048 LUCU.MA 



Kivicba, Gsertn. Lvs. elliptic-obovate, obtuse, mem- 

 branous, 4-8 in. long, 1%-i in. wide: calyx 5-parted: 

 ovary Scelled: seed ovoid-globose. Brazil, French Gui- 

 ana.— Var. angustifolia, Mart., is the Egg Fbuit or 

 Ti-ES of the W. Indies. It has elliptic-lanceolate lvs., 

 acute at both ends. Fig. 1322. Cult, in S. Fla. and S. 

 Calif. W. M. 



i 



LUFFA 



long, narrowed into a short petiolt-: tls. very small, 

 usually reddish. — Widely distributed in this country; 

 offered as a bog plant. 



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

 rowed into short petioles, entire: fls. yellow: fr. oblong, 

 truncate on top, % in. long.— Int. from S. Amer. by 

 Hugo Mulertt, then of Cincinnati, and described in 

 "Isis" (published in Germany) 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 graceful habit and because it is ever- 

 green. Grows well from cuttings and from seeds. 

 AA. Leaves alternate. 



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

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

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

 rowed below, entire or sometimes with mere sugges- 

 tions of teeth : fls. large for the genus {% in. across), 

 with yellow caducous petals : capsules large, square in 

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

 not showy. l. h. B. 



LUEHfiA(F Karl vin der Llike A.u'.trinn botnni tin 

 tere^ted m the C ipe of t ood Hop* ) Iilut a Vli)ut 

 II sptdes of trefs <ind till shiubs from tlic «unnLr 

 I irt of \mt-ru twifhii n ilh to tliell\ md h,indsome 



Liiciima inn m m o.sn , the " Mammee Sapota " of Jamaica, 

 is the fruit of a tree found wild also in Cuba and the 

 northeastern jiart of S. America. The tree is ornamen- 

 tal, about 30 feet hi(;h, 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 

 }4 inch long, springing directly from the bark. The 

 fruit is about (i 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''"™-" Wm. Fawcett. 



LUDWiGIA (C. G. Ludwig, botanist and botanical 

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

 species of aquatic or semi-aquatic small herbs, widely 

 distributed in temperate and warm climates. Pis. small 

 and inconspicuous in the axils of the leaves, the parts 

 usiially 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 adverti.sed for aquaria. Three spe- 

 cies are iu the Amer. trade. 



A. Leaves opposite. 



paliistris, Ell. (IsniirSia palilstris,lAnn.). Water 

 PUKSLANE. Trailing in muddy places or floating on .shal- 

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



n til ut 1 n ti n Hiih lit iitli IS ovarv 5 



II 1 i; 111 1 itii i« hi uli ilill\ emiSvahed 

 Vn undetermined species is ad% ertised in Santi Barbari, 

 I'lno from Paraguay Franceschi writes that the inner 

 bark is used generally in Paraguay instead of string 

 Lnehea is also spelled Luhea and the genus of this 

 name of the Verbenacese is a South African genus re 

 ferred to Stilbe 



LIJFFA (Tii 



thf 



Arabic name) Ciiriirlnt<\cea: 



bell shape or top shape stiongly 5 lobed corolla of 5 

 soft yellow or whiti'^h 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 



Okr 



sponge 



like. Kn 



'California 



Of late years, the Luffas have come into prominence in 

 American gardens, being an impnrt:iTiM'i t'i-'.,n t)u- trop- 

 ics and China and Japan. In otli'f ■ ■ "" ' " 'I ' fruit 

 is eaten when young, being cooke.l 1 1 ! i nved 



in soups and stews. The young fniii -liccd 



anddried. (See Georgeson, A.G. Si [ii., i-lv hihI i;,iilcy. 

 Bull. 67, Cornell Exp. Sta.) In this c.niiitry. Lutfns are 

 grown mostly for curiosity and ornament. The fibrous 

 interior of the dried fruit, when bleached and prepared, 

 is used as a sponge for the bath and for scrubbing 

 l( whence "Vegetable Sponge"). The culture is the 

 same as for cucumbers and melons. They are tender 

 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 ( i. jEgyp- 

 tincit and L. aciitangula) 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: 



.Sgyptlaca, Mill. {L. cylindrica, Roem. L. Petbla, 

 Ser. L. Veltchii, Naud. L. fwlida, Hort. [at least in 

 part], notCav. L. FabiAna, Japdniea, MexlcAna [?] and 

 noctiflbra d1ba,'RoTt.). Naoa iTO-URi of Japanese. Sua- 

 KWA of Chinese. The commonest Dishcloth Gourd: 

 stems slender-running, furrowed, roughened: lvs. 

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

 very scabrous above and beneath: staminate fis. 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. 



