864 MISC. PUBLICATION 42 3, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



The plant is ornamental, and its occurrence at Flagstaff may be 

 attributable to escape from cultivation. In this case, it is doubtful 

 that it has become established in Arizona. 



7. MA RAH. 54 Bigroot, wild-cucumber 



Plant perennial with a very large tuberlike root; stems climbing; 

 leaves deeply cleft, the lobes triangular or oblong-lanceolate; corolla 

 of the staminate flowers 6 to 10 mm. in diameter, whitish; fruit 2 to 3 

 cm. in diameter, somewhat fleshy, with stout smooth spines, bursting 

 irregularly. 



The root of a related species, M.fabacea (Naud.) Greene, contains 2 

 glucosides, one cathartic, the other with the property of dilating the 

 pupil of the eye. It is not known whether these constituents are 

 present in the Arizona species. 



1. Marah gilensis Greene, Leaflets 2: 36. 1910. 



Greenlee County to Mohave County, south to Pinal and Pima 

 Counties, 4,500 feet or lower, common, mostly in thickets along streams, 

 February to April. Southwestern New Mexico and Arizona. 



"This wild cucumber sends up succulent shoots or stems very 

 early, sometimes in early March. These shoots grow very rapidly, but 

 in spite of their early appearance appear to be very susceptible to cold. 

 I have known two sets of shoots to be killed down by freezing tempera- 

 tures in early spring, and the third set to come to perfection later on." 

 (Collom, ms.) 



8. BRANDEGEA 



Stems slender, from a thick root, clambering over low shrubs; 

 leaf blades conspicuously pustulate above, deeply cleft, the lobes 

 narrow, entire or sparingly dentate; staminate flowers in racemes, the 

 pistillate flowers solitary; corolla rotate, deeply 5-lobed, yellowish 

 white; fruit obovoid, long-beaked, sparsely echinate with short stout 

 spines. 



1. Brandegea bigelovii (S. Wats.) Cogn., Calif. Acad. Sci. Proc. ser. 

 2, 3: 58. 1890. 



Elaterium bigelovii S. Wats., Amer. Acad. Arts and Sci. Proc. 

 12:252. 1877. 



Western Maricopa, western Pima, and Yuma Counties, 1,000 feet 

 or lower, not infrequent in sandy soil along washes, March, type 

 from " the Lower Colorado Valley" (Bigelow) . Southwestern Arizona, 

 southeastern California, and northwestern Mexico. 



9. SICYOS. One-seeded bur-cucumber 



Plants annual ; stems climbing ; leaf blades angulate to deeply cleft ; 

 staminate and pistillate inflorescences mostly from the same axils, 

 long-peduncled, the staminate ones loose, the pistillate ones dense; 

 corolla of the staminate flowers rotate, whitish ; anthers 2 to 5, separate 

 or united, the filaments united; fruit not fleshy, ovoid, armed with 

 slender, minutely and retrorsely barbed, deciduous spines. 



" Reference: Dunn, S. T. the genus maeah. Kew Roy. Bot. Gard. Bui. Misc. Inform. 1913: 145-153. 

 1913. 



