128 PITTONIA. 



2Iarah, Kell. Proc. Calif. Acad. i. 38 (1854). Megarrhiza 

 (Torr.) Wats. Proc. Am. Acad. xi. 138 (1876). 



Four different names for this genus, it will be seen by the 

 above, were proposed between 1840 and 1876, by American 

 authors. And we had to wait for our friends at the British 

 Museum to show us, as one of them did in 1888,' that the 

 genus had been indicated, and well named, by Eafinesque in 

 the first decade of the century. 



The genus is a rather extensive one, especially if EcMno- 

 licpon be included ; and that is the view taken by specialists 

 who, as we suppose, are most competent to decide. It is also 

 still being augmented by the coming in of new species almost 

 annually from Mexico and South America. The following 

 occur in North America north of Mexico. 



1. M. LOBATA. Sicijos lohoici, Michx. PL ii. 217 (1803). 

 Momordica cchinata, Muhl. in Willd. Sp. iv. 605 (1805). 

 Micrampelis echinata, Kaf. 11. cc. (1808). Echinoajsiis 

 lohaia, Torr. & Gray, 11. cc. (1840); Cogn. in DC. Monogr. 

 Phaner. iii. 815. The eastern species and type of the genus, 

 from which the western all differ in being perennial and 

 having seeds only moderately compressed, their cotyledons 

 hypogcBous. Muhlenberg's name, Momordica ecMnnfn, was 

 first printed in 1793,' but entirely without description ; and 

 before the appearance of Willdenow's volume, in which both 

 the name and a good description are given, Michaux had 

 characterized the species as Sicyos lohcda ; hence priority of 

 publication lies with the name lohaia, rather than cchinaia. 



2. M 



Megari'Mza Gilensis, Greene, Bull. Torr. Club, viii.97 (1881). 

 Echinocjjsiis Gilensis, Greene, Bull. Calif. Acad. i. 189 ; Pitt. 

 i. 3. Smaller as to stem leaves and fruit than the preceding ; 

 but sharing the more essential peculiarities of the Pacific 



' Britteu, Jouru. Bot. xxvi. 261. 

 ^ Trans. Am. Pliilos. Soc. iii. 180. 



