(332 ) 
are about equal so far as the degree of development is con- 
cerned. Cucumzs does not show the same degree of differ- 
ence in the development of the placenta and ovules which 
is characteristic of Cucurdzta and Crtrullus. A transverse 
section of the developing ovary shows fewer ovules and these 
more equally developed, and more uniformly placed with 
reference to the radii of the section. 
In Luffa the pistillate flowers are early differentiated from 
other lateral outgrowths by the usual features. Sepals, 
petals, staminodia and carpels may all be recognized in the 
longitudinal section of a young flower. Such a section 
through an ovary about one mm. in length shows the incipi- 
ent style and the downward prolongation of the placental 
lobes below the region of their origin. This prolongation 
may be one and a half times the length of the stylar canal 
at this stage. When the ovary has attained the length of 
three mm., slight elevations along the placental borders mark 
the origin of the ovules, which later appear in two ranks on 
each border. The stylar canal does not elongate in a propor- 
tional rate with the other structures, for in an ovary of this 
size it is barely one fourth of the length of the lobes of the 
placenta. The ovules gradually turn the micropyle toward the 
periphery of the ovary, but by the time the megaspore has 
undergone division the funicle of each ovule has become 
muchelongated. The ovules show an unequal rate of develop- 
ment, those on the proximal portions of the placenta being 
farther advanced than are those on its extreme borders. 
Benincasa and Lagenaria exhibit features in the develop- 
ment of pistillate flowers similar to those of Luffa and need 
not here be described in detail. In these, however, the pla- 
centa bears several rows of ovules instead of two as in Luffa. 
The ovules are much like those of Cucumis, borne on an 
elongated funicle. In other respects, however, they are 
much like those of most other members of this family, pos- 
sessing a broadly conical nucellus, with outer integument 
strongly developed and the inner one hardly visible except 
in younger stages. 
