154 



POPULAR FLORA. 



38. GOURD FAMILY. Order CUCURBITACEiE. 



Succulent or tender herbs, with alternate and radiate- 

 veined leaves, and with tendrils. Flowers commonly mo- 

 noecious, in the axils. Fertile flowers with the tube of the 

 calyx coherent with the ovary. Petals often united with 

 each other into a monopetalous corolla, and united with or 

 borne on the cup of the calyx. Stamens 

 generally 3, and more or less connected 

 by their anthers or their filaments, or by 

 both ; the anthers curiously contorted 

 Fruit a pepo (224), berry, or pod. Seeds 

 large and flat ; the whole kernel is an em- 

 bryo. The most important plants of the 

 family are those cultivated. 



i6. Stuminate flower of a Squash, wilh Ihe corolla anri upper pari of the calyx cut away, to show the united stamens. 367 The latter, 

 enlarged, and the mass of anthers cut across .-15a. Separate statoeo of a Melon, etjlaiged, showing the long and contorted anther. 369. 

 Embryo of Sqnash. 370. Section of sairie, a litt'e enlaiged, seen edgewise. 



Petals united into a large, bell-shaped, 5-lobed, yellow corolla. Stamens with three fila- 

 ments united into a tube, except at the bottom : the anthers also firmly grown 

 together; the turns of their long cells parallel, running straight up and down. 

 Style 1 : stigmas 3, each 2-lobed. Fruit large, firm-fleshy. Seeds with a blunt 

 edge, {Cucurbiia) *Goued, i. e. 



Petals united only at the base or separate. Anthers loosely crooked. [Squash and PuiMPKin. 



Ovary and fruit many-seeded. Anthers and filaments 3, separate or separable. 



Petals white, with greenish veins. Peduncles very long. Fruit with a hard or 



woody rind variously shaped, {Lageiiaria) *Bottle-Gouiid. 



Petals yellow. Calyx with a bell-shaped cup. Seeds pointed and sharp-edged. 



Fruit narrow, rough-pimpled when young, ( Ciicumis &atmis) *Cucumber. 



Fruit thick, smooth, sweet. Fertile flowers perfect, {Cucumis Melo) *iIusKMEL0N. 



Petals buflf or cream-color. Calyx with hardly any cup. Leaves much cut. 



Fruit large and smooth, sweet. Seeds thick-edged, smooth, {Citridlvs) *Watermelon. 

 Fruit a rough, reddish berry. Seeds wrinkled, (Uom&rdica) *Balsam-Apple. 



Ovary and fruit one-seeded or 4-seeded. Small-flowered climbers, wild in this country. 

 Corolla of the sterile flowers 6-parted, white. The long racemes rather pretty in 

 cultivation. Fniit an oval, weak-prickly, bladder-like pod, bursting 

 at the top, and containing 2 fibrous-netted cells, with 2 large seeds in 

 each. Leaves sharply 5-lobed, (Eckinocysiis) BijAdder-Cucumber. 



Corolla of the wheel-shaped sterile flowers 5-lobed, greenish-white. Fruit a 



small, ovate, 1-seeded, prickly-barbed bur. Leaves 5-angled, {Sicyos) Bur-Cucumber. 



39. PASSION-FLOWER FAMILY. Order PASSIFLORACE.ffi. 

 This small family of tendril-bearing vines, with alternate palmately-lobed leaves, is mamly 

 represented by the 



