57S CUCUBBITACE^. [Cucumis. 



to DeCandolle the melon is truly wild in India, Baluchistan and in 

 Trop. Africa. Cogniaux in his monograph (1. c.) divides the very 

 numerous varieties into the following 2 groups which represent the 

 wild and the cultivated kinds respectively :--(a) agrestis, Naud. Syn. 

 C. pubescens, Willd.; W. ^ A. Prod, 342; Boyle III. 220, t. 47, f. 1; 



B. Sf G. Bomb. Fl. 103. C. maculatus, Willd.; W. ^ A. I. c. 



C. maderaspatanus, JRoxh. ; Fl. Ind. Hi, 723 (not of Linn.). - (fe) Culta, 

 Eurz, Syn. C. flexuosus, Linn.; W. S^ A. Prod. 342. C. aromaticus, 

 Eoyle 111.220. C. utilissimus, Roxh ; Fl. Ind. Hi, 721; W.^-A.l.c. 

 C. Momordica, Boxh. I. c. 720 ; W. ^ A. Prod. 341. 



(C. puhescens, Willd. (Syn. G. maderaspatanus, P^oxh,, not of Linn.) has 

 renif orm leaves, which are hardly lohed, and are often only 3-angled ; 

 the fruit is oval and terete, not at all 3-sided, downy when young ; when 

 ripe spotted, and about the size of a partridge's egg. Dr. "Watt remarks 

 that in some respects the fruit approaches more closely to the melon 

 proper than do the fruits of any of the other wild species met with in 

 India. Eoxburgh mentions that the fruit is eaten and much esteemed 

 by natives, but that the plant is not cultivated by them. It is very 

 probable that Eoyle's C. aroinaticus, mentioned by Cogniaux in his 

 group of cultivated forms of C. Melo, is a semi-cultivated condition of 

 C. ][)ubescens. It is met with in the Saharanpur district ; and the fruit, 

 which becomes aromatic when ripening, is much appreciated by the 

 natives. 



C. utilissimus and 0. Momordica mentioned in the group of cultivated 

 forms require to be specially noticed here, as they are cultivated 

 rather extensively within the area of the Upper Gangetic Plain. When 

 in fruit they differ from the type not only in appearance, but also by 

 the very different uses to which they are put ; and were it not for the 

 conclusive deductions based on the results of Naudin's cultural ex- 

 periments, they might very reasonably have been regarded as dis- 

 tinct species. For the sake of convenience they are here described 

 as varieties. 



'■yAB. 1. utilissimus, Field Sf Gard. Crops part ii, 55, t.t. LIU, LIV ; 

 Watt E.I). C. utilissimus, Boxh. Fl. Ind. Hi, 7 21.— Yevn. KaTcri.—T!h.e 

 fruit varies in shape from shortly oval or cylindrical to elongate, often 

 reaching a length of 3 feet. It varies in;colour from dark-green to nearly 

 white, usually changing to a bright orange colour when ripe. The seeds 

 are smaller than those of the melon. Kakri is an important article of 

 food with the poorer classes during the hot-weather months. Eoxburgh 

 regarded this plant as the most useful species of Cucumis he knew. 

 TV hen little more than half -grown the oblong downy fruits are pickled ; 

 when ripe they have much the flavour of the melon, and will keep good 

 fcr several months if carefully gathered and hung up. They are also in 

 this stage eaten raw, and much used in curries by the natives. The 

 seeds contain much farinaceous matter blended with a large portion of 

 mild oil. The natives dry and grind them into a meal, which they em- 

 ploy as an article of diet, and they use the oil in their food, as well as 

 for burning. (Roxb. 1. c.) 



Vab. 2. Momordica, Field Sf Gard. Crops part ii, 50, t. 49 ; Watt E.D. 

 C. Momordica, Roxh. I.e. 720.~Yevn. Tuti, hachra (unripe), phunt 



