DICOTYLEDONES. 211 



5. Begoniacese. A small tropical family of three 

 hundred and fifty, mostly American, species, deserving of 

 mention because it includes the genus Begonia, many 

 species of which furnish us with very fine ornamental 

 green-house plants. 



6. Cucurbitaceae. The Gourd family ; climbing or 

 trailing herbs or undershrubs, with dioecious or monoecious 

 flowers, and stamens mostly with united tortuous anthers. 

 The majority of the four hundred and seventy species are 

 tropical. The important representatives of this order are 

 the Winter Squash ( CwctM-Ma maxima), Crook-necked 

 Squash (C verrucosa'), Pumpkin (C Pepo), Muskmelon 

 (Ctunimis Jiefo), Cucumber (C sativus), and Watermelon 

 {Citrullus vulgaris). The nativity of the first three is 

 unknown ; the last three are from India. The common 

 Gourd (Lagenaria vulgaris) is a native of Asia and Africa. 

 The Towel-Gourd of Egypt {Luffa Mgyptica) has fruit 

 larger than a Cucumber; the internal fibrous portion of 

 which is used as a bathing sponge. The Wild Balsam- 

 apple {Echinocystis lohata) and Star-Cucumber (Sicyosangu- 

 hdus)' are natives of the United States, and often grown 

 over "arbors, screens, etc. 



7. Onagraceee. The Evening Primrose family; 

 three hundred herbaceous species, of temperate regions; 

 flowers often four-parted; petals convolute in the bud. 

 Our native wild species, as Willow-herb {Epilohium 

 angustifolium). Common Evening Primrose {dhothera 

 biennis), etc., are not so showy as the splendid exotics 

 (Fig. 324) from Mexico and South America. Fwilida 

 coceinea was brought from Chili in 1788 ; F. decussata, 

 from the same place, followed in 1823. Other Chilian 

 species were soon after introduced, and also the fine 



