Order 56. Cucurbitacece. 12$ 



in India as in England. Of these, P. fcetida is very common, and 

 runs wild in many places. It is a hairy plant, with small white 

 flowers. The name " Passion flower " was due to resemblances, 

 which the mystical Fathers of the Church discovered more readily 

 than we can. The five anthers represented the five wounds of our 

 Saviour, the triple style the nails, the stalk of the ovary the main 

 pillar of the cross, and the thread-like corona, the glory round His 

 head. 



Carica papaya, the papaw tree, papawa, belongs to this order (fl".). 

 The fruit makes a very fair imitation of apple pie. The curious fact 

 seems well-established, that meat hung up under its shade quickly 

 becomes tender. 



ORDER 56. CUCURBIT ACE^ffi. Gourds. 



Climbing or prostrate herbs or shrubs, with solitary lateral 

 tendrils, leaves alternate petioled, generally cordate and lobed, 

 frequently rough; flowers unisexual, either on the same or 

 different plants, yellow or white, regular ; calyx tube wholly 

 united to the ovary, 5-lobed, petals 5, more or less united ; 

 stamens usually 3, filaments short and thick, style one with 3 

 thick stigmas ; fruit generally fleshy crowned by the scar of 

 the calyx, seeds many. 



This well-known order is extremely well represented all over 

 India. It is easily recognized as well by its foliage and tendrils as 

 by the structure of the flowers (Bentham) ; but from the great 

 general resemblance that runs through the family, it is often difficult 

 to distinguish the genera except by the fruit, which, in the large 

 majority of the species here given, is eatable. 



Note. The stamens in the genera here given are 3, except in Luffa, 

 where they are sometimes, and in Zanonia always, 5, but the filaments 

 are often so combined as to make a definite statement on this point 

 misleading. Of the anthers one is generally one -celled, and the others 

 two-celled. 



1. TRICHOSANTHES. Flowers white, males in racemes, females 

 solitary, petals much fringed at the margin, calyx tube long, 

 anthers long linear, ovary at the base of the calyx, seeds packed 

 in pulp. 



2. LUFFA. Calyx tube short, stamens sometimes 5, stigma 

 3-lobed, fruit fibrous when dry, opening by a lid at the top. 



3. MOMORDICA. Calyx tube and filaments short, style long, 

 fruit indehiscent or 3-valved. 



4. CUCUMIS. Flowers yellow, males clustered, females 

 solitary, calyx top-shaped or bell-shaped, style short. 



5. CITRULLUS. Flowers all solitary, calyx cup-shaped with 

 long teeth, style short, stigmas reniform. 



6. CEPHALANDKA. Flowers white, all solitary, calyx tube 



