948 



Bivicda, Giertu. Lv; 

 branoiis, 4-8 in. l<»iit;. 

 ovary S-celled; sei-<] uv<> 

 ana. — Var. an^sti!61ia 

 Ti-ES of the W. Imlies. 

 acute at both end.*. Fig 

 Calif. 



. elliptic-obovate, obtuse, raem- 



!'■.-;{ in. wide: calyx 5-parted: 



.id ;.'l<.b"se. Brazil, French Gui- 



iMiiii., is the Egg Fruit or 



it lias elliptic-lanceolate Ivs., 



1H22. Cult, in S. Fla. anil «. 



W. M. 



1321. Lucutna mammosa (X 



Luc 



1 m mn.in , the " Mammee Sapota " of Jamaica, 

 is the fruit nf a tree f.iuTi.l wild also in Cuba and the 

 northeastern ]i:irt ..f S. Aiuerii'a. The tree is ornamen- 

 tal, aljuut :)() ti-et high, of a pyramidal shape. It is occa- 

 sionally seen where it was originally planted in pas- 

 tures near dwelling houses, but except for the droppings 

 from cattle and horses, it receives no other cultivation. 

 It requires a good deep soil and an annual rainfall of 

 about 70 inches. The flowers are cream-colored, about 

 i4 inch long, springing directly from the bark. The 

 fruit is about G inches long, with usually only 1 seed. It 

 has a russet-colored rough skin. The flesh is of a dark 

 yellowish red color, soft and sweet ; it has been compared 

 to a very ripe pear, but is more luscious. Marmalade is 

 made from the fruit, whence the name of "Marmalade 

 I'l"'"-" Wm. Fawcett. 



LUDWiGIA (C. G. Ludwig, botanist and botanical 

 author at Leipzig, 1709-1773). Onagrdcece. About 25 

 species of aquatic or semi-aquatic small herbs, widely 

 distributed in temperate and warm climates. Fls. small 

 and inconspicuous in the axils of the leaves, the parts 

 usually in 4's. Lvs. mostly small and mostly entire or 

 very nearly so, usually not distinctly petioled. The 

 stems are often creeping, sometimes floating. The op- 

 posite-lvd. species are by some referred to the genus 

 Isnardia. The Ludwigias have little standing as horti- 

 cultural subjects. They are sometimes useful in bog 

 gardens, and one is advertised for aquaria. Three spe- 

 cies are in the Amer. trade. 



A. Leaves opposite. 



palustris, Ell. {Isnardia palilstris, Linn.). Water 

 Purslane. Trailing in muddy places or floating on shal- 

 low water, rooting at the joints: lvs. oval or oval-ob- 



LUFKA 



long, narrowed into a short petiole: fls. very small, 

 usually reddish. — Widely distributed in this country; 

 offered as a bog plant. 



Millertii, Mulertt. Lvs. lance-oblong, usually nar- 

 rowed into short ]>etinles, entire: fls. yellow: fr. oblong, 

 truncate on tup. ■> in. long. — Int. from S. Araer. by 

 Hugo Muh-rtt. tiieii of Cincinnati, and described in 

 "Isis" (pulilished in (iermany) in 1880 or 1881, and also 

 in the "Aquarium," Vol. III. p. 43, 64. It is now widely 

 distributed amongst growers of aquarium plants. It 

 seems not to have been studied by systematic botanists. 

 It is prized for its graceftil habit and because it is ever- 

 green. Grows well from cuttings and from seeds. 



aa. Leaves alternate, 

 altemifdlia, Linn. Seed-box, or Rattle-box. An 

 erect shrub, 2-3 ft. or more tall, in appearance not unlike 

 an Epilobiura: lvs. lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, nar- 

 rowed below, entire or sometimes with mere sugges- 

 tions of teeth : fls. large for the genus (K in. across), 

 with yellow caducous petals: capsules large, square in 

 cross "section. Bogs in eastern states. — Interesting, but 

 not sh.iwy. L. H. B. 



LU£H£A ( F. Karl van der Liike, Austrian botanist in- 

 terested in the Cape of Good Hopel. Tilictce(v. About 

 16 species of trees and tall shrubs from the warmer 

 parts of America with usually toothed lvs. and handsome 

 white or rosy fls. borne in a terminal panicle, or some- 

 times in the axils; sepals and petals 5; stamens numer- 

 ous, the outer ones often without anthers : ovary 5- 

 celled; capsule rather woody, loculicidally semi-5-valved. 

 An undetermined species is advertised in Santa Barbara, 

 1900, from Paraguay. France.schi writes that the inner 

 bark is used generally in Paraguay instead of string. 

 Luehea is al.so spelled Luhea, and the genus of this 

 name of the V'erbenaeeae is a South African genus re- 

 ferred to Stilbe. 



LUFFA {Luff is the Arabic name). Cucnrbitdcea^. 

 ]<\(. liouKD. Dishcloth Gourd. Vegetable Sponge. 

 Six species (according to Cogniaux, Vol.3. DC. Monogr. 

 Pliaiirr.) of annuni tendril ciimtiing herbs, inhabiting 

 the tropics (if till- 1 >l'l :iiid N. \v Wiirlils. Fls. monoecious, 

 the staiiiinate ones iii ;i [imiu— t:ill\ed raceme or cluster, 

 the pistillate ones soliiMiyaiid shnrter-peduncled; calyx 

 bell-shape or top-shape, strongly 5-lobed ; corolla of 5 

 soft yellow or whitish petals, sometimes ragged-edged ; 

 stamens usually 3, borne in the calyx tube: fr. a long, 

 gourd-like pepo, becoming dry when ripe and the fibrous 

 interior sponge - like. Known south' as " California 

 Okra." 



Of late years, the Luffas have come into prominence in 

 American gardens, being an importation from the trop- 

 ics and China and Japan. In other countries, the fruit 

 is eaten when young, being cooked like squash or served 

 The young fruit is sometimes sliced 



Georgeson, A.G. Sept., 1892, and Bailey, 

 Exp. Sta. ) In this country, Luffas are 



ir curiosity and ornament. The fibrous 

 t, when bleached and prepared, 

 ir the bath and for scrubbing 

 >onge"). The culture is the 

 and melons. They are tender 



anddrir.i. 

 Bull. liT.C 

 grown nicstiy tn 

 interior of tin- d 

 is used as ;i sj 

 (whence "V.-e 

 same as for cue 



plants, running 10 to 15 ft. The Luffas are widely dis- 

 persed in the tropics as cultivated plants. The genus 

 divides itself into 2 groups, — those species {L. JEqyp- 

 tiara and L. arntangula} with fruits not spiny or tuber- 

 culate, and those with spiny fruits. Only the following 

 species are known to be in cult, in this country: 



.ffigyptlaca. Mill. {L. cylindrica, Roem. L. Petbia, 

 Ser. L. IVMc/iU, Naud. L. fmtida, Hort. [at least in 

 part], notCav. L. FabiAna, Japdnica, MexicAiia [t] and 

 noctiflora nlba,KoTt.). Naga ito-uri of Japanese. Sua- 

 KWA of Chinese. The commonest Dishcloth Gourd: 

 stems slender-running, furrowed, roughened: Ivs. 

 roundish in outline, mostly 15-lobed, coarsely toothed, 

 very scabrous above and beneath : staminate fls. 2-3 in. 

 across, wilting in the sun: ovary cylindrical or clavate, 

 pubescent, destitute of distinct ridges, ripening into a 

 slender, cylindrical, curved fruit 1-2 ft. long. Probably 

 native to the Old World, but widely distributed in the 

 tropics. A.G. 13:526. 



