613 



Plants of the Punjab, 



Climbing Plants with Alternate Exstipulate Lobed Leaves. 



Petals united. 



the male, style thick, with 3 zigzag stigmas ; fruit 12-18 

 in. long, oblong, fleshy, v/ith a waxy bloom, seeds many, 

 oblong, flattened. The fruit is sometimes eaten as a vege- 

 table or cut into cubes crystalised and eaten as a sweet- 

 meat. 



Momordica 

 Charantia, 



Karela. 



Cucurbitace^. 

 P. B.I. ii. 616. 

 The Plams to 

 3,000 ft. 

 Cultivated. 



annual, young parts velvety^ tendrils ud divided ; 

 leaves 1-3 in. diam., circular, kidney-shaped, deeph^ cut 

 into 5-7 narrow almost pinnatifid lobes, thin, lobes toothed 

 with a short abrupt point on a straight edge narrowed to the 

 base, stalks 1-3 in. ; flowers 1 in. across, yellow, male and 

 female on the same plant, male flowers solitary on slender 

 stalks 2-4 in. long with a circular or kidney-shaped entire 

 bract at or below the middle, calyx tube short, bell-shaped, 

 lobes 5, ovate, short-pointed, corolla 5-lobed nearly to the 

 base, lobes f-f in., stamens 3, short, anthers at length 

 free, female flowers solitary on stalks equal in length to 

 the male one, with the bract near the base, style long, 

 stigmas 3 ; fruit 1-5 in. long, orange yellow, ovoid' narrow- 

 ing to both ends, ribbed lengthways with rows of 

 triangular tubercles, seeds | in., flattened, corrugate, on 

 the margm, immersed in red pulp. The fruit is cooked 

 and eaten as a vegetable, it is somewhat bitter. 



Momordica 

 balsamina, 



Cucurbitace^. 

 F. B. I. ii. 617. 

 The Plains to 

 3,000 ft. 

 Cultivated. 



like the last species, but leaves 3-5-lobed, lobes lobu- 

 late, bract on the male flower stalk near the top, toothed, 

 not entire, variegated, no bract on female flower stalk, 

 corolla lobes dark brown at the base, fruit a redder orange, 

 seeds nearly smooth. The fruit is eaten as a vegetable, 

 or as a pickle when young. 



Momordica dioica, 



Cucurbitace^. 

 p. B. I. ii. 617. 

 The Plains to 

 5,000 ft. 



like the last species, but perennial, roots tuberous, 

 male and female flowers on different plants, leaves not 

 so deeply lobed, male flower stalk 2-6 in., bracts near the 

 top, coAvl like, embracing the flower, calyx lobes oblong 

 with a narrow tip, corolla lobes 1 in., stamens 2-anthered, 

 2-fid half way down, female flower sialk equal to the male, 

 bract small, below the middle of the stalk, fruit shortly 

 beaked, densely clothed with soft spines. The fruit when 

 young is cooked in curries, the tuberous root is also cooked 

 as a vegetable, 



