158 KEY AND FLORA 



CUCURBIT A'CE.aL GOURD FAMILY 



Herbs, with succulent stems, climbing by tendrils. Leaves 

 palmately lobed, without stipules. Flowers monoecious or 

 dioecious. Calyx adnate to the ovary, with 5 lobes or teeth. 

 Corolla with petals more or less united. Ovary 3-5-celled, 

 stigmas 3-5-lobed. Fruit dry or fleshy. This family con- 

 tains the Squash, Melon, Cucumber, Pumpkin, and Gourd. 



ECHINOCYS'TIS (MEGARRHFZA, MICRAMPELIS) , Big Root, Chilicothe 



The California species are rapidly growing vines, springing 

 from enormous fleshy roots. Flowers small, white, monoe- 

 cious. Sterile flowers in racemes, at the base of which are 

 the solitary fertile flowers (often they are wanting). Corolla 

 wheel-shaped or bell-shaped. Fruit round or oblong, spiny, 

 the cells within with fibrous walls. Seeds round, flattened. 

 Cotyledons thick, not coming above the ground in germi- 

 nation. 



a. E. faba'cea Naudin. Flowers yellowish white, numerous; 

 fruit round, densely covered with long, stout spines. Seeds 4. This is 

 the commonest species. 



b. E. ma'ra Cogn. Flowers larger and purer white than the 

 above, less numerous ; fruit pointed at both ends, sparingly covered 

 with spines. This is a more luxuriant plant than the preceding, and 

 is less common, found chiefly around San Francisco. 



c. E. Orego'na Torr. Fruit ovate-oblong, 1-2 inches long, sparingly 

 clothed with soft spines, with 3-4 cells, each 3-seeded. Fertile 

 flowers with abortive stamens. This is common in Washington. 



d. E. macrocar'pa Greene. Fruit oblong, densely covered with long, 

 rather soft, stout spines. Seeds several, more than 4- Central and 

 southern California. 



VALERIANA'CE.a. VALERIAN FAMILY 



Herbs with a disagreeable odor, opposite leaves without 

 stipules, arid /Sowers in cymes. Calyx tube adnate to the 

 ovary, teeth /none, or becoming feathery. Corolla with a tube 

 and a 2-lipped border. Stamens 1-3 on the corolla. Style 



