542 lxiv. cucurbitace^ (hooker). [Oummis. 



16. CUCTTMIS, Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, i. 826. 



Monoecious, rarely dioecious. Male fl. : Fascicled or solitary. Calyx- 

 tube short; lobes subulate. Corolla campanulate, deeply 5-lobedor 

 -parted, lobes acute. Filaments short, free, inserted within the calyx- 

 tube ; anthers oblong, one 1-celled, two 2-celled ; cells flexuous or 

 conduplicate, rarely straight or curved, connective produced and papil- 

 lose at the apex. Rudiment of ovary glandular. Female fl. : Solitary. 

 Staminodes or subulate or reduced to glands. Ovary ovoid or glo- 

 bose ; style short, stigmas 3, sessile, 2-lobed, obtuse ; ovules many, on 

 3 or 5 placentas. Fruit subglobose, cylindric, terete or 3-gonous, 

 smooth warted or spiny, sometimes 3-valved. Seeds many, oblong, 

 compressed. — Annual or perennial-rooted, prostrate or climbing, hispid 

 or scabrid herbs. Leaves entire lobed palmate or pedate. Tendrils 

 simple, sometimes reduced to spines. Flowers yellow, usually small. 



An abundant tropical African genus, the species of which are very variable indeed and 

 difficult of identification. I have followed Naudin in the main in the method of treating 

 them, accepting his identifications and synonyms of the known species in almost ail 

 cases. I recognise two forms of seed m the genus. One lenticular elliptic-ovoid, com- 

 pressed, quite smooth, with convex surfaces and rounded not thickened margins ; the 

 other (confined to C. membranifolius and C. subsericeus) obovoid, contracted just above 

 the truncate small base, with thickened margins and depressed disk. Probably the 

 division into smooth and spinous fruited is not good, for the spines vary much in number 

 and size on each species. 



A. Fruit echinate spinous or tubercled. 



* Stem hispid, with long slender brittle hairs or bristles. 



Ovary prickly. Fruit elongate, with scattered tubercles . . 1 . C. sativus. 



Ovary prickly. Fruit ovoid, with long large conical processes . 2. C. metuliferas 



Ovary tomentose. Fruit subglobose, with soft spines . . . 3. C. dipsaceus. 



** Stem scabrid, with short white hairs and stout prickles. 



Leaves very scabrid, usually deeply 5-7-lobed. 



Green. Ovary aculeate. Fruit 4 in. densely spiny ... 4. C. Figarei. 



Ashy white. Ovary aculeate. Fruit 1|-2| in., with distant 



stout spines 5. C. pustulatus. 



Ashy white. Ovary aculeate. Fruit striped, 1 in., with soft 



spines 6. C. Prophetarum. 



Leaves entire or shallowly palmately lobed, not very scabrid. 



Leaves rather coriaceous, very hairy 7. C. subsericeus 



Leaves very membranous, slightly hispid 8. C. membranifolius. 



B. Fruit smooth, glabrous or pubescent. 



Ovary villous with dense white hairs, not prickly. 



Leaves green, broad, rounded, and lobed 9. C. Melo. 



Leaves white, very scabrid, sagittate 10. C. sogittatus? 



Ovary hispid, with acicular bristles 11. C. hirsutus. 



Ovary aculeate, and also with acicular bristles 12. C. lovgipes. 



1. C. sativus, Linn. ; Naud. in Ann. Sg. Nat. ser. 4 ; xi. 27. An- 

 nual; usually monoecious. Stem angular, sparingly branched, and 

 petioles and peduncles covered with spreading stiff hairs or bristles. 

 Leaves hispid, membranous, bright green, shortly palmatelv 3-5- 

 lobed, lobes triangular-ovate, acute or acuminate. Female n. : Pe- 

 duncle stout. Ovary narrow oblong, muricate with tumid rigid pungent 

 prickles. Fruit very variable in length and breadth, fusiform, ob- 



