526 LXII. OUCUKBlTACEiE. 



times angular, usually margined. — Disteib. Tropical Asia, N. Australia, 

 Polynesia ; species 40. 



Leaves entire. 



Male racemes with siiiall bracts 1. T. nervifolia. 



Leaves lobed or angled. 



Male racemes witii large bracts 2. T. 'pahnata. 



Male racemes ebracteate 3. T. cucumerina, 



1. Trichosanthes nervifolia, Linn. Sp. PI. (1753) p, 1008. 

 Perennial ; stems some\\liat woody below, much-branched ; branches 

 slender, striate, glabrous. Tendrils 2-fid, glabrous. Leaves 2-4 by 

 1-2| in., ovate-oblong (not lobed), acute, mucronate, the margins 

 minutely and remotely denticulate, glabrous on both surfaces, dark- 

 green above, paler beneath, base cordate ; main nerves 3 from the base, 

 the two lateral not quite reaching the apex, with strong secondary 

 nerves on the outside, the lowest pair of secondary nerves conspicuously 

 branching into the basal lobes of the leaf at either side of the sinus ; 

 petioles g-1 in. long. Male flowers in axillary 4-10-flowered corym- 

 bose racemes ; peduncles slender, sulcate, 1-2| in. long ; pedicels 4— i in. 

 long; bracts minute, caducous. Calyx-tube puberulous, |-1| in. long, 

 very narrow, about g in. wide at the mouth and ^-^in. w^de in the middle ; 

 teeth linear, acute, jy-j\j- in. long. Petals ovate-oblong, acute, the fimbria} 

 at the apex much branched and much longer than the blade of the petal, 

 doubled inwards in bud. Female flowers axillary, solitary, on short 

 ]3eduncles. Calyx-tube nearly 2 in. long, much produced above the ovary. 

 Fruit l|-3 in. long, ellipsoid, shortly beaked, tapering to both ends, 

 green with white lines when immature, scarlet when ripe ; pericarp thin. 

 Seeds semi-ellipsoid, g-| in. long, compressed, thickened at the margin, 

 each enclosed in an envelope of scarlet pulp. Fl. B. I. v. 2, p. 609 ; 

 Grab. Cat. p. 78 ; Trim. Fl. Ceyl. v. 2, p. 244 ; Watt, Diet. Econ. Prod, 

 v. 0, part 4, p. 84. 



KoNKAN : Graham. 



This is included ou the authority uf Graham (/. c). It has not apparently been 

 found by any other collector. I have seen no specimens from the Bombay 

 Presidency. — Distrib. S. India ; Ceylon. 



2. Trichosanthes palmata, Eoxh. Fl. Ind. v. 3 (1832) p. 704. 

 Climbing often to a height of 30 ft. ; stems robust, woody below, 

 branched, grooved, the older light-grey with scabrous spots, the younger 

 smooth, green. Tendrils 2-, more commonly 3-cleft. Leaves 2^-5 in. 

 long and about as broad as long, variable, usually palmately 3-5-lobed 

 to about the middle (more or less), dark-green above, paler beneath, 

 frequently with dark-colored circular glands scattered along the lower 

 side, glabrous, often scabrous with small scales above and on the nerves 

 beneath, base cordate ; lobes usually ovate-oblong, acute, more or less 

 dentate or serrate ; petioles 1-3 in. long, striate, puberulous or at 

 length glabrous. JVIale flowers in axillary 5-10-flowered racemes 

 6-9 in. long (rarely solitary) ; pedicels thick, erect, very short; bracts 

 1 in. long and more, broadly ovate, pale-green, many-nerved, fringed, 

 dotted with dark-green glandular spots. Calyx-tube Ih in. long, 

 pubescent, longitudinally striate ; teeth lanceolate, erect or spreading, 

 laciniate. Petals 1 in. long, wedge-shaped, fringed, exceeding the 

 calyx-teeth. Filaments slightly villous. Female floavers axillary, 



