Cucumis.] lxiv. cucurbitace^: (hooker). 543 



scurely 3-gonous, yellow-green, glabrous, covered with distant rounded 

 tubercles. 



Tropical Africa, cultivated in Abyssinia and elsewhere. The native country of the 

 cucumber is unknown. Can it be a form of C. metuliferus ? 



2. C. metuliferus, E. Mey. in Herb. Drege, Harv. et Sond. Fl. Cap. n. 

 495. Annual, deep green. Stem slender, angled, and petioles and 

 peduncles hispid with stiff white spreading penetrating bristles. Leaves 

 membranous, as long as or longer than broad, 2-4 in. diameter, pal- 

 mately 3-5-lobed, pubescent with appressed stiffish hairs above, below 

 subscabrio! • lobes short, triangular, acute, irregularly toothed. Ten- 

 drils stout. Male fl. : Calyx hispid. Anthers ciliate ; connective pro- 

 duced into a short broad glandular appendage. Female fl. : Ovary 

 covered with strong stout tumid prickles. Fruit 3-5 in. long, obscurely 

 3-gonous, oblong, fleshy, smooth, armed with few scattered long thick 

 conical hard-tipped \ in. spines, orange-red. Seeds (not seen) en- 

 veloped in a fleshy sac {Kirk) — Naud. in Ann. Sc. Nat. ser. 4, xi. 10. 

 0. Tinneanus, Kotschy et Peyr. PI. Tinn. t. viii. 



Upper Guinea. Niger river, Borgu, Barter ! 



Nile Land. Abyssinia, Schimperl 



Lower Guinea. Angola, Golungo Alto, Ambriz, and Pungo Andongo, Dr. Wel- 

 witsch ! 



Mozamb. Distr. Shumpanga, Shire river, &c, Dr. Kirk I (with good analysis 

 and notes.) 



Also found in Natal. Barter describes the fruit as bitter. 



3. C. dipsaceus, Ehrerib. in Naud. I.e. 25. Annual, pale bright 

 green. Stem slender, angled, and petioles and peduncles hispid with 

 slender stiff bristles. Leaves membranous, 2 J-4 in. broad, rounded or 

 oblong-reniform, obtusely 3— 5-sinuate or -lobed or quite entire, very 

 slightly toothed, shortly scabrid oh both surfaces. Tendrils rather stiff 

 below the middle. Male fl. : Calyx villous with soft spreading hairs. 

 Anthers with the connective produced into a long flat gland- tipped 

 appendage. Female fl. : very shortly peduncled. Ovary covered densely 

 with soft white velvety hairs. Fruit broadly ovoid, J in. long, most 

 densely clothed with soft spreading spines. Seeds small, \ in. long, 

 elliptic-oblong, pale brown, smooth, without thickened border or de- 

 pressed disk. — Naud. I.e., C. Bardana, Fenzl in Kotschy It. Nub. n. 99 ; 

 C. eognata, Fenzl, I.e. 107 ; C. ambigua, Fenzl, I.e. 352; Momordica 

 dasycarpa, Hochst. in Schimp. Hb. Abyss. No^ 1419 j C. Chate, L. ; 

 Schweinfurth, Hb. Gallabat, n. 108. 



Upper Guinea. Gambia, Ingram / 



Nile Land. Khartoum, Bromfield! Abyssinia, Schimper! Nubia, Kotschy ! 

 Gallabat, Schweinfurth ! 



Pulp intensely bitter, according to Naudin. The ovary densely covered with white 

 wool, resembles C. Melo, from forms of which I fancy it would be difficult to distinguish 

 flowering specimens. I have seen no fruits of C. cognata and ambigua, but have found 

 no reason to doubt their specific identity with either this or C. Melo. 



Schweinfurth (PI. Nilot. 17) refers O. ambigua, Fenzl, to C. Chate, L. (a form of O. 

 Melo), and C. Bardana, Fenzl, to O. sativus, L. (Fl. zEthiop. 63), possibly correctly. 



4. C. Figarei, Delile in Cat. Hort. Monsp. ex Naud. I.e. 16. Peren- 



