CALYCIFLOR^ 223 



3 parietal placentas. Fruit usually a berry or open- 

 ing circumcissilely {Luffa eegyptiaca) or by valves 

 {Momordica Charantid). Mostly tropical. 



Common plants are shasha or khira or Cucumber 

 {Cucumis sativus), kankur or kharbuza or phuti or 

 Melon (Cucumis Meld) (fig. 192), tarmuz or Water 

 Melon {Citrullus vulgaris), patal or Palwal {Tricko- 

 santhes dioica), chichinga or hopa or Snake-gourd 

 (Trichosanthes anguina), makal (Trichosanthes pal- 

 rnatd), jhinga {Luffa acutangula), dhundul {Luffa 

 cegyptiacd), chal-kumrha or deshi-kumrha {Benincasa 

 cerifera), belati-kumrha or Gourd or Sweet Marrow 

 {Cucurbita maxima), uchhe and karala {Momordica 

 Charantid), kakrole {M. cochinchinensis). Bottle- 

 gourd or lau or kadoo {Lagenaria vulgaris), tela 

 kucha {Cephalandra indica), which bears deep-red 

 globular fruits much eaten by parrots and crows. 

 Notice that although the Order is Calycifloral, the 

 corolla is in some species gamopetalous, as in 

 Corolliflorce or GamopetalcB. 



When shasha is in flower, the plant is visited by 

 a reddish -yellow fly known as a lady-bird. These 

 insects fly about from flower to flower to feed on the 

 honey secreted within the corolla-tube, and thus carry 

 the pollen-grains from the male flowers to the stigma 

 of the female flowers. Note also how the yellow 

 flowers of jhinga open towards the evening and close 

 again next morning (pseudo-cleistogamous), and how 

 they are visited by small midges, which no doubt 

 pollinate the flowers. The plants of this order, 

 which have broad, thin, glabrous leaves, are hygro- 

 phytes, and flourish during the rains. Those with 

 thick, hairy, and often divided leaves are xerophytes, 

 and flourish in sandy soils during summer. Some 

 which can accommodate themselves to change of 



