480 DICOTYLEDONES. 



and exstipulate; in their axils are found both flowers (singly, or in 

 an inflorescence) and a vegetative bud, and outside the axil, on the 

 anodic 1 side of the leaf, a simple or branched tendril, by which the 

 plant climbs (exceptions : e.g. Ecballium). 



The position of the flowers, branches and tendrils situated in and near the 

 leaf-axils is as follows. In the leaf-axils, a flower is borne (as a branch of the 

 first order), or $ , according to the conditions of the various genera. This 

 branch is not situated in the centre of the axil, but is removed slightly towards 

 the anodic side of the leaf. Of its two bracteoles as a rule only the one lying on 

 the anodic side is developed, namely as a tendril, which is displaced to a 

 position outside the axil. The branch of the first order bears on its catodic side 

 an inflorescence (in the axil of the suppressed bracteole), on the anodic side a 

 vegetative bud which grows out into a branch, like the main axis. The sub- 

 tending leaf of this branch is thus the tendril ; but when it has several arms 

 the condition is complicated by the appearance of an accessory bud which 

 unites with its subtending leaf, the tendril, its leaves also becoming tendrils 

 ^situated on an undeveloped internode) ; the many-branched tendril is thus a 

 branch, and the tendril-arms are its leaves, except the main arm which is its 

 subtending leaf. Other explanations of these difficult relations have been given. 

 The germination is somewhat peculiar,. owing to the fact that a heel-like pro- 

 longation is formed at the base of the hypocotyl to assist in separating the two 

 halves of the testa from each other, and to facilitate the unfolding of the 

 cotyledons. 



Cucurbita (Pumpkin, Marrow) has branched tendrils ; the flowers 

 are monoecious, and are borne singly ; the corolla is bell- shaped, and 

 divided almost as far as the middle. The stamens are all united 

 into a tube ; the compressed seeds have a thick, blunt edge. 

 Cucumis has (generally) unbranched tendrils ; the $ -flowers are 

 borne singly, whilst the ^-flowers are borne in groups : the corolla 

 is divided nearly as far as the base, and the stamens are united 

 2-2-1. The connective is elongated above the anthers. The seeds 

 have a sharp edge. Citrullus (Fig. 518) has a corolla similar to 

 Cucumis, but ty and <$ -flowers are borne singly ; the stigma is 

 only 3-lobed, the fruit most frequently spherical. Ecballium 

 (Squirting Cucumber, only 1 species, E. elaterium) has no tendrils, 

 and is therefore not a climber. The oblong fruit is pendulous 

 from the apex of its stalk, and when ripe is distended with an 

 acrid, watery fluid ; on being touched the fruit is detached, and the 

 seeds, together with the watery fluid, are violently ejected through 



1 11 we suppose a spiral line drawn through the leaves upwards on a stem 

 with scattered leaves (in the shortest way), then the side of the leaf first 

 touched is the catodic, or descending, and the other the anodic, or ascending 



