COMPARATIVE ANATOMY OF THE CUCURBIT ACE Jî. 25 



slemma racemosum Ilelothria japonica and Gymnoüemma cissoides 

 contain large spindle-shawled starcli-grains as a product of assimila- 

 tion (PI. III. Fig. 41). 



3Iid-rihs. The median line of the upper siirflice of the mid- 

 ribs is always raised into a ridge, ^Yhere the collenchyma is 

 well-developed, and of the species of the Cucurbitaceœ under 

 consideration, the one having the highest and sharpest rido-e is 

 Gymnostemma cissoides. 



The fibro-vascular bundles of the mid-ribs near tlie pi'oximal 

 portion are arranged in six ways : the first type has a sinole 

 bundle situated at the centre of the mid-rib (PI. III. Fio-. 43); 

 the second has two bundles one above the other (PL III. Fi«-. 

 44) ; the third has three bundles, a larger one at the centre, tlie 

 other smaller two on each side and above (PL III. Fig. 45) ; 

 the fourth also has three bundles, but they are arranged in a 

 straight line drawn from above downwards, the uppermost l)undle 

 being the smallest, while the lowest is the largest (PL III. Fig. 

 46) ; the fifth has four bundles, and is distinguished from the 

 third type by having one more small bundle at the upper part 

 of the central one (PL III. Fig. 47) ; the sixth has seven bundles, 

 the largest bundle being undermost, and the other smaller six on 

 each side and above (PL III. Fig. 48). Actlnostemma racemosunn 

 and Schizopepon hryoniœfolius, var. japonicus belong to the first ; 

 Melothria japonica, to the second ; Gymmosteinma cissoides, to the 

 third ; Cucumis saiivus, C. Melo, Benincasa cevifera, Lagenaria 

 vulgaris, to the fourth ; 3Iomordica Cfiarantia, Luffa cylindrica, 

 L. acutangula, Trichosanthes cucumeroides, T. japonica and T. 

 mulliloha, to the fifth ; CHrulltis rulgaris and Oucurbita Pepo, to 

 the sixth, 



