Luffa. MONOECFA SYNOENESIA. 715 



part of the fruit near the apex. The young' unri|)e fruit is 

 eaten by the natives in their curries, and other stews. 



4. L. amara. R. 



Stems slender. Leaves slightly from fire to seven-lobed. 

 Male Jloicers racemed ; the female ones solitary. Fruil ob- 

 long*, with ten sharp ridges. 



Be7u/. Keriila. 



Teling. Sheti beera. 



This species grows wild in hedges and dry uncultivated 

 places. It flowers during the latter part of the raiiis and tho 

 cold season. 



It is Cucumis indicus striatus opercula donata^ of Pluke- 

 net, t. Vil'2.f. I. which is a very good figure of it. 



Stems, leaves, inflorescence, andfloicers as in Luffa acutan- 

 gula. Fruit oblong-, tliree or four inches long, and one in 

 diameter, tapering equally towards each end, ten-angled, as 

 in L. acutangula, when ripe, dry, of a gray colour, and re- 

 plete with the same dry fibres ; the lid or stopple which till 

 then shuts up the apex drops off and the seeds fall out. 

 Seeds of a blackish gray colour, marked Avith elevated minute 

 black dots. 



Every part of this plant is remarkably bitter, the fruit is 

 violently cathartic and emetic. The juice of the roasted 

 young fruit is applied to the temples by the natives to cure 

 headach. The ripe seeds either in infusion or substance are 

 used by them to vomit and to purge. 



5. L. racemosa. R. 



Annual. Leaves round cordate, five-sided. Racemes 

 axillary, minute, inefiective, male flowers below, and many 

 fertile hermaphrodite ones over (he rest. Fruit short, cylin- 

 dric, obtuse, smooth, and marked with five flat longitudinal 

 ribs. 



Cultivated in the interior parts of Bengal, for its esculent 



4L2 



