458 . DICOTYLEDONEÆ. LUFFA. 
via ? longicirrha Miq.! Prol. Fl. Jap. p. 12. — Luffa Veitchii Naud. 
in Rev. hort. 1873, p. 58. 
Caulis scandens, ad altitudinem 3-6 metr. et ultra assurgens, 5- 
angulosus, glaber, ad angulos scaber. Petiolus robustus, 10-12 cent. 
longus, angulosus, scaber. Folia intense viridia, 15-25 cent. longa 
lataque, lobis triangularibus vel lanceolatis, sinuatu-denticulatis; 
sinus basilaris rotundatus, 4-6 cent. profundus, 2-3 cent. latus ; nervi 
ac vens infra valde prominentes. Cirrhi elongati, robusti, leviter 
pubescentes, rarius 2- vel 4-5-fidi. Flores masculi et feminei in eadem 
axilla. Inflorescentia mascula 15-20-flora, 10-15 cent. longa, ad basim 
bracteolata; pedicelli 1-2 cent. longi, ad quartam partem superiorem 
peduneuli communis inserti, prope apicem articulati, bracteolam lan- 
ceolatam, elandulosam, 3-4 mill. longam ad quartam partem inferio- 
rem gerentes. Calyx leviter pubescens, tubo brevi, late campanulato, 
non anguloso, segmentis lanceolatis, non carinatis, tubo paululum 
longioribus. Petala patula, oblongo-cuneiformia, ad apicem rotundata 
vel vix emarginata, sat fortiter 3-5-nervata, 2-3 cent. longa, l-l'/, 
cent. lata. Stamina 3, 1 unilocularis, 2 bilocularia, vel 5 unilocularia; 
filamenta 6-8 mill. longa, ad basim leviter villosa. Pistillodium glan- 
dula concava. Pedunculus femineus robustus, 2-10 cent. longus. 
Staminodia 3-5. Fruetus 15-30 cent. longus, 6-10 cent. crassus, fusi- 
formis, cylindrieus vel obscure trigonus, rarius ovoideus, vertice 
obtusus vel breviter acutus, lineis 10 atrovirentibus longitudinaliter 
inscriptus, verrucis longis sed non prominentibus coopertus; reti 
interiore tenacissimo. Semina compressa, aterrima aut rarius spurto- 
alba, 12 mill. longa, 8-9 mill. lata, 2-2'/, mill. crassa, margine ali- 
formi !/,-1 mill. lato circumcincta. 
In omnibus regionibus tropicis orbis veteris indigena ; in regionibus 
tropicis Americæ frequenter culta et subspontanea. In Senegambia 
(Chassaniot; Leprieur; Heudelot n. 217); in Guinea (Thonning n. 278); 
in Nigritia (Vogel n. 41, 78; Barter n. 980); in Angola (Monteiro; 
Welwitsch n. 800, 818); in Africa centrali, reg. Djur (Schwei 
n. 1044, 1065, 2327) ; ad Rovuma River (Meller); ad Kazeh (Grant): 
in insul. Mayotte (Boivin n. 3305); in insul. Mauritia (Commerson): 
in Cordofan (Figari); in Nubia (Figari); in Arabia ad Mor (Ehrenberg); 
in Persia inter Meschhed et Herat (Bunge); in India orientali (Rox- 
burgh; Royle; Rottler; Wallich n. 6688 F, 6715, 6736 A, 6751, 
6754, 6755, 6757, 6758; Wight n. 1106, 1115 part., 1116 part. ; Edge- 
worth n. 70; Hook. f. et Thomson; Ritchie n. 316/,, 316/,, 1759, 1760; 
Pl. Ind. or. ed. Hohenacker n. 530, etc.); in Ceylon (Thwaites 
