80 NATURE STUDY AND AGRICULTURE 
To this family belong many of our weeds, such as the com- 
mon wild mustard, tumbling mustard, black mustard, pepper- 
Z grass, false flax, shepherd’s 
purse; also such garden 
vegetables as the radish, 
turnip, rutabaga, and cab- 
bage, and such flowers as 
the sweet alyssum and 
a, Complete flower. nye 
b, Parts shown in proper order: 1, se- The Gourd Family.— 
pals; 2, petals; 3, stamens; 4, the pistil. Plants of this family are 
vines with tendrils, and have two kinds of flowers, the male 
or staminate, and the female or pistillate, both kinds growing 
on the same plant. 
The pumpkin and 
squash are the most 
suitable forstudy. All 
the flowers have a 
funnel-shaped corolla. 
The stamens in the 
male flower are united 
into a single mass of 
irregular shape, and 
the pistil in the female 
flower consists of an 
ovary with two or 
a, Common wild mustard; b and c, the same three stigmas. The 
pod as it bursts open to discharge the ripened seeds are compara- 
seeds; d, Tumbling mustard; e, French weed; tivel large and 
f, Shepherd’s purse; g, Peppergrass; h, false flax. y 8 
usually flat. The 
group includes the pumpkin, squash, muskmelon, water- 
melon, cucumber, gourd, and the wild or prickly cucumber. 
FLOWER or WiLp MustTARpD 
~ad 
TyricaL SEED Pops or MusTarp FAMILy 
