562 lxiv. cucuRBiTACEiE (hooker). \Muliia. 



Lower Guinea. Angola, Dr. Welwitsck! 



Nile Land. Abyssinia, Scltimper ! Dillon! JSchweinfurth ! Nile banks, Grant! 



Mozamb. Distr. Shire, &c., Dr. Kirk! 



The only species of the genus found in Natal, and an abundant Indian plant. 



30. MELOTHRIA, Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, i. 830. 



Flowers generally monoecious. Male : Racemose or cymose, jointed 

 on the peduncle. Calyx campanulate, 5-toothed. Corolla 5-partite. 

 Filaments 3, rarely 5, short, free, inserted within the calyx-tube; 

 anthers free or slightly cohering*, entire or 2-partite, one 1-celled, two 

 2-celled, rarely all 2-celled, cells straight, connective usually produced, 

 simple or 2-fid. Rudiment of ovary globose or annular. Female n. : 

 Solitary, usually on a long- capillary peduncle. Staminodes 3, some- 

 times antheriferous. Ovary ovoid globose or fusiform, acute or obtuse ; 

 style short, inserted in an annular disk ; stigmas 3, linear, dilated or 

 capitate, 2-lobed ; ovules many on 3 placentas. Berry small, on a 

 capillary peduncle, ovoid fusiform or beaked. Seeds many, rarely few, 

 flattened; testa coriaceous. — Usually slender prostrate or climbing 

 tropical herbs. Leaves entire lobed or palmatisect. Tendrils simple, 

 capillary. Flowers small, white or yellow. 



Stem in all the African species very slender, deeply grooved, with green ribs. 



Leaves deltoid or 3-lobed. Berry narrow fusiform 1. M. triductyla. 



Leaves deltoid, with acute angles. Berry globose 2. 31. triangularis. 



Leaves deltoid, with obtuse angles. Berry globose 3. 31. deltoidea. 



Leaves cordate. Berry globose 4. 31. cordifolia. 



1. M. tridactyla, lloolt.f Glaucous. Stems and branches smooth 

 or scabrid, ultimate capillary. Leaves 1^—4 in. broad, green, tri- 

 angular in outline, 3-lobed ; lobes narrow or broad, the lateral placed 

 at right angles with the middle one which is the longest, all obtuse or 

 acute, apiculate, almost quite entire, scabrid above, glabrous or scabrid 

 on the nerves beneath ; petioles short or long, sometimes hispid. Male 

 fl. : Peduncles capillary. Calyx shortly campanulate. Corolla J in- 

 diameter, yellow. Filaments very short ; anthers oblong, all 2-celled, 

 cells parallel, ciliate ; connective produced. Female fl. : Peduncles 

 J-2 in. Ovary very slender, long-beaked. Style slender. Fruit fusiform, 

 |-1 in. long, beaked at both ends. Seeds lenticular, y 1 ^ in. long, pale 

 brown. — 31. Thrvaitesii, Schweinf. Reliq. Kotschy. 44, t. 29, excl. syn. 

 and description of fruit. 



Lower Guinea. Angola, shady places, Golungo Alto, Dr. Welwitsch! Congo, 

 Burton ! 



Mozamb. Distr. Shupanga, Dr. Kirk! 



Capillary, leafless, axillary branches often bear both male and female flowers, and re 

 semble peduncles. The young leaves are triangular, as in 31. triangularis, but not 

 toothed as in that plant. Also found in Johanna Island. 



Schweinfurth refers this to 31. deltoidea, Thw., of Ceylon (not Benth.), from which it 

 differs widely in the ripe fruit. 



2. M. triangularis, Benth. Fl. Niprit. 367. Stems and branches 

 capillary, glabrous ciliate or scabrid. Leaves membranous, 1—3 in. 



