348 CUCURBITACE. E. Momorpica. 
Wight! cat. n. 1124.—B. palmata, Linn.? herb. Madr. ! ; DC.? l. c. p. 308 ; 
Spr.? syst. 3. p. 17 ; Wall.! L. n. 6711, a, b, e. In almost every hedge. 
x Pa 
VIII. MOMORDICA.  Linn.; Gaertn. fr. 2. t. 88. 
. Flowers monecious or diccious. Calyx 5-cleft. Corolla much longer 
than the calyx, cleft down to the calyx-segments.—Marz. Stamens triadel- 
phous.—Frw. Style 3-fid. Pepo fleshy, bursting when ripe, with or with- 
out elastic force. Seeds enveloped in a fleshy arillus. 
We have considerable doubts if M. tubiflora, Roxb. (Cucumis tubiflorus, Roxb. in 
E. I. C. mus. tab. 1696, and apparently M. spicata, Linn. mst.) ought not to be re- 
moved from the genus: the fruit is smooth, and bursts slowly and not with elasticity. 
The true species, and among them all the Peninsular ones, form a very natura 
group 5 they have a short calyx, the corolla 5-partite, æ muricated or prickl fruit, 
that bursts elastically, the peduncles of both sexes solitary, the male one, and some- 
times the female also, furnished with a large cordate bracteole. 
* 1085. (1) M. Balsamina (Linn. :) annual: stems glabrous : leaves palmate- 
ly 5-lobed, deeply toothed, glabrous, shining ; peduncles with a toothed cor- 
date bracteole: fruit roundish-ovate, attenuated at both ends, tubercled, 
bursting irregularly and laterally: seeds with a red arillus.— DC. prod. 3. p. 
311; Spr. syst. 3. p. 14.— Moris. hist. 1. t. 6. f. 9. 
Willdenow describes the bracteoles to be above the middle of the pedun- 
cle; Seringe below the middle; but this discrepancy may be explained by 
` the one having in view the male, the other the female peduncles: in the spe- 
cimen we ourselves possess all the flowers happen to be male, and the brac- 
teole is placed close to the flower, as in M. dioica, from which it differs by 
the bracteole being toothed. 
1086. (2) M. charantia (Linn. :) stems more or less hairy or villous : leaves 
palmately 5-lobed, sinuate-toothed, when young more or less villous on the 
under side, particularly on the nerves: peduncles slender with areniform brac- — 
teole ; male ones with the bracteole about the middle, female with it near the 
base: calyx-segments oblong: fruit oblong or ovate, tapering at both ends, 
more or less tubercled or muricated: seeds with a thick notched margin and 
red arillus.—2 ; fruit longer and more oblong, tubercled.—Linn. sp. p. 1499; 
Wight! cat. n. 1125.—M. charantia, Willd. sp. 4. p. 602 : DC. prod. 2. p. es 
(2); Spr. syst. 3. p. 14; Roxb. fl. Ind. 3.p. 707 ; Wall.! L. n. 6746.—Rheed. 
Mal. 8. t. 9; Rumph. Amb. 5. t. 151.—95 ; fruit smaller, more ovate, muricated 
and tubercled.— Linn. l. ¢.; Ser. in. DC. l c.; Wight ! cat. n. 1126.—M. mu- 
ricata, Willd. l. e. ; DC. l. c. ; Spr. l. c. p. 15; Roxb. l. c. ; Wall. ! L.n. 6745. 
— Rheed. Mal. 8. t. 10. 
These two varieties present the extreme forms of the fruit, but there are 
innumerable intermediate gradations. 
1087. (3) M. dioica (Roxb.:) diwcious : root tuberous, perennial: stems. 
glabrous or rarely slightly hairy : leaves longish petioled, cordate at the base, 
from entire to 3—4-lobed, toothed, upper side slightly scabrous, under smo | 
or nearly so : petioles without glands: eduncles slender, with entire be 
teoles ; male with the bracteole close to ihe flower, cucullate, and concealing = 
the lower part of the flower ; female with a smallish one near the base: calyx- — — 
segments subulate : petals lanceolate: fruit (about the size and shape OF ® — — 
artridge-egg) ovate, muricated : seeds oval, surrounded with a large red ati- — 
us.—z« ; leaves cordate, acuminated, usually entire.— Wight ! cat. n. Lek : 
M. dioica, Willd. sp. 4. p. 605; DC. prod. 3. p. 312; Spr. syst. 3. p. 14—^- 
Missionis, Wall.! L. n. 6739.—Rheed. Mal. 8. t. 12 (fem.)—3; leaves 9-9- 
lobed, lobes irregularly toothed.— Wight ! cat. n. 1128,—M. dioica, Rozb. J^ 
Ind. 3. p. 109 ; in-E. I.-C. mus. tab 455.—Rheed. Mal. 8. t. 18 (male)- 3 d 
leaves deeply and sometimes palmately lobed, the lobes sinuated and sligh y à 
Iobed.— Wight! cat. n. 1129.—M. Balsamina, Wall. L.n. 6741. ° 
