Black Calabash 839 



attaining a maximum height of about 7 meters and a trunk diameter of 1.5 

 dm. 



The branches are long, slender, spreading and drooping, the tree irregularly 

 round-topped. The bark is about 3 mm. thick, brownish or gray, divided into 

 thin scales. The twigs are stout, angular, somewhat enlarged at the nodes and 

 creamy white to dark gray. The leaves are thick and leathery, oblong to oblong- 

 obovate, 7 to 15 cm. long, abruptly pointed at the apex, narrowed to the stout, 

 thick, glandular leaf-stalk, entire and thickened on the margin, dark green with 

 deeply impressed midrib above, a little paler and prominently veined beneath. 

 The flowers are on stalks 2 to 8 cm. long; the calyx is somewhat shorter than the 

 corolla-tube, 2-cleft, the lobes 2.5 to 4 cm. long; the corolla is leathery, purple, or 



Fig. 763. — Black Calabash. 



whitish and banded, tubular-fimnelform, from 5 to 6 cm. long, the veiny tube 

 indented belcjw the limb, which is oblique with a reflexed, slightly 2-lobed upper 

 lip, the lower lip somewhat 3-lobed ; the stamens are in 2 pairs of unequal height ; 

 the ovary is oblong-conic, contracted into the long, exserted style, which is ter- 

 minated by 2 flat, ovate stigmas. The fruit, which is suspended on stout, thickened 

 stalks 4 to 6 cm. long, is dark green, oblong to globose, 6 to 10 cm. long, blunt 

 at each end and obscurely 4-ridged; its shell is about 1.5 mm. thick and easily 

 crushed; the numerous seeds are about 2 cm. broad, somewhat shorter, 2-lobed 

 and brown. 



The wood is hard, dense, brown or orange-brown; its specific gravity is about 

 0.63. This species has been confused with Crescentia ovata Burmann, an Asiatic 

 tree. 



