CUCURBITACE. XIII. Neurosrerma. 
22 M. tana‘ta (Thunb. prod. 13.) leaves ternately pinna- 
tifid, scabrous; fruit woolly. ©. F. Native of the Cape of 
Good Hope. 
Woolly-fruited Momordica. PI. cl. 
23 M.? sicyoipes (Ser. in D. C. prod.3. p. 312.) stems twin- 
ing, terete; tendrils simple; leaves triangularly cordate, some- 
what 5-lobed, serrulated; female flowers pedunculate, solitary ; 
calyx ovate, pilose, with narrow linear segments; fruit ovate 
mucronate, very pilose, of a yellowish orange-colour at matu- 
rity; seeds subglobose. ©. F. Native of China —Braan. icon. 
chin. t. 12. 
Sicyos-like Momordica. PI. tw. 
24 M. spica‘ra (Lin. mss. ex Smith in Rees’ cycl. vol. 23.) 
stems furrowed, rugged; leaves cordate, 3-5-lobed, undulated, 
rugged from tubercles; male flowers racemose ; racemes on long 
peduncles; tube of calyx very long; bracteas dilated, toothed, 
scabrous; female flowers solitary, on short peduncles; seeds 
elliptic, furrowed, hispid. ©. F. Native country unknown. 
Sp ike-flowered Momordica. PI. cl. 
Cult. M. Elatérium and M. Lambertidna being hardy, their 
seeds should be sown in the open border. The seeds of the 
rest of the species should be sown on a hot-bed in spring, and 
the plants planted out afterwards as directed for Gourds, p. 42. 
XIII. NEUROSPE’RMA (from vevpov, neuron, a nerve, 
and oreppa, sperma, a seed; in reference to the seeds, which are 
reticulated with anastomosing nerves). Rafin. in journ. phys. 
et chim. 1819. p. 101. Spreng. neue. entd. 1. p. 144. D. C. 
prod. 3. p. 312. 
Lin. syst. Monœcia, Monadélphia. Flowers monoecious. 
Male flowers with a 5-parted calyx: and a 5-parted corolla, 
having an undulated erose margin. Stamens 5, diadelphous, 
having a gland alternating with each fascicle ; one of the fascicles 
bearing 2 anthers, the other trigonal, and bearing 3 anthers. 
Anthers sessile, stellate. Female flowers with a parted corolla 
and calyx. Ovarium inferior, beset with 8 series of warts. 
Style trifid, girded by 3 glands at the base; stigmas 2-lobed. 
Fruit fleshy, 3-celled, but when mature 1-celled, 3-9-seeded. 
Seeds girded by mucilaginous red aril, flat, nerved, with anasto- 
mosing veins, and a rugged edge. Perhaps a proper genus. 
1 N.cuspipa'ta (Rafin. l. c.) Native of Kentucky, North 
America. Perhaps the same as Momérdica balsamea ? 
Cuspidate Neurosperma. PI. tr. 
Cult. See Sicyos p. 34. for culture and propagation. 
XIV. SECHIUM (from cextZo, sekiso, to fatten; given to 
hogs for that purpose). Browne in Lin. gen. no. 1482. Juss. 
gen. p. 391. Lam. dict. 7. p. 50. D. C. prod. 3. p. 313. 
Lin. syst. Mone'cia, Monadélphia. Flowers monoecious, 
yellow. Male flowers with a somewhat 5-toothed calyx, exca- 
vated into 10 hollows, and with the corolla joined with the calyx. 
Stamens 4-5, monadelphous, free at the apex, diverging ; anthers 
cordate, distant. Female flowers with a calyx and corolla, as 
in the male, but without stamens. Style thick; stigma sub- 
capitate, 3-5-cleft. Fruit obcordate, l-seeded. Seed ovate, 
flat, compressed. 
1 S. epu'tz (Swartz, fl. ind. occid. 2. p. 1150.) stems terete, 
striated, smooth ; leaves cordate, angular, rugged beneath ; lobes 
conniving at the base, toothed ; terminal angle longest and acu- 
minated; tendrils 4-5 cleft; male flowers racemose ; female 
flowers solitary, rising from the same axils as the males ; fruit 
large, obovate, 5-furrowed, gibbous at the apex, echinated by 
stiff hairs. ©. F. Native of the West Indies, common. 
Sicyos edilis, Swartz, prod. 116. Lam. dict. 1. p. 156.—Jacq. 
amer. p. 258. t. 163. Chaydta edulis, Jacq. amer. 2. t. 240. 
This plant is known in South America under the name of choko 
and chaiote. The fruit is green, shining on the outside, whitish, 
XIV. Secuium. 
XV. Meroruri. XVI. TRICHOSANTHES. 37 
and fleshy within, differing in size and singular in structure, con- 
taining one seed each, which is sometimes an inch long, and placed 
at the very top of the fruit; when it is ripe it protrudes itself a 
little, and puts forth many fibres at its extremity. In many of the 
West Indies the inhabitants put the fruit into soups or puddings, 
or boil it and eat it with their meat as a substitute for turnips 
or greens, in which state it is generally looked upon as whole- 
some and refreshing, but it is too insipid to be much liked. The 
fruit serves to fatten hogs in the mountains and inland parts of 
Jamaica, where the plant is much cultivated. The natives of 
Cuba notice two varieties; one which is most common they 
call simply chayote: it is beset with harmless prickles, some- 
times in great abundance, and sometimes with very few, and is 
about 4 inches in length; the other, less frequent, called chayote 
frances, is for the most part entirely destitute of prickles, and is 
about the size of a hen’s egg. 
Eatable Choko. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1816. PI. cl. 
2 S. America num (Lam. dict. 7. p. 50.) leaves cordate, an- 
gular; flowers racemose; fruit glabrous, a little compressed, 
size of a pigeon’s egg; seed oval-elliptic. ©. F. Native of 
Jamaica. Fruit eatable like the last. This is perhaps the 
chayote frances mentioned above. 
American Choko. Pl. cl. . 
3 S. parma‘rum (Ser. in D. C. prod. 3. p. 313.) stems terete, 
bluntly furrowed; tendrils umbellate; leaves palmately lobed, 
scabrous; stipula or bractea sessile, cordate, deeply 3-lobed ; 
male flowers racemose; common peduncle short, many-flowered ; 
filaments monadelphous at the base, and divaricate towards the 
apex; female flowers twin, nearly sessile ; fruit prickly, green, 
size of a filbert. ©.F. Native of Mexico, in Acahualtempa. 
S. palmatum, Moc. et Sesse, fl. mex. icon. ined. 
Palmate-leaved Choko. Pl. cl. 
Cult. See Cuctrbita, p. 42. for culture and propagation. 
XV. MELO’THRIA (pedoSpov of Theophrastus, supposed 
to be Bryony). Lin. gen. no. 68. Juss. gen. p. 395. D.C. prod. 
8. p. 313.—Trichosanthes species of Jacq. 
Lin. syst. Monce\cia, Polyadélphia. Flowers monoecious. 
Male flowers with a 5-toothed calyx and a campanulate corolla ; 
petals ciliated or toothed, not fringed. Filaments 5, in 3 parcels. 
Female flowers. Style 1; stigmas 3, fringed. Fruit 3-celled, 
many-seeded. Seeds unknown. 
1 M. rr'Npura (Lin. spec. p. 49.) leaves cordate, 5-lobed, 
toothed ; tendrils simple; female flowers solitary, on long pe- 
duncles ; corolla rather pilose, denticulated ; fruit ovate, nearly 
globose, pendulous. Y%.S. Native of South America, and the 
southern parts of North America. Lam. ill. t. 28. f. 3.—Pluk. 
alm. t. 85. f. 5.—Sloan. jam. p. 227. t. 142. f. 1- -Plum. spec. 
3. t. 66. f. 2. Stems rooting at every joint. Flowers small, 
pale yellow. Fruit about the size of a pea, changing to black 
when ripe. Inthe West Indies these are pickled when green by 
the inhabitants. 
Pendulous-fruited Melothria.’ Fl. Ju. Sept. Clt.1752. Pl. cr. 
2 M. vq@'ripa (Desr. in Lam. dict. 4. p. 87.) root fleshy, tur- 
nip-formed ; leaves cordate, a little toothed, pilose, almost ses- 
sile ; tendrils simple ; male flowers racemose; peduncles short, 
few-flowered ; female flowers solitary, sessile along with the 
males; fruit ovate, muricated, mucronate, pilose, of a dirty yellow- 
colour ; seeds obovate, compressed. %. S. Native of Guinea. 
Trichosanthes foetidissima, Jacq. coll. 2. p. 341. icon. rar. 3. t. 
624. Flowers yellow. Herb fetid when bruised. 
Fetid Melothria. Fl. June, Sept. Clt. 1520. PI. el. 
3 M.? V’npica (Lour. coch. p. 35.) stems angular; leaves 
‘triangular, denticulated, rough, small, on long petioles ; flowers 
usually solitary, pedunculate, white; fruit ovate-oblong, smooth, 
small, whitish green. %.S. Native of Cochin-china, in hedges. 
—Rumph. amb. 5. t. 171. f. 2. ex Lour. l. c. Flowers white. 
