836 



The Calabashes 



Fig. 760. — Desert Willow. 



Stigmas. The fruit persists all win- 

 ter; it is a dry, thin-walled capsule, 

 narrowly linear, i to 3 dm. long and 

 6 mm. thick, tapering at both ends 

 and splitting into 2 valves. The 

 seeds are 2-ranked, winged and 

 bearded at each end ; they are very 

 flat, 1.5 cm. wide, about 8 mm. 

 long, without endosperm; the 

 cotyledons are much broader than 

 long. 



The wood is soft, weak, close- 

 grained and dark brown; its specific 

 gravity is about 0.59. This tree is 

 a cheering object on the desert, 

 while its deKcate fohage and violet- 

 scented flowers have caused it to be 

 planted in gardens in the southern 

 States and in Mexico. 



The genus is monotypic; the name is Greek of obscure meaning. 



III. THE CALABASHES 



GENUS CRESCENTIA LINN^US 



i]RESCENTIA is a tropical American genus consisting of about 6 species 

 of trees, occurring from southern Florida, throughout the West 

 Indies and Central America to Brazil. The genus is best known for 

 the fruit of the Calabash tree, the type species, the hard rind of which 

 is so largely made into utensils throughout tropical America. 



The leaves are persistent, alternate, or fascicled, entire, membranous or leath- 

 ery, ^thout stipules. The large flowers are perfect, solitary or in few-flowered 

 clusters at the axils of the leaves or at the sides of the branches, on stout bracteo- 

 late pedicels; the calyx is leathery, splitting into 2 parts, or 5-lobed, and deciduous; 

 the corolla is obUquely and narrowly bell-shaped, pale yellow and streaked with 

 purple, its tube swollen on the lower side, the limb slightly 2-lipped and 5-lobed, 

 the lobes irregularly toothed; the 4 stamens and staminode are joined to the lower 

 part of the corolla-tube, sHghtly exserted or included, the filaments thread-like, 

 the anthers oblong, spreading; the ovary is sessile, i-celled, ovoid-conic, tapering 

 into the simple exserted style, its 2 lobes stigmatic on their inner faces; ovules 

 many, on 2 parietal placentas. The fruit is short, indehiscent, berry-Uke, with a 

 hard rind enclosing a thick, spongy placental mass interspersed with numerous 

 seeds; these are flattened and orbicular. 



