604 LXV. CUCURBITACEJ;. (C. B. Clarke.) 



ORDER LXV. CUCURBITACE2E. (By C. B. Clarke, F.L.S.) 



Climbing herbs or shrubs ; tendrils solitary, lateral, spiral, simple or divided. 

 Leaves alternate, petioled, frequently cordate, simple lobed or pedately divided. 

 Flowers monoecious or dioecious, yellow or white, racemed and solitary, less com- 

 monly panicled. Calyx-tube wholly adnate to the ovary (except in Actino- 

 stemma) ; linfb rotate campanulate or tubular ; lobes 5 (rarely 3), imbricate. 

 Petals 5, inserted on the calyx-limb, united in a tube or nearly or quite free, 

 sometimes fimbriated at the margin, valvate or involute in the bud. Stamens 

 inserted at the mouth or about the middle or at the base of the calyx-tube, 

 usually 3 (sometimes 5 or 2) ; anthers free or united into a tube, one usually 

 1 -celled and the other two 2-celled, cells straight or flexuose or conduplicate, 

 the connective sometimes crested or produced. Ovary inferior (in Actinostemma 

 half-superior), usually 3-carpellary ; style 1 with 3 stigmas, more rarely styles 

 2-3-4 j placentas usually 3, vertical, in double lines, the edges of the carpellary 

 leaves being often turned in so far that the ovary (in flower time even) is spuri- 

 ously 3-celled ; ovules usually many, horizontal, rarely pendulous, sometimes 

 few and pendulous from near the top of the ovary (in Diccelospermum 3 erect 

 from the base of the ovary ?). Fruit generally berried or fleshy, indehiscent 

 or dehiscing by valves or by a stopple, often 1-celled, the seeds being often 

 packed in pulp or fibre. Seeds usually many, often compressed, horizontal, 

 pendulous (or in Diccelospermum erect), frequently corrugated or subspinose on 

 the margins, albumen 0. DISTRIB. Species 400, in the warmer parts of the 

 whole globe especially in the tropics. 



TRIBE I. Cucumerineae. Ovules horizontal (or pendulous). Female 

 flowers usually solitary, never panicled. Leaves not divided into distinct leal- 

 lets (except rarely in Thladiantha) . 



A. Anther-cells conduplicate or sigmoid. 

 * Corolla divided nearly or quite to the base into 5 petals. 

 t Petals flmbriate at their margin. 



Seeds 6. Calyx-tube 3-4 in 1. HODGSONIA. 



Seeds many. Calyx-tube less than 3 in 2. TBICHOSANTHES. 



tt Petals entire. 



a. calyx-tube of the male flower elongate ; anthers usually included in 



the tube or nearly so. 



Seeds many, horizontal. Tendrils rarely divided . 3. GYMNOPETALUM. 

 Seeds many, horizontal. Tendrils 2-3- fid. Petiole 



without glands 4. WAREA. 



Seeds 12-18, pendulous 5. HERPETOSPERMUM. 



Tendrils divided. Fruit very large. Petiole with 



2 glands at apex 6. LAGENARIA. 



b. Calyx-tube of the male flower short-, anthers usually exserted from 



the tube or nearly so. 



a. Stamens inserted near the mouth of the calyx-tube ; anthers 

 hardly or not at all cohering. 



