with prominent somewhat greenish veins, to about 7 cm. long, flaring above, the 

 lobes acute and cuspidate; fruit obovoid, hard-shelled, green and usually with 

 light-green stripes, to 9 cm. long and 6 cm. broad, the flesh bitter and inedible. 

 C. Pepo of auth. 



In debris and piles of driftwood, often climbing into trees, along several rivers, 

 especially in floodplains of the Guadalupe that drains the Edward Plateau in cen. 

 Tex., rare but abundant where found, July-Oct.; endemic. 



2. Melothria L. Melonette 



About 10 species in the warmer regions of the New World. 



1. Melothria pendula L. Meloncito. 



Slender climbing vine from a perennial root; leaves more or less orbicular in 

 outline, with a cordate base, subentire to 5-angled or -lobed, more or less scabrous; 

 tendrils simple; male and female flowers on the same vine; flowers small, yellow 

 or somewhat greenish, the staminate flowers racemose or corymbose, the pistillate 

 flowers solitary or clustered; corolla rotate to campanulate, deeply 5-parted; 

 filaments free or barely coherent; ovary contracted beneath the corolla, with 3 

 placentae and many horizontal ovules, the style short and with 3 stigmas; fruit 

 ovoid to subglobose or ellipsoid, green or yellowish, becoming blackish, 1-2 cm. 

 long; seeds numerous. Incl. var. chlorocarpa (Engelm.) Cong., M. chlorocarpa 

 Engelm. 



In sandy and moist rich soils, wettish thickets, banks of canals and streams, 

 climbing on shrubs and small trees, near the coast and in s. Tex. and e. two thirds 

 of Okla. {Waterfall), Mar.-Oct.; from Fla., w. to Tex. and Mex., n. to Va., s. 

 Ind., s. Mo. and Okla. 



The seeds are reputed to be purgative. 



3. Cayaponia S. Manso 



About 50 species mainly in tropical and subtropical America. 



1. Cayaponia quinqueloba (Raf.) Shinners. 



Climbing herbaceous vine from a perennial rhizome; stem slender, finely pubes- 

 cent; leaves long-petiolate, thickish, cordate at base, 5-10 cm. long, less than 

 1 dm. wide, 3-angled or -lobed, sparingly pubescent beneath, the petioles bristly- 

 villous; tendrils simple or branched; male and female flowers on same vine; 

 flowers rather large, in racemes or panicles; calyx campanulate, 5-cleft; corolla 

 rotate or subcampanulate, greenish-white, 5-parted; staminate flowers 5-6 mm. 

 across, with 3 distinct stamens, the anther sacs flexuous, the rudimentary ovary 

 3-lobed; pistillate flowers often with 3 rudimentary stamens; ovary 3-celled, with 

 1 or 2 ascending ovules in each cell; style 3-cleft, the stigmas dilated; fruit 

 reddish, ovoid to ellipsoid, somewhat fleshy, 12-14 mm. long; seeds 6-8 mm. long 

 and 2 mm. thick. C. Boykinii (T. & G.) Cogn. 



In river bottomlands and wettish soils along streams in e.-cen. Tex., June-Aug.; 

 from Ga. to Tex. 



4. Echinopepon Naud. Wild Balsam-apple 

 A small American genus. 



1. Echinopepon Wrightii (Gray) Wats. 



Climbing annual with forked tendrils, more or less pubescent throughout; leaves 

 reniform, broadly cordate at base, shallowly lobed or angular, scarcely denticulate, 

 to about 15 cm. wide; male and female flowers on same vine; flowers 5-merous, 

 the staminate flowers in long racemes or panicles, the pistillate flowers solitary; 



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