Linnaan Society. 425 



clearly show the normal structure of Cucurbitaceous fruits to have a 



parietal placentation ; cavity of the ovarium filled with watery pulp, 

 that hardens as the fruit advances to maturity and becomes of the 

 consistency of a hard turnip, full of watery fluid that escapes in 

 large drops when the fruit is pierced. Ovules suberect, in pairs, 

 each pair collateral and at right angles to the radius of the ovary ; 

 of these the ovule next the axis ripens, and that next the circum- 

 ference of the ovary becomes accrete to the outer one and seldom 

 ripens. This position and oeconomy of the ovules is quite unique 

 in the order. Flowers about 4 inches long ; the limb 3 inches in 

 diameter, inodorous ; fringes of the petals 5-6 inches long. Calyx 

 with several deep brown polished tubercles or warts towards each 

 angle or tooth. Tube of the calyx lined v/ith a thickened disc, which 

 surrounds the style and is in contact with it ; it lines the staminal 

 tube of the male flower. Berry 6—10 inches across, of a fine deep 

 red-brown colour, covered with a very short tomentum ; pulp whitish. 

 Seeds erect, very large, each double, resembling a 2-celled nut, 

 covered with an adherent vascular pulpy coat, which penetrates deep 

 fissures in the free face of the larger seed. Testa hard, somewhat 

 porous ; the free surface of the larger seed deeply grooved in anasto- 

 mosing channels ; outer surface rather corky or spongy, inner hard, 

 smooth, polished. The testa is slit longitudinally down its base 

 towards the hilum for one half or one inch in the larger seed, and 

 has a smaller corresponding slit on the smaller nut. A compressed 

 prolongation of the endopleurum (which is very soft, thick and 

 corky) projects a little through this fissure, and the radicle points 

 towards it. Embryo flat, of the form of the seed, occupying a 

 narrow slit in the centre of the endopleurum, nearly as broad as the 

 cavity of the testa, surrounded by a delicate membrane. Cotyledons 

 plain, white, very oily ; radicle small, conical ; plumule 2-lobed, 

 lobes notched. The seeds are eaten by the natives of Sikkim, who 

 call the fruit Kat'hior pot. An original specimen is in Sir William 

 Hooker's herbarium, from Buchanan Hamilton, labelled as from 

 Penang, with the MS. name of " Trichosanthes Theba." Roxburgh's 

 trivial name of heteroclita has been retained, for though it was in- 

 tended by its illustrious author to imply that the plant varies from 

 its congeners of the genus Trichosanthes, it will apply sufliciently 

 well in future for a plant which is heteroclite in respect of the 

 natural family {Cucurbitaceee) , to which it undoubtedly belongs. 

 Blume's descriptions are quite insufhcient to determine whether it 

 belongs to his M. macrocarpu or hexasperma, or either. These 

 plants are no doi;^t congeners of Hodgsonia, and considering that 

 the H. heteroclita ranges from the level of the sea at Penang, lat. 6** 

 north to alt. 6000 feet in Sikkim, lat 27° north, the probabilities are 

 great that it is also found in Java. The leaves vary from 2-lobed 

 to 5-lobed, usually the latter, and the lobes are much acuminate, 

 rarely blunt, coarsely serrated towards the tips or quite entire. 



The genus is named in honour of B. H. Hodgson, Esq., F.L.S., 

 Resident at Darjiling, where the plant was discovered, and whose 

 scientific services in the Himalaya justly merit the honour of so 

 splendid a plant. 



