CUCURBITALES.] 



CUCURBITACE^. 



311 



Order CV. CUCURBITACE^.— Cucurbits. 



Cucurbitaceae, Juss. Gen. 393. (1789) ; Aug. St. Hil. in Mem. Mus. 9. 190-221. ; DC. Prodr. 3. 297.— 

 Schrad. in Linncea, 12. 401. ; Endi. Gen. ccii. ; Meisncr, p. 126. ; Wight's Illuslr. 2. p. 24 ; 

 Arnott in Hooker's Journal, 3. 271. — Nandliirobeae, Aug. de St. Hil. 1. c. (1823) ; Turpin Diet, des 

 Sc Atlas. ; Endl. Gen. cci. 



Diagnosis. — Cucurhital Exogens, vnth monopetalous flowers, sti-ictly parietal placentce, and 



pulpy fruit. 



Roots annual or perennial, fibrous or tuberous. Stem brittle, climbing by means of 

 tendrils formed by abortive stipules \ Leaves usually palmated, or with palmate ribs, 

 very succulent, covered with 

 numerous asperities, some- 

 times ternate. Flowers white, 

 red or yellow ; occasionally 

 small and herbaceous. Flow- 

 ers (J $ . Calyx 5-toothed, 

 sometimes obsolete. Corolla 

 5-pai*ted, scarcely distinguish- 

 able from the calyx, very 

 cellular, with strongly marked 

 reticulated vems, sometimes 

 fringed. ^ Stamens 5, in- 

 serted on the corolla, and al- 

 ternate with its segments, 

 rai'ely 3 or 2, either distinct, 

 or monadelphous, or so com- 

 bined that 4 join in pau's 

 and the fifth remains free ; 

 anthers 2-celled, very long and 

 sinuous. $ Ovary adherent, 

 1 -celled, with 3 parietal pla- 

 centae, which often project into 

 the cavity, and unite there 

 into a soUd centi'al column, 

 while the ovules remain at- 

 tached to the free edges; 

 ovules occasionally only one 

 and pendulous, usually hori- 

 zontal, anatropal ; style short ; 

 stigmas very thick, velvety, 

 lobed or fringed. Fruit 

 moi'e or less succulent, 

 cro\Mied by the scar of the 

 calyx. Seeds flat, ovate, enve- 

 loped in a skin, which is either 

 juicy, or dry and membra- 

 nous ; testa coriaceous, often 

 thick at the margin, sometimes 

 winged ; embryo flat, with no 

 albumen ; cotyledons folia- 

 ceous, veined ; radicle next 

 tlie hilum. 



Cucurbits are placed by 

 Auguste de St. Hilaire and De 

 Candolle between Myrtles, to 

 which they appear to have 

 little affinity, and Passion- 

 worts, to which they are so 

 closely allied,that they scarcely 



diff"er, except in theii* sinuous CCXVJ 



stamens, adherent ovary, ig- - 



unisexual flowers, and exalbuminous seeds, the habit of both being much the same. By 



Fig. CCXV. 



Fig. CCXV.— Bryonia dioica. 

 Fig. CCXVI.— Coccinia indica. 



a flower; 2. stamens; 3. stigmas; 4. sectionof seed. — Wight. 



