Oiidek 58.— CUCURBIT ACE^B. 363 



phous, surrounding tho stipo of tho ovary. Ovary superior, on a long stipe, 1-celled; 

 stylzs 3. Fruit many-seeded. (Illust. in figs. 48, 148, 371, 372.) 



Genera 12, specie* 210, chiefly natives of tropical America, but cultivated in many other conn- 

 tries as ornamental flowers. Tho fruit of the Q-ranadilla (Passiflora multiformis) is eaten in th» 

 W. Indies, and highly valued as a dessert, but the root is poisonous. 



PASSIFLO'RA, L. Passion Flower. (Lat. Jlos passionis ; the 

 several parts of the flower were compared to the instruments of the 

 Saviour's passion, viz., the cross, the nails, and the crown of tborns.) 

 Calyx colored, deeply 5-partcd, the throat with a complex, filamentous 

 crown ; petals 5 ; sometimes ; stamens 5, connate with the stipe of 

 the ovary ; anthers large ; stigmas 3, large, clavate, capitate ; fruit a 

 pulpy berry. — Climbing herbs or shrubs. Fls. large, of a singular and 

 wonderful structure. (Fig. 372.) 



1 P. ccerulea L. Shrubby; lvs. palmately and deeply 5-parted ; segm. linear- 

 oblong, entire, lateral ones often 2-lobed; pet. glandular, with a 3-braeteolate 

 involucre near the flower; bractlets entire; fil. of the crown shorter lhau the cor. 

 — Native of Brazil, where it grows to the thickness of a man's arm and to the 

 height of 30f. Fls. large and beautiful, blue externally, white and purple within, 

 continuing but one day. Fr. ovoid, yellow, f 



2 P. incarnata L. Lvs. deeply 3-lobed, lobes oblong, acute, serrate, petioles with 

 2 glands near the summit; bractlets of the involucre 3, obovate-glandular ; crown 

 triple. — Va. to Fla. Sts. climbing 20 to 30f. Fls. large and showy. Petals 

 white. Two outer rows of filaments, long, purple, with a whitish band, the inner 

 row of short rays, flesh-colored. Berry pale yellow, of the size of an apple, eata- 

 ble. May— Jl. 



3 P. lutea L. Lvs. glabrous, cordate, o-lobed, obtuse; petioles ivithout glands ; ped. 

 mostly in pairs ; pet. narrower and much longer than the sep. — A slender climber, 

 5 to 1 Of long, in woods and thickets, Ohio and S. States. Lvs. yellowish green, 

 nearly as broad as long. Fls. small and greenish 3-ellow. Corona in 3 rows, the 

 inner row a membranous disk with a fringed border. Fr. dark purple. May — JL 



Order LVIII. CUCURBITACE^E. Cucurbits. 



Serbs succulent, creeping or climbing by tendrils, with alternate leaves. Flowers 

 monoecious or polygamous, never blue. Calyx 5-toothed, adherent. Petals 5, united, 

 inserted on the calyx, tho lobes alternating. Stamens 5, distinct, generally coher- 

 ing in 3 sets. Anthers very long and wavy or twisted. Ovary inferior, 1-celled, 

 with 3 parietal placentas often filling the cells. Fruit a pepo or membranous. Seeds 

 flat, with no albumen, often ariled. (Fig. 442.) 



Genera GO, species 300, natives of tropical regions, only a few being found in the temperate 

 sones of Europe and America. A highly important order of plants, affording some of the most 

 delicious and nutritive fruit. A bitter laxative principle pervades the group, which is so concen- 

 trated in a few as to render them actively medicinal. The officinal colocynth is prepared from 

 the pulp of Cucumis Colocynthis, a powerful drastic poison. 



§ Corolla white,— 6-cleft. Stigmas 2. Fruit echinate Echinocystjs. 1 



— 5-petalled. Pepo smooth, many-seeded , Lagenaria. 2 



f. — 5-parted. Berry smooth, few-seeded Bryonia. 3 



— 5-lobed. Fruit prickly, 1-seeded Sicyos. 4 



§ Corolla yellow,— 5-lobed. Berry small, smooth, 00 -seeded Melothria. 5 



—5-lobed. Pepo large. Seeds thick at edge CrcuRBiTA. 6 



— 5- cleft. Pepo large.— Seeds colored, thick -edged Citrullus. 7 



— Seeds white, acute-edged Cucumis. 8 



1. ECHINOCYS'TIS, Torr. & Gray. (Gr. z%ivoe, sea urchin, Kvang, 

 bladder ; alluding to the spiny, inflated fruit.) Flowers monoecious. 

 Sterile fl. — Calyx of 6 filiform-subulate segments, shorter than the cor- 

 olla; petals 6 >t united at base into a rotate campanulate corolla; sta- 



