158 KEY AND FLORA 



CUCURBIT A'CE^. Gourd Family 



Herbs, Avith succulent stems, climbing by tendrils. Leaves 

 palmately lobed, without stipules. Flowers monoecious or 

 dioecious. Calyx adnate to the ovary, with 5 lobes or teeth. 

 Corolla with petals more or less united. Ovary 3-5-celled, 

 stigmas 3-5-lobed. Fruit dry or fleshy. This family con- 

 tains the Squash, Melon, Cucumber, Pumpkin, and Gourd. 



ECHINOCYS'TIS (MEGARRHFZA, MICR AMPELIS) , Big Root, Chilicothe 



The California species are rapidly growing vines, springing 

 from enormous fleshy roots. Flowers small, white, monoe- 

 cious. Sterile flowers in racemes, at the base of which are 

 the solitary fertile flowers (often they are wanting). Corolla 

 wheel-shaped or bell-shaped. Fruit round or oblong, spiny, 

 the cells within with fibrous walls. Seeds round, flattened. 

 Cotyledons thick, not coming above the ground in germi- 

 nation. 



a. E. faba'cea Naudin. Flowers yellowish white, numerous; 

 fruit round, densely covered icith long, stout spines. Seeds 4. This is 

 the commonest species. 



b. E. ma'ra Cogn. Flowers larger and purer white than the 

 above, less numerous ; fruit pointed at both ends, sparingly covered 

 with spines. This is a more luxuriant plant than the preceding, and 

 is less common, found chiefly around San Francisco. 



c. E. Orego'na Torr. Fruit ovate-oblong, 1-2 inches long, sparingly 

 clothed with soft spines, with 3-4 cells, each 3-seeded. Fertile 

 flowers with abortive stamens. This is common in Washington. 



d. E. macrocar'pa Greene. Fruit oblong, densely covered with long, 

 rather soft, stout spines. Seeds several, more than Jf,. Central and 

 southern California. 



VALERIANAXEiE. Valerian Family 



Herbs with a disagreeable odor, opposite leaves without 

 stipules, and flowers in cymes. Calyx tube adnate to the 

 ovary, teeth none, or becoming feathery. Corolla with a tube 

 and a 2-lipped border. Stamens 1-3 on the corolla. Style 



