CUCURBITACEH. XI. ELATERIUM. 
seeds winged? flat, tridentate at the base, ex Kunth. ©. F. 
Native of South America, in the hot regions of the province of 
Caraccas, on the shore of Lake Tacarigna, in Laguna de Valencia ; 
and in the Island of Cura, at the height of 690 feet. Lam. ill. 
t. 743. Jacq. amer. 241. t. 154. icon. pict. p. 118. t. 232. Co- 
rolla yellow. Fruit size of an olive. 
Carthagenian Squirting Cucumber. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1823. 
Pizel 
3 E. tamyoipes (Willd. enum. p. 950.) leaves cordate, acu- 
minated, remotely serrated, smoothish above, and hairy beneath; 
flowers yellowish ; female flowers having the tube of the calyx 
campanulate above the ovarium; petals 4-7, ovate; style very 
short; stigma large, flat; fruit 2-valved, few-seeded ; seeds un- 
known. ©.F. Native of Mexico. E. hastatum, Brouss. but 
not of H. B. et Kunth. 
Tamus-like Squirting Cucumber. 
Pistr- 
4 E. masta`rum (H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 2. p. 120.) 
leaves cordately sinuated, triangularly hastate, acuminated, den- 
ticulated, rather scabrous above, and glabrous beneath ; tendrils 
simple or bifid; male flowers racemose, pedicellate, minute ; 
fruit oblong, reniform, muricated, 2-valved, size of an olive; 
seeds 6, roundish, compressed, tridentate at the base. ©. F. 
Native of Mexico, on the declivities of the burning Mount 
Jorullo, and the temperate regions near Patzcuara, at the height 
of 1620 or 3390 feet. Habit of Meléthria péndula, according 
to Kunth. 
Hastate-leaved Squirting Cucumber. Pl. tr. 
5 E. quapriripum (D. C. prod. 3. p. 310.) stem, peduncles, 
petioles, and tendrils downy ; leaves cordate, orbicular, 7-angled ; 
tendrils bifid, pilose; male flowers umbellate; calyx long, 
tubular, articulated towards the base, and dilated at the apex, 
with the limb hardly evident ; petals 4, linear-lanceolate, acute ; 
female flowers hardly pedunculate, like the male ones; style fili- 
form, crowned by an ovate stigma; fruit very pilose. ©. F. 
nes of Mexico. Moc. et Sesse, fl. mex. icon. ined. Flowers 
white. 
Quadrifid Squirting Cucumber. PI. tr. 
6 E. sracnysta‘cuyum (D.C. prod. 3. p. 310.) leaves 3- 
lobed, quite entire, ciliated : middle lobe oblong, acuminated ; 
flowers cream-coloured; male ones in spikes; tube of calyx 
campanulate at the apex; female flowers with a very gibbous 
hispid calyx, and a short neck, which is campanulate at the 
apex; capsule oblique, incurved, echinated with 8-10 long soft 
prickles, 2-3-valved, larger than those of the other species. 
©. F. Native of Mexico. 
Short-spiked Squirting Cucumber. PI. tr. 
7 E. roraua‘rum (D. C. prod..3. p. 310.) leaves somewhat 
peltately cordate, 5-lobed, denticulated; terminal lobe the 
longest, and acuminated ; tendrils trifid; flowers greenish-white ; 
males ones in racemes: female ones solitary, echinated at the 
base, with the neck long and bell-shaped at the apex ; petals 
oblong, bluntish; capsule oblong, 2-valved, acuminated, echi- 
nated, with soft prickles) ©. F. Native of Mexico. Fl. mex. 
icon. ined. 
Collared Squirting Cucumber. PI. tr. 
8 E. rriroria‘rum (Spreng. syst. 3. p. 47.) leaves ternate, cut. 
©. F. Native of Virginia. 
Trifoliate-leaved Squirting Cucumber. PI. tr. 
Cult. Sow the seeds in a hot-bed in spring, and put the 
plants out as directed for Gourds, p. 42. 
Fl. June, July. Clt. 1820. 
XII. MOMO’RDICA (from mordeo, to bite ; the seeds have 
the appearance of being bitten). Lin. gen. no. 1477. Juss. 
gen. 395. Gærtn. fr. 2. p. 48. t. 88. f. 4. D.C. prod. 3. p. 311. 
—Elatérium and Sicyos species of authors.—Amórdica, Neck. 
XII. Momorpica. 35 
elem. bot. no, 392.—Poppya, Neck. 1l. c. no. 391.—Ecbalium, 
Rich. 
Lin. syst. Mone'cia, Polyadélphia. Flowers monoecious, 
white or yellow, on filiform unibracteate peduncles, perhaps 
always. Male flowers with a 5-cleft calyx, and a very short 
tube. Corolla 5-parted. Stamens in 3 bundles ; anthers con- 
nate. Female flowers with 3 sterile filaments, or probably 5, 
joined in 3 bundles, a trifid style, anda 3-celled ovarium. Fruit 
usually muricated, (perhaps always) opening elastically at matu- 
rity, and expelling the seeds. Seeds compressed, reticulated, 
perhaps always. 
1 M. Bazsa‘mea (Lin. spec. 1453.) leaves palmately 5-lobed, 
toothed, glabrous, shining ; fruit roundish-ovate, attenuated at 
both ends, angular, tuberculated, orange-coloured, splitting ir- 
regularly and laterally ; bractea cordate, toothed, in the middle 
of the peduncle; aril red. ©. F. Native of the East Indies. 
Lam. ill. t. 794. f. 1. Charantia, Lob. pempt. t. 670.—Ludvo. 
ect. t. 127.—Blackw. herb. 6. t. 539. a. b. Flowers yellow. This 
plant is famous in Syria for curing wounds. They cut open the 
unripe fruit, and infuse it in sweet oil, and expose it to the sun for 
some days until the oil becomes red. It is applied to a fresh 
wound on cotton. The Syrians esteem this next to balsam of 
Mecca. The plant is also used to form arbours or bowers. 
Balsam Apple. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1568. Pl. cl. 
2 M. murica‘ra (Willd. spec. 4. p. 602.) leaves somewhat 
palmately 7-lobed, cordate at the base ; lobes remotely toothed, 
acuminated ; tendrils almost simple; fruit ovate, acuminated, 
muricated ; bractea cordate, quite entire. ©.fF. Native of the 
East Indies. Pavel, Rheed. mal. 8. t. 10. 
Muricated Momordica. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1817. PI. tr. 
3 M. Cuara‘ntia (Lin. spec. 1438.) leaves somewhat pal- 
mately 7-lobed, dentate, rather hairy ; tendrils downy; fruit ob- 
long, acuminated, angular, tuberculated, copper-coloured or red; 
pulp yellow and soft; bractea cordate, quite entire, below the 
middle of the pedicel ; seeds oblong, tuberculated (ex Rumph) ; 
arillus of a reddish blood-colour. ©. F. Native of the East 
Indies. Sims, bot. mag. t. 2455.—Rheed. mal. 8. p. 17. t. 9. 
Papareh of the Hindoos. Corolla yellow. Seeds wrinkled 
very irregularly, yellow bay-coloured, and irregularly tubercled 
towards the margin. Allied to the preceding species, but very 
distinct. 
Var. B, abbrevidta (Ser. in D. C. prod. 3. p. 311.) fruit 
shorter than that of the species, very ventricose, beset with 
acute tubercles. M. Zeylanica, Mill. dict. 3. ex Lam. dict. 4. 
p- 239. 
Charantia or Hairy Momordica. 
Piek 
4 M. RoxsurcHIa`na; downy; leaves cordate, palmately 
7-9-lobed, and lobately toothed ; tendrils simple ; peduncles 1- 
flowered, solitary, bearing a bractea under each flower; fruit 
long, muricated. ©.H. Native of the East Indies, in Patna. 
M. charAntia 8 of authors. M. muricata, Roxb. but not of Willd. 
Roxburgh’s Momordica. PI. tr. 
5 M. Senecare’nsis (Lam. dict. 4. p. 239.) leaves deeply 
palmate, somewhat serrated, pale and villous beneath; fruit 
Fl. June, July. Clt. 1710. 
ovate, mucronate, tubercular, orange-coloured or red. ©. F. 
Native of Senegal. 
Senegal Momordica. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1822. Pl. cl. 
6 M. cyui‘nprica (Lin. spec. 1433.) stem 5-angled ; leaves 
cordate, somewhat lobate, angular, toothed; flowers yellow; 
fruit cylindrical, very long, rather villous, reticulated ; bractea 
quite entire at the base of the pedicel; seeds black. ©. F. 
Native of Ceylon and China. Willd. spec. 4. p. 605. The fruit 
of the species, according to Rumphius, does not open elastically, 
being composed of so many reticulated tough fibres. 
Cylindrical-fruited Momordica. Pl. tr. 
F 2 
