Cucurbitacece. 207 



vation. Amongst the more striking are : aurantiiformis, 

 Orange Grourd, in colour and shape exactly resembling an 

 orange ; Uinonis, Lemon Grourd ; malifdrmis, Apple Grourd ; 

 and pyriformis, Pear Grourd ; besides innumerable other dis- 

 tinct intermediate and small-fruited varieties. Lagendria 

 vulgdris includes those popularly known as Trumpet, Hercules' 

 Club, Plate de Corse, Siphon, and Bottle Grourds. Cucumis 

 erinaceus and C. myriocdrpus are respectively the Hedgehog 

 Cucumber and Grooseberry Grourd. Trichosdnthes colubrlna is 

 the Snake Grourd. The names are sufficiently descriptive of 

 most of those above enumerated, especially as many of them 

 are not distinguishable except by their fruits. The native 

 countries of most of the edible species cannot be given with any 

 degree of certainty. Of hardy perennial species we may cite 

 Abobra viridiflora, a native of Uruguay, with annual stems, 

 finely-cut leaves, and greenish-white stellate flowers succeeded 

 by small bright scarlet berries ; and Thladidntha dubia, with 

 cordate hirsute leaves, an abundance of medium sized yellow 

 flowers, and bright red fruits about the size and form of a hen's 

 egg. Both of the foregoing are dioecious. 



ORDER LI. BEGONIACEJE. 



This order comprises one vast genus, Begonia, containing up- 

 wards of 350 species, and one or two monotypic genera. The 

 species are mostly succulent herbs of variable habit and duration, 

 and many have perennial tuberous rhizomes. Leaves alternate, 

 simple, variously lobed or entire. Flowers often very showy, 

 white, rose, scarlet or yellow, unisexual and unsymmetrical. 

 Segments of the perianth 2 or more, all petaloid. Stamens 

 many ; filaments free or connate. Fruit capsular or baccate, 

 often angular and 3-winged. Seeds numerous, very minute. 

 Nearly all the species are tropical, but one or two from the 

 Andes have recently been introduced and distributed as hardy 

 plants, and one Chinese species needs only slight protection. 

 Many others may be planted out in Summer in sheltered 

 situations. 



1. B. Evansidna, syn. B. discolor. This is a very free- 

 flowering large-leaved caulescent species from China. The 

 leaves unequally cordate, sharply toothed, hispid above, and 



