ANNUAL CLIMBING PLANTS 25 



one and comprises fringed flowers of great size and in 

 many colours besides those of the ordinary Convolvulus. 

 These are said to have been raised from I. hederacea, a 

 species of Convolvulus with Ivy-shaped leaves. I. h. Huberi 

 is a class with the leaves mottled with white. The 

 Eccremocarpus or Calampelis is another favourite which 

 will bloom the first year from seed, though perennial in 

 mild gardens. It has racemes of flowers of considerable 

 beauty. The best species is scaber, with orange-coloured 

 flowers ; its variety roseus has pretty rosy blooms. For 

 a sunny trellis there is little to surpass it. 



The Ornamental Gourds are a host in themselves, and 

 ought to be more largely cultivated for the curiosity and 

 beauty of their fruit, which assumes so many singular 

 forms. Among the Cucumises there are the interesting 

 Cucumis acutangulus, the attractive C. Dudaim, with 

 mottled Melon-like fruit, the spiny Hedgehog Cucumber, 

 C. erinaceus, or the pretty Gooseberry Gourd, C. myrio- 

 carpus, with its small fruits. The Malabar Gourd, 

 Cucurbita melanosperma, produces fine variegated, 

 fruits, while C. Pepo is attractive from the profusion of 

 small fruits it yields ; of these many varieties can be 

 procured, such as those with Apple-like fruits, those 

 with egg-shaped, warted, or Pear-shaped fruits, besides 

 a number of others. The warted-fruited orange 

 Momordica Charantia is also desirable, as are Trichos- 

 anthes anguina and Cyclanthera pedata. Among the 

 most desirable of climbers which flower the same year 

 as sown are Cobaea scandens, which has beautiful bell- 

 shaped violet-blue flowers, and the charming, slender- 

 growing Thunbergia alata in mixed varieties of various 

 shades of yellow, orange and white. These are charming 

 either in the open or under glass. The pretty plant 

 known as Mina lobata is properly Ipomoea versicolor, and 

 few fail to admire its ornamental racemes of pretty red 

 or crimson flowers. The annual Passifloras, gracilis, 



