MELIA, the BEAD TREE, in botany, a genus of the decandria monogynia class. The calix consists of 5 teeth, and the corolla of 5 petals; the nectarium is cylindrical, about the length of the corolla, and has ten teeth on the margin; and the drupa, which is shaped like an egg, has five cells. There are two species, none of them natives of Britain.