THE PUMPKIN, GOURD, AND SQUASH 



213 



137.) Calyx five-cleft and bell-shaped; corolla five-cleft and 

 bell- or wheel-shaped; stamens five, ovary inferior and one to 

 many chambered, developing into a many-seeded true berry 

 fruit. In many species the fruit is large and fleshy and edible. 

 Among the most important are : 



The cucumber {Cucumis sativus), which is of Asiatic 

 origin and was cultivated about three thousand years before 



Fig. 13S.— Uibhed type ..f (.-ant .1. 



the Christian Era. The muskmelon or cantaloupe (C. melo) 

 (Fig. 138), is indigenous to Asia and possibly tO' Africa. 

 It was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians and was known to 

 the early Greeks and Romans. The watermelon (Citrulhis 

 vulgaris) is a native of the torrid regions of Africa, but was 

 cultivated long before the Christian Era. It is now widely 

 distributed throughout the tropical and temperate zones. 

 The pumpkin, gourd, and squash — (CucurhUa melopepo) 

 flat squash, (C verrucosa) warty or long-necked squash, (C. 



