74 MISC. PUB. 882, U.S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
DescripTion.—This erect or sometimes semi-erect, branching peren- — 
nial is 1 to 2 feet high. The plants appear smooth; however, the flower — 
parts and leaves, particularly their edges, are sparsely covered with 
short, fine, white hairs. The plants have tuberous roots when grown 
in the Tropics and the stems are relatively soft. The opposite leaves 
are borne on short, stout leaf stems, which are about half the length 
of the leaves. The leaf blades are triangular in shape, 2 to 3 inches 
long, about 1 inch wide near the base, and gradually taper to sharp- — 
pointed tips. The leaves are dark green above, dull beneath; they — 
have prominent white midveins that extend the entire length of the — 
leaf blades and from which smaller lateral veins extend. The veins — 
are equally conspicuous on both leaf surfaces. The colorful flowers 
occur singly but appear as clusters in the leaf axils near the ends of 
the branches. The base of the flower is surrounded by 5 pointed, pale- — 
green, petal-like structures. The trumpet-shaped flowers are 1 to 2 
inches long and about 14 inch across the top when open. The showy 
flowers, which vary in color from white through deep red to purple, 
open in the afternoon and wither the following day. The small, ~ 
bladderlike fruits contain tiny, black, flat seeds. The plants blossom 
most profusely during the wet season; however, some blossoms are 
found throughout the year. | 
DistrRinuTION AND Haprrat.—Four o’clock is commonly cultivated — 
in flower gardens throughout the Virgin Islands but occasionally 
escape plants are found growing in waste grounds around abandoned — 
house sites. The plants are commonly grown in parks and around — 
public buildings. 
Toxiciry AND Symproms.—The large, tuberous roots of four o’clock 
produce the alkaloid trigonelline (45), which has laxative properties. 
The roots have been used in Cuba and Europe for their medicinal 
properties (23, 45). In Hawaii, the seeds and roots of the plant are 
reported to be toxic (77). Livestock are not likely to be poisoned by 
the plant, but scrounging hogs are capable of uprooting and consuming 
harmful amounts of the tubers. 
MANAGEMENT AND Controut.—The plants should not be a serious J 
problem in livestock management because livestock rarely have access 
to them. Precautionary measures should be taken in denying livestock 
access to the plants where they are grown as ornamentals. Four 
o’clock is not a good competitor and rarely grows as an escape plant 
in the Virgin Islands. 
Cucurbitaceae, or Gourd, Family 
Momordica charantia L. (fig. 41) 
Maiden Apple 
Description.—This annual branching, trailing vine may reach 20 — | 
to 30 feet in length. It has alternate rounded, deeply lobed leaves, 
each divided into 5 to 7 irregularly shaped lobes. Opposite each ~ 
leaf is a simple tendril. The thin leaves may be smooth or hairy — 
and vary from 1 to 214 inches in diameter. The solitary, yellow, 
5-parted flowers, 1 to 2 inches across, are borne in the leaf axils. 
The male flowers are borne on flower stems about 2 inches long, 
which have a conspicuous round bract near the middle. The female 
flower stems are shorter. The fleshy fruits, ribbed and covered with — 
dull-pointed spines, are about 1 inch in diameter and 114 to 5 inches © 
