122 THE FLORA OF THE ALPS 



spines ; lakes in the southern district ; rare. The re- 

 markable fruit of the Water-Nut is used for making 

 rosaries, and is not unfrequently found among the debris 

 of the ancient lake-dwellings of Switzerland. 



Order XXXVIL CUCURBITACE^E. 



Prostrate or climbing herbs with simple or branched 

 tendrils ; flowers unisexual ; calyx 5 - lobed ; petals 5; 

 usually very large ; stamens 3, often with connate 

 anthers; ovary entirely inferior, 3-celled; fruit a I -celled 

 many-seeded berry or " pepo," often very large and suc- 

 culent. A rather large order, chiefly tropical and sub- 

 tropical ; not alpine. 



i. BRYONIA, L. 



Flowers small, greenish-white; leaves 3-5-lobed or 

 angled ; climbing by simple tendrils ; berry small, globular. 



B. dioica, L., White Bryony; dioecious, with red berries ; 

 frequent in hedges. B. alba, L. ; monoecious, with black 

 berries ; Western and Southern Switzerland ; rare. 



Order XXXVIII. UMBELLIFER^. 



Flowers always small, usually regular, sometimes uni- 

 sexual, generally combined in simple or compound umbels, 

 with or without a whorl of bracts at the base of the com- 

 pound umbel (general involucre) or of each of its divisions 

 (partial involucre) ; calyx-lobes 5 or calyx-limb o ; petals 

 5, sometimes unequal, usually white; stamens 5, epigy- 

 nous ; fruit (cremocarp) consisting of two separable, dry 



