360 OUCURBITACE^. [Caseibia. 



Forests of Dehra Dun and Saliaranpur, Eohilkhand, N. Oudh and Gorakh- 

 pur. DisTEiB. Westward to Chenat, ascending to 5,0 JO ft., Garhwal- 

 Himalaya east to Sikkim, W. Deccan, Burma. Flowers during May and 

 June. The fruit is sometimes used for poisoning fish. 



2. C. tomentosa, Roxb. Fl. Ind. ii, 421 ; Royle III 170 ; Brand. For. Fk 

 248, t. XXX ; F. B. I. ii, 593, Watt E. D. C. Anavinga, D. 4- G. Bomh. Fl. 

 11. G. ovata, Boxh. Fl. Ind. ii, 420 {not of Willd.).—Yevn. Chilla. 

 A small tree. Barh light-grey turning to dark-brown. Branchlets usually 

 tomentose. Leaves 3-7 in., shortly petioled, oblong or lanceolate from an 

 oblique rounded or acute base, crenate serrate or almost entire, sub- 

 coriaceous, more or less tomentose, sparsely gland-dotted ; stipules 

 minute. Flowers numerous, small, fascicled in the axils of the leaves, 

 greenish-yellow, tomentose ; pedicels less than y in., hairy. Stamens 8, 

 alternating with hairy scale-like staminodes. Fruit -^-| in., 3-yalved, 

 broadly ellipsoid, fleshy, yellow when ripe. Seeds embedded in red pulp. 



Common in all the forest tracts. Distbib. Throughout India from the 

 base of the Himalaya to Ceylon ; also in the Malay Islands and N. 

 Australia. Flowers March to May. The bitter bark is sometimes used 

 for adulterating Kamela powder (Mallotus philippinensis). The acrid 

 milky juice of the pounded fruit is employed as a poison for fish. From 

 the hard close-grained wood combs are made. 



LIV.-CUCURBITACE.^. 



Climbing herbs or shrubs ; teadriU solitary, lateral, spiral, simple 

 or divided. Leaves alternate, petioled, frequent ly cordate, simple 

 lobed or pedately divided. Flowers monaecious or diiecious, yellow 

 or white, ra^emed and solitary, less frequently pinicled. Calyx- 

 tube wholly adnate to the ovary (except in Actinostemma) ; limb 

 rotate campanulate or tubular, lobes 5 (rarely 3), imbricate. Petals 

 5, inserted on the calyx-limb, united in a tube or nearly or quite 

 free, sometimes fimbriated at the margin, valvate or involute in 

 bud. Stamens inserted at the mouth or about the middle or at the 

 base of the calyx-tube, usually 3 (sometimes 5 or 2) ; anthers free or 

 nnited in a tube, one usually 1-celled and the other two 2-celled ; cells 

 straight flexuose or conduplicate, the connective sometimes crested or 

 produced. Ovary inferior (in Actinostemma g- superior), usually 3- 

 carpellary, sometimes spuriously 3-celled ; style usually with 3 stigmas ; 

 ;9^ace;i^(X5 usually 3, vertical, in double lines; oiules usually many, 

 horizontal, rarely pendulous. Fruit generally berried or ileshy, inde- 

 hiscent or dehiscing by valves or by a stopple. Seeds usually many,, 

 often compressed, horizontal pendulous or rarely erect, frequentl- 

 corrugated or subspinose on the margins, albumen .0— Species abc 



