138 FAM. 169. 



centers; A. ridicula or Donkey Ears, pale yellow with purplish veins, the limb con- 

 sisting of two narrow lobes; A. grandiflora, Goose-flower or Pelican-flower, pur- 

 ple-blotched, and terminating in a slender filament. 



169. Cucurbitaceae, Gourd Family. 



Succulent herbs, usually trailing, or climbing by means 

 of lateral tendrils; leaves alternate, palmately veined or 

 lobed; flowers monoecious or dioecious; calyx 4-5 lobed; 

 corolla with 5 petals, distinct, or more or less united, and 

 inserted on the calyx; stamens 3-5, distinct or variously 

 united, anthers often contorted; ovary inferior, 1- or 3- 

 celled; style 1, stigmas mostly 3; fruit a fleshy or pulpy 

 berry (pepo); seeds rarely solitary, mostly numerous. 



1. Stems trailing and climbing, ------ -__2 



1. Stems trailing and creeping, ------- ....4 



2. Anthers straight or curved; — leaves lobed to palmately divided; 



tendrils simple; flowers small, monoecious or polygamous, cam- 

 panulate, yellow or white, the pistillate ones solitary, the stam- 

 inate racemed; ovary inserted in a disk, - Melothria 



M. pendula. Climbing; leaves with 3-5 lobes; calyx very small; berries pendu- 

 lous, dark purple or black. Light soil. Summer. 



2. Anthers contorted, -----______3 



3. Tendrils simple; — leaves entire or 3-7 lobed, the lobes shallowly 



toothed; connectives extended beyond the anther-cells; — stems 

 trailing or climbing, roughly pubescent; flowers yellow, monoe- 

 cious; sterile clustered, with 3 short stamens; fertile flowers 

 solitary, without staminodia, 1-celled ovary and obtuse stigmas; 

 pepo pulpy, with numerous whitish seeds. Cultivated. - Cucumis 



C melo, Musk-melon, Cantaloupe. Leaves toothed or shallowly lobed; fruit 

 smooth; the softer-rinded kinds are called: Nutmeg- or Netted Melon. 



C sativus, Cucumber. Leaves lobed, the middle lobe more prominent; fruit 

 oblong, prickly when young. 



C Anguria, Gherkin. Leaves sinuate-lobed; fruit ovoid, prickly. 



3. Tendrils 2-branched; — corolla with 5 distinct petals; fruit of various 



shapes, smooth, many-seeded; — stems climbing; foliage clammy- 

 pubescent; leaves ovate-cordate, toothed or sometimes 3-5 

 lobed; flowers white, sometimes striped with green, monoe- 

 cious, solitary; the sterile long-pedicelled, with 5 distinct stamens; 

 the fertile short-pedicelled, with 3 thick 2-lobed stigmas; pepo 

 with a woody rind and fleshy pulp. Waste places and planted. 



Lagenaria vulgaris, Bottle Gourd, Calabash 



4. Corolla rotate; — tendrils 2-3 branched; leaves 3-7 lobed, the lobes 



toothed or again lobed; connective not extended beyond the anther- 

 cells; — stems stout, trailing, zigzag; flowers pale yellow, mon- 

 oecious, solitary; sterile flowers with 3 short stamens; fertile 

 flowers with staminodia, an elongated ovary, and reniform 

 stigmas; pepo large, seeds white or black. Cultivated, and running 

 wild as citron. - - - _ Citrullus vulgaris, Watermelon 



4. Corolla campanulate; — tendrils 2-many branched; leaves thick, 3-5 



