LXIV. CUCURBITACE® (HOOKER). 521 
Orper LXIV. CUCURBITACEZ. (By Dr. Hooker.) 
Flowers unisexual. Calyx-tube adnate with the ovary; lobes 5, 
rarely 3 or 6, imbricate. Petals 5, rarely 3 or 6, free or connate, often 
confluent with the calyx-tube. Stamens inserted on the calyx-tube, 
usually 3, one 1-celled, two 2-celled, rarely 2, 3 or 5; filaments 0 or 
free or connate ; anthers extrorse, free or connate, simple or 2—5-fid, cells 
straight, curved, conduplicate or contorted; connective broad or narrow, 
sometimes produced beyond the cells. Ovary usually of 3 confluent carpels 
with 3 (rarely 1, 2, or 5) double placentas that meet in the axis but bear 
ovules close to the walls of the cavity, rarely 1—3-celled with solitary pen- 
dulous or erect ovules ; Style simple or 2—3-fid at the apex ; stigmas as 
Many as placentas, usually large. Ovules horizontal in most genera. 
tuit usually a succulent or hard indehiscent many-seeded berry, rarely 
ehiscing by valves or irregularly bursting. Seeds of various forms, 
often imbedded in pulp or with a pulpy outer coat; testa coriaceous, 
or crustaceous ; albumen 0. Cotyledons plano-convex sometimes folia- 
ceous.— Usually climbing perennial-rooted herbs. Leaves alternate, 
sunple or compound, exstipulate, tendrils lateral, solitary, simple or 
2-20 -fid. Inflorescence various, axillary. Flowers white or yellow, 
rarely blue or red. Berry usually bitter and nauseous. 
A very difficult Order of plants to describe satisfactorily owing to the separation of 
the Sexes, the necessity of examining flowers and fruit, the difficulty of procuring 
Bood specimens, and of analyzing dried ones. Africa presents a large proportion of the 
nown genera (34 out of 68); it also contains the most abnormal genera of the Order, 
a8 Telfairia with its curious seeds, the erect Heterosicyos, the singular fruit of /a- 
hanocarpus, the dissimilar male and female flowers of Dimorphochlamys, the spiny 
eafless furze-like Acanthosicyos, the oblique-flowered Momordica anigosantha, aud 
others. ~The genera are extremely difficult to classify, and the following key is not 
Wholly natural. 
The recorded Tropical African plants of this Order which are unknown to me are— 
"yoma convolvuloides, A. Rich.; B. jatrophefolia, Rich. (possibly a Citrullus), and 
tee abyssinica, ? Lam., all included in A. Richard’s Flora Abyssinica, i. 289, 290. 
The most remarkable species which I have been unable to determine generically are— 
1. A noble very stout climbing species, ( Welwitsch, 818, from Cazengo in Angola). 
aves palmately 7-lobed, 8 in. diameter, slightly pubescent, lobes triangular acumi- 
hate. Tendrils stout, much divided. Male buds crowded in the same axil with the 
female. Female flower on a long stout peduncle. Ovary narrow-cylindric, 2 in. long. 
Calyx-lobes lanceolate acuminate. Corolla yellow, 3 in. diameter, apparently not deeply 
33 d. Style columnar, trifid, stigmas broadly reniform. Fruit (immature) cylindric, 
*1n. long, probably very large when ripe. 
2A large stout rigid scandent plant, climbing 20 ft. (Cameroons river, Mann), closely 
allied to Spherosicyos, but petioles eglandular. Leaves 5 in. diameter, orbicular-cor- 
date and palmately 7-angled, obscurely crenate, angles broad, rounded or acute, the 
termina acuminate, rather coriaceous, olive brown when dry, obscurely puberulous 
neath, with the veins excessively reticulated, petioles stout. Tendrils stout, ne. 
ale raceme long, many-flowered ; peduncle 6-10-in. long, stout, pubescent, ore 8 
Stout, often divided. Calyx-tube slender, 3 in. long, contracted above the middle, 
J. Cbeonic with 5 short distant subulate teeth. Corolla 2 in. diameter, yellow ; petals 
be tle qe sPathulate. Stamens on the mouth of the calyx-tube; filaments stout ; anther- 
“Ss flexuous round a broad connective. 
