252 



CUCURBITACEAE. 



[Vol,. III. 



5. SICYOS L. Sp. PI. 1013. 1753. 



Annual climbing vines, with branched tendrils, angled or lobed leaves, and small white 

 or green monoecious flowers. Calj-x-tube campanulate or cup-shaped, 5-toothed. Corolla 

 campanulate or rotate, 5-parted nearly to the base. Staminate flowers corymbose or racemose, 

 with 3 stamens, the filaments united into a short column, the anthers coherent; pistil want- 

 ing. Pistillate flowers several togetherin capitate long-pedunclcd clusters, with no stamens; 

 ovary oblong or fusiform, i-celled; ovule i, pendulous; style short, slender; stigmas usually 3. 

 Fruit spiny, iudehiscent. i-seeded. [Greek, a cucumber or gourd.] 



About 35 species, natives of America and Australasia. Besides the following, 2 others occur 

 in the southwestern states. 



I. Sicyos angulatus L. One-seeded Bur- 

 Cucumber. Star Cucumber. (Fig. 3489.) 



Sicyos angiilalus I1. Sp. PI. 1013. 1753. 



Stem angled, more or less viscid-pubescent, 

 climbing to a height of l5°-25°, or trailing. Peti- 

 oles stout, i'-4' long, pubescent; leaves nearly or- 

 bicular, rough on both sides, rather thin, deepU' 

 cordate at the base, 5-angled or 5-lobed, the lobes 

 acute or acuminate, the margins denticulate; stam- 

 inate flowers loosely corymbose or racemose, borne 

 on elongated peduncles; fertile flowers capitate, 

 their peduncles shorter; fruits sessile, 3-10 together, 

 yellowish, about yi' long, pubescent, armed with 

 slender rough spines. 



Along river banks and in moist places, Quebec and 

 Ontario to Florida, west to Minnesota, Kansas and 

 Texas. Naturalized in eastern Europe. Called also 

 Nimble Kate. Leaves sometimes 10' across. June- 

 Sept. 



Family 40. CAMPANULACEAE Juss. Gen. 163. 1789. 



Bell-klower Family. 

 Herbs (some tropical species shrubs or even trees), with alternate exstipu- 

 late entire dentate or rarelj' lobed leaves, acrid and usually milky juice, and 

 racemose spicate paniculate or solitarj^ perfect flowers. Calyx-tube adnate to 

 the ovary, its limb mostly 5-lobed or 5-parted, the lobes equal or slightly un- 

 equal, valvate or imbricate in the bud, commonly persistent. Corolla gamo- 

 petalous, regular or irregular, inserted at the line where the calyx becomes 

 free from the ovary, its tube entire, or deeply cleft on one side, its limb 5-lobed, 

 regular, or more or less 2-lipped, or corolla rarely divided into separate petals. 

 Stamens 5, alternate with the corolla-lobes, inserted with the corolla; filaments 

 separate or connate; anthers 2-celled, introrse, separate, or united into a ring or 

 tube. Ovary 2-5-celled (rarel)' 6-io-celled), with the placentae projecting from 

 the axis, or i-celled with two parietal placentae ; style simple ; stigma mostly 

 2-5-lobed, pilose by a tuft or ring of hairs, or glabrous; ovules anatropous. 

 Fruit a capsule or berry. Seeds very numerous and small; embryo minute, 

 straight ; endosperm fleshy. 



About 60 genera and 1500 species, of wide geographic distribution. 

 Corolla regular, campanulate or rotate: anthers separate. 



Corolla campanulate, rarely rotate; flowers all complete. i. Campanula. 



Corolla rotate; earlier flowers clcistogamous. 2. Legouzia. 



Corolla irregular; anthers connate around the style. 3. Lobelia. 



I. CAMPANULA L. Sp. PL 163. 1753. 



Perennial or annual herbs, with alternate or basal leaves. Flowers large or small, soli- 

 tary, racemose, paniculate, or glomerate, regular, complete, blue, violet, or white. Calyx- 

 tube hemispheric, turbinate, obovoid, or prismatic, adnate to the ovary, the limb deeply 5- 

 lobed or 5-parted (rarely 3-4-parted). Corolla campanulate or rotate, 5-lobed or 5-parted. 

 Stamens 5, free from the corolla; filaments usually dilated at the base; anthers separate. 

 Ovary inferior, 3-5-celled; stigma 3-5-lobed. Capsule wholly or partly inferior, crowned by 

 the persistent calyx-lobes, opening on the sides, either near the top, middle or bottom by 

 3-5 small valves or perforations, or tending to be iudehiscent in some species. [Diminutive 

 of the Latin cam pa 11 a, a bell.] 



About 250 species, natives of the northern hemisphere. Besides the following, some 8 others 

 occur in the soulliern and western parts of North .\merica; all known as Bell-flower. 



