240 



INDUSTRIAL PLANTS 



readiness with which masses of the plant absorb and retain 

 moisture. 



71. Woody fibers as here understood, are either slender 

 twigs with the bark removed, or timber mechanically re- 



FiG. 225. — Vegetable Sponge (Liiffa wgyptiaca. Gourd Family, Cunirhita- 

 cece). Tip of vine showing leaves, tendrils, and young flowers, J. 

 Staminate flower, with corolla spread open. Pistillate flower, cut 

 vertically. Fruit, h- Same, cut across. (Redrawn from Duthie and 

 Fuller.) — .\nnual vine; leaves rough; flowers yellow; fruit 30-100 cm. 

 long, greenish with ten darker ribs. Native home, tropics of the Old 

 World. 



