CUCURBITACEZ. 
©. H. Native country unknown, but collected in the gardens 
of India. Bonteng-suri of the Hindoos. Cucurbita vittata, 
Blun, bijdr. p. 932. 
Ribbed Gourd. PI. cl. 
3 L.? mrsrpa (Ser. l. c.) greyish, pilose; leaves cordate, 
5-angled, acuminated, denticulated, beset with pedicellate glands 
beneath; stem and petioles densely hispid; flowers densely 
clothed with ferruginous hairs. ©.F. Native of Japan and 
the East Indies. Cucúrbita hispida, Thunb. fl. jap p. 322. 
and Willd. spec. 4. p. 608. Waluh of the Indians. Perhaps 
only a variety of L. vulgaris. 
Hispid Gourd, Pl. trailing. 
4 L.? mora’trica (Ser. l. c.) leaves cordate, cuspidate, obso- 
letely 3-lobed, pubescent, biglandular at the base; lateral lobes 
very short and cuspidate; fruit pear-shaped. ©@.F. Native 
of Guinea and the East Indies. Cucúrbita Idolatrica, Willd. 
spec. 4. p. 607. Blum. bijdr. p. 930. Labu-eyer and Kukuk 
of the Hindoos. Perhaps only a variety of L. vulgaris. In 
India the fruit of this plant is held in great veneration by the 
Hindoos, in their religious ceremonies. 
Worshipped Gourd. Pl. trailing. 
Cult. See Cucúrbita, p. 41. for culture and propagation. 
1V. CUCUMIS (said to be from xuvog or Suxvoc. Varro 
says, “ Cucumeres dicuntur a curvore, ut curvimeres dicti”). 
Lin. gen. no. 1479. Juss. gen, p. 395. Gærtn. fruct. t.-88. 
D. C. prod. 3. p. 299.—Cùcumis and Melo, Tourn. inst. p. 
104. Colocinthis, Tourn, inst. p. 107.—Rigocárpus, Neck. elem. 
bot. no. 386. 
Lin. syst. Dioècia, Polyadélphia. Calyx tubularly campa- 
nulate ; segments subulate, hardly the length of the tube. 
Petals hardly joined together or to the calyx.—Male. Stamens 
5, in 3 parcels.—Female. Stigmas 3, thick, bipartite. Fruit 
3-6-celled. Seeds ovate, compressed, not marginate. Flowers 
monoecious or hermaphrodite, yellow. 
1 C. mE ro (Lin. spec. 1436.) stem trailing, scabrous, cir- 
rhiferous ; leaves roundish, angular, petiolate; male flowers 
having the tube of the calyx rather ventricose at the base, and 
rather dilated at the apex ; stamens inclosed; anthers shorter 
than their connectives; the hermaphrodite flowers with the an- 
thers as in the males; stigmas 3-4, shortly 2-lobed; fruit ovate 
or sub-globose, 8-12-furrowed ; flesh sugary, yellow, red, or white. 
©. F. Native of Asia. Called rhetimou by the Hindoos; 
Melon, Engl. and Fr.; Melone, Germ. ; Mellone, Ital. 
The melon is a tender annual, producing one of the richest 
fruits brought to the dessert, and has been cultivated in England 
since 1570, but the precise time of its introduction is unknown. 
It was originally brought to this country from Jamaica, and was, 
till within the last fifty years, called the musk-melon. The fruit, 
to be grown to perfection, requires the aid of artificial heat and 
glass throughout every stage of its culture. Its minimum tem- 
perature may be estimated at 65°, in which it will germinate 
and grow ; but it requires a heat of from 75° to 80° to ripen its 
fruit, which, in ordinary cases, it does in 4 months from the time 
of sowing the seed. A 
Varieties.—There are numerous varieties, many of which, 
especially those raised from seeds brought from Italy and Spain, 
are not worth cultivating. The best sorts are included under 
the name of Cantaloups, an appellation bestowed on them from 
a seat of the Pope near Rome, where this variety is supposed 
to have been originally produced. The general character of 
the Cantaloups is a roundish form, rough, warty, or netted outer 
rind ; neither very large in fruit or leaves. The Romanas, an 
Italian sort, is next in esteem, are generally oval-shaped, regu- 
larly netted ; the fruit and leaves middle-sized, and the plants 
great bearers. Many varieties of both these sorts, however, 
Ill. 
Lacenaria. IV. Cucumis. 5 
that were formerly in esteem, are now lost, degenerated, or sup- 
planted by others of Spanish or Persian origin. The following 
is a descriptive list of the sorts. 
List of Melons. 
Var. a, reticulàtus (Ser. in D.C. prod. 3. p. 300.) fruit 
roundish or oblong, with a grey reticulated rind.—Blackw. herb. 
t. 329. The following sorts of melons belong to this variety :— 
1 Beechwood melon. This is an excellent, early, greenish 
yellow kind, with a netted rind and a greenish-white flesh, of a 
middle size. 
2 Melon maraicher. The flesh of this sort is very thick and 
watery; hardly sweet-scented. 
3 Melon de Fonfleur. A late melon, with a thin yellow rind, 
and pale red sugary flesh. It is of inferior quality but large 
in size. 
4 Melon des Carmes. A well-flavoured large fruit, with a 
thick orange rind, and juicy sugary pulp. 
5 Melon de Langeais. A middle-sized, ribbed fruit, with 
orange-coloured, sugary, sweet-scented flesh. 
6 Melon sucrin de Tours. Fruit large, with firm, sugary, 
orange-coloured flesh. 
7 Sucrin à chair blanche. 
8 Sucrin à chassis. 
9 Sucrin vert. 
10 Sucrin à petits grains. 
11 Succada. A late green middle-sized netted melon. 
Var. B, Cantalùpo (Ser. in D. C. prod. 3. p. 300.) fruit large, 
with broadly ribbed, and furrowed, warted, thick rind. The fol- 
lowing sorts belong to this variety. 
1 Early Cantaloup. A deep-furrowed, early, middle-sized 
kind, with white, deeply-furrowed, thin skin; and orange-coloured 
flesh, not very highly flavoured. It sets well, and is a great 
bearer. 
2 Silver cantaloup. Cantaloup argenté. A _ shallow-fur- 
rowed, middle-sized fruit, and before it is full grown is mixed 
with silver and green. 
3 Large black Holland cantaloup. Cantaloup gros noir de 
Hollande. A large fruit, with green, furrowed, thin rind: and 
red rather coarse flesh. 
4 Hybrid cantaloup. A small good early fruit, with a 
whitish rind and red pulp. 
5 Montagu cantaloup. This is a variety produced from the 
Italian green-fleshed and the smooth scarlet-fleshed cantaloup. 
A middle-sized, early good fruit, but with a thick, yellow, fur- 
rowed rind and pale red flesh, which is soft and juicy, and com- 
pletely melting in the mouth. 
6 Netted cantaloup, or White-seeded cantaloup. This is a 
very juicy, highly-flavoured, small fruit, with a thin, netted, 
yellow rind. 
7 Orange cantaloup. A small, round, pale yellow, netted 
fruit. The flesh, when just fit for cutting, is orange ; but when 
riper it is more red. In respect to flavour, it is excelled by 
none of the melon tribe, being juicy, sugary, and rich. The 
plant is a free grower, an early setter, and a great bearer. 
8 Black rock cantaloup. A large late melon, with a thick dark 
green rind, and salmon-coloured flesh. It is juicy, but not very 
high flavoured. 
9 Carbuncled rock cantaloup. Very like the black rock, as 
to colour and flavour, but differs in being cheese-shaped. 
There are a small and a large kind of this; the smaller kind is 
the best. : 
10 Lee’s rock cantaloup. Rather long than round, and more 
green than black. Much the same in flavour as the preceding. 
11 Scarlet-fleshed cantaloup. A middle-sized early gocd 
fruit, with a thick yellow rind and red sweet flesh. It is par- 
ticularly high flavoured. 
