No. io] Gourd (Cucurbitacece). 81 



Darwin shows the principle of this motion by a familiar 

 example : 



" When a haberdasher winds up a ribbon for a cus- 

 tomer he does not wind it into a single coil, for if he did 

 the ribbon would twist itself as many times as there are 

 coils [turns], but he winds it into a figure eight on his 

 thumb and little finger, so that he alternately takes turns 

 in opposite directions, and thus the ribbon is not twisted. 

 So it is with the tendrils, with this sole difference — they 

 take several consecutive turns in one direction, and then 

 the same number in an opposite direction, but in both 

 cases the self-twisting is avoided." — Darwin's Climbing 

 Plants. 



So also the housemaid, to avoid snarling her long 

 clothes-line, winds it into a figure eight between her hand 

 and her elbow. 



[See further concerning tendrils under Flit's, pages 18, 19.] 



(2) Genus MicrAmpelis, Mx. (Echinocystis, T. and G.) 



Fig. 43. — Wild Balsam- Apple. M. lobata ( Mx.), Green. 



Flowers, very small, greenish-white ; in two forms, both 

 from the same axil ; the pistillate form in small clus- 

 - ters or solitary, the staminate form in lengthened 

 compound clusters, often one foot in length. Petals, 

 six, spreading, united at the base. Sepals, six, slender, 

 shorter than the petals. Stamens, three. Style, very 

 short. Stigmas, two, large. Seed-case, two-celled, 

 four-seeded. July to September. 



