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. 138. Ribbed type of cantaloupe. 



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 Eomans. The watermelon (Citrullus 

 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 (Cucurbita melopepo) 

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



