Symphyla (see symphylan). The myriapods are a

myriapod, any member of several closely related groups of the invertebrate phylum Arthropoda, including the extinct Archipolypoda, extant Diplopoda, or millipedes (see millipede), Chilopoda, or centipedes (see centipede), Pauropoda (see pauropod), and Symphyla (see symphylan). The myriapods are a

Tibet: Disunity, 9th to 14th century: …many small estates into 13 myriarchies (administrative districts each comprising, theoretically, 10,000 families). The ideal was a single authority, but other monasteries, especially ’Bri-gung and Phag-mo-gru of the Bka’-brgyud-pa sect, whose supporters controlled several myriarchies, actively contested Sa-skya’s supremacy.

bayberry: The California bayberry, or California wax myrtle (M. californica), is used as an ornamental on sandy soils in warm climates.

Myricaceae: …leaves useful in medicines; the wax myrtle, or candleberry (M. cerifera), a tall shrub or small tree growing to about 11 metres (35 feet); and bayberry (M. pennsylvanica), which yields a wax used in candles. The sweet fern (Comptonia peregrina) is a small aromatic shrub of eastern North America, the…

Myricaceae: …within the family include the sweet gale, or bog myrtle (Myrica gale), a shrub of wet areas with resinous leaves useful in medicines; the wax myrtle, or candleberry (M. cerifera), a tall shrub or small tree growing to about 11 metres (35 feet); and bayberry (M. pennsylvanica), which yields a…

bayberry, any of several aromatic shrubs and small trees of the genus Myrica in the bayberry family (Myricaceae), but especially M. pennsylvanica, also called candleberry, whose grayish waxy berries, upon boiling, yield the wax used in making bayberry candles. The California bayberry, or California

Myricaceae, the wax myrtle family of dicotyledonous flowering plants, in the beech order (Fagales), found throughout the world, with three genera of trees and shrubs having aromatic leaves. Many of the species bear yellow glandular dots on the surface, from which the characteristic odour of these

Giovanni Pascoli: …work, a great success, was Myricae (1891; “Tamarisks”), a volume of short, delicate, musical lyrics inspired by nature and domestic themes and reflecting the psychological unrest of his student years. Some easing of inner turmoil is apparent in his next volume, usually considered his best, Canti di Castelvecchio (1903, definitive…

tamarisk: …trees (family Tamaricaceae) that, with false tamarisks (Myricaria, 10 species), grow in salt deserts, by seashores, in mountainous areas, and in other semiarid localities from the Mediterranean region to central Asia and northern China. Many have been introduced into North America. They have deep-ranging roots and long, slender branches with…

The Blair Witch Project: …was written and directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, who used an authentic-looking website, an online message board, and other innovative strategies to convince audiences that The Blair Witch Project was a documentary about real people rather than a fictional film. Using footage shot by the actors, The Blair…

Saint Photius: Background and early career.: …civil service, he composed his Myriobiblon or Bibliotheca (Bibliothēkē), a digest of Greek prose literature, with more than 270 articles. This work was begun on a diplomatic mission in the Muslim world and most probably completed during his temporary retirement from public life after 867.

Battle of Myriocephalon, (September 1176), victory of the Seljuq Turks under Qïlïch Arslan II over the Byzantine army of Manuel I Comnenus in a mountain pass near the ruined fortress of Myriocephalon (southeast of modern Ankara, Tur.) in Phrygia. The battle ended Byzantium’s last hope of expelling

water milfoil, (genus Myriophyllum), genus of about 45 widely distributed species of submerged freshwater flowering plants in the family Haloragaceae. The plants have whorls of feathery leaves and emergent (growing above the water level) wind-pollinated flowers. Most species reproduce sexually as

carboxylic acid: Saturated aliphatic acids: …from C12 to C18 (lauric, myristic, palmitic, and stearic), are present in the fats and oils of many animals and plants, with palmitic and stearic acids being the most prevalent. Lauric acid (C12) is the main acid in coconut oil (45–50 percent) and palm kernel oil (45–55 percent). Nutmeg butter…

nutmeg, (Myristica fragrans), tropical evergreen tree (family Myristicaceae) and the spice made of its seed. The tree is native to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, of Indonesia and is principally cultivated there and in the West Indies. The spice nutmeg has a distinctive pungent fragrance and a warm

nutmeg: (Myristica fragrans), tropical evergreen tree (family Myristicaceae) and the spice made of its seed. The tree is native to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, of Indonesia and is principally cultivated there and in the West Indies. The spice nutmeg has a distinctive pungent fragrance and a warm slightly sweet…

Myristicaceae, the nutmeg family of the magnolia order (Magnoliales), best known for the fragrant, spicy seeds of nutmeg (Myristica fragrans). The family contains 15 other genera and about 380 species of evergreen trees found throughout moist tropical lowlands. Most species have fragrant wood and

Magnoliales: Myristicaceae: Nutmeg and mace contain myristicin, a substance poisonous in large amounts. Myristicin is described by some as a hallucinogen. Nutmeg butter is derived from the seeds and is used in ointments and in candles.

Greek literature: Literature after 1922: …some remarkable novels, among them Strátis Myrivílis’ I zoí en tafo (1930; Life in the Tomb), a journal of life in the trenches in World War I; Argo (2 vol., 1933 and 1936) by Yórgos Theotokás, about a group of students attempting to find their way through life in the…

marsupial: Classification: Family Myrmecobiidae (numbat) 1 termite- and ant-eating species. Order Peramelemorphia (bandicoots and bilbies) 22 species in 2 families. Family Peramelidae (Australian

numbat, (Myrmecobius fasciatus), marsupial mammal of the family Myrmecobiidae, of which it is the sole living representative. The numbat forages by day for termites in woodlands of Australia; it is one of the few diurnal (active by day) Australian marsupials. It has a squat body and a small pointed

seed: Dispersal by ants: Most myrmecochorous plants (species of violet, primrose, hepatica, cyclamen, anemone, corydalis, Trillium, and bloodroot) belong to the herbaceous spring flora of northern forests. Tree poppy (Dendromecon), however, is found in the dry

Rubiaceae: Major genera and species: Plants in the genus Myrmecodia have swollen stems with hollow areas that are inhabited by ants. Ants also inhabit the hollow stem segments in the genera Nauclea, Duroia, and Hydnophytum.

anteater: The giant anteater: The giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), sometimes called the ant bear, is the largest member of the anteater family and is best known in the tropical grasslands (Llanos) of Venezuela, where it is still common. It was once found in the lowland forests of…

mammal: Teeth: …termites, a specialization generally termed myrmecophagy (“ant eating”). Trends frequently associated with myrmecophagy include strong claws, an elongate rounded skull, a wormlike extensible tongue, marked reduction in the mandible (lower jaw), and loss or extreme simplification of the teeth (dentition). This habit has led to remarkably similar morphology among animals…

cricket: Ant-loving crickets (subfamily Myrmecophilinae) are minute (3 to 5 mm long), wingless, and humpbacked. They live in ant nests. Wingless bush crickets (subfamily Mogoplistinae) are generally found on bushes or under debris in sandy tropical areas near water. They are slender crickets, 5 to 13…

myrmekite, irregular, wormy penetration by quartz in plagioclase feldspar; these wartlike, wormlike, or fingerlike bodies may develop during the late stages of crystallization of igneous rocks if the two minerals (quartz and feldspar) grow simultaneously in the presence of a volatile phase.

antlion: Myrmeleon formicarius, the best known of the 65 described species, occurs in both North America and Europe but not in England. It matures in late summer. In the United States the antlion larva is frequently known as a doodlebug.

neuropteran: Annotated classification: Family Myrmeleontidae (antlions) Adults with long, slender wings; bodies partly covered with fine hairs; dragonfly-like; antennae short, weakly clubbed or flattened distally. Larvae (called antlions or doodle bugs) short and broad; head small; neck bent to allow rapid upward and backward movement of head; mandibles strong,…

Myrmidon, in Greek legend, any of the inhabitants of Phthiotis in Thessaly. In the poet Hesiod’s Catalogue of Women, Aeacus, the son of Zeus and the nymph Aegina, grows up alone on the deserted island of Aegina. (In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the island has been devastated by a plague.) In answer to

Ukrainian literature: Panas Myrny (pseudonym of Panas Rudchenko) was the major representative of Ukrainian realism. His depiction of social injustice and the birth of social protest in Khiba revut voly, yak yasla povni? (1880; “Do the Oxen Low When the Manger Is Full?”) had a new psychological…

Phyllanthus: …100 tiny alternating leaves, the emblic, or myrobalan (P. emblica), gives the impression of a hemlock. Its acid-tasting yellow or reddish fruits are prescribed in traditional Indian medicine as a tonic. The leaves and bark contain tannin, utilized for tanning and as a colour concentrator in dyeing. The dried fruit…

tannin: …and in sumac (Rhus) and myrobalan (Terminalia chebula). They also occur in galls, pathological growths resulting from insect attacks.

eel: Annotated classification: Family Myrocongridae Laterally compressed, poorly known. 1 genus, Myroconger, with 4 species. South Atlantic. Suborder Congroidei Frontal bones paired or fused, supraoccipital present or absent, paired nostrils close in front of eye. Family Nemichthyidae (snipe eels

chrismation: …of the newly baptized with chrism (myron), a mixture of olive oil and balsam that is confected by the primates of the local churches, and says at each anointing, “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The sacrament may also be administered to certain non-Orthodox Christians whose baptisms…

Myron was a Greek sculptor, an older contemporary of the sculptors Phidias and Polyclitus, considered by the ancients as one of the most versatile and innovative of all Attic sculptors. Myron was born in Eleutherae, a small town on the border between Attica and Bocotia, and lived most of his life

Aristomenes: …2nd century bc the historian Myron of Priene connected him with the original 8th-century Spartan conquest of Messenia. From these and other sources the Greek geographer Pausanias in the 2nd century ad compiled the longest surviving account, a story of the 7th-century rebellion with romantic embellishments drawn largely from Rhianus.

mustard: …and a strong enzyme called myrosin. When dry or ground into a flour, the seeds are odourless. However, when the seed is chewed or when the flour is mixed with water, a chemical reaction between two of the constituents within mustard, an enzyme and a glucoside, produces an oil that…

Gunnerales: …containing two families, Gunneraceae and Myrothamnaceae, each with just one genus—respectively, Gunnera (40–50 species) and Myrothamnus (2 species).

Gunnerales: Members of Myrothamnus are aromatic-resinous shrubs from Africa and Madagascar; the two species in the genus are vegetatively very distinctive. The leaves are opposite and have a long common sheath on which there are four persistent points, or stipules. The secondary veins of the blades radiate from…

balsam: …of a lofty leguminous tree, Myroxylon pereirae, growing in a limited area in El Salvador and introduced into Sri Lanka. It is mentioned in pharmacopoeias but has no medicinal value. Balsam of Tolu (Colombia), a brown balsam thicker than balsam of Peru, is used in perfumery and as a constituent…

myrrh, (from Arabic murr, “bitter”), bitter-tasting, agreeably aromatic, yellow to reddish brown oleoresinous gum obtained from various small, thorny, flowering trees of the genus Commiphora, of the incense-tree family (Burseraceae). The two main varieties of myrrh are herabol and bisabol. Herabol

cicely, (Myrrhis odorata), perennial herb of the family Apiaceae (Umbelliferae). It has a leafy hollow stem 60 to 90 cm (2 to 3 feet) high; much-divided leaves, whitish beneath; a large sheathing base; and terminal clusters of small white flowers, of which only the outer ones are fertile. The fruit