320 



("UCURBITACEiE. 



what fleshy or pulpy, at length dry and bursting irregularly on the 

 sides or near the apex. Seeds ovoid or broadly oblong, more or less 

 compressed, surrouiided by a marginal line. (Greek echinos, a hedge- 

 hog, and kustis, a bladder, in reference to the spiny fruit. Our species 

 are all perennial from exceedingly large, often deep-seated, fusiform 

 or globose roots, sometimes as large as and not unlike the shape of a 

 man's body, whence the common name, "Old Man in the Ground." 

 The germination of the seed is peculiar; see Gray, Structural Botany, 

 p. 21.) 



Corolla rotate, dull or greenish-white; pistillate flower without abortive 



stamens 1. E- fabacea. 



Corolla campanulate, clear white. 

 Pistillate flowers with abortive stamens, the pedicels 3 to 6 lines long . . . 



2. E. Mar ah. 



Pistillate flowers without abortive stamens, the pedicels 1 to 2 in. long . . 



3. E. Watsonii. 



1. E. fabacea Naud. Common Max Root. Usually nearly 

 glabrous or with short scattered curved hairs; stems 12 to 30 ft. long; 

 leaves rough-scabrous or smoother, more or less round-cordate in 

 outline, 2 to 4 in. in diameter, with a deep and open sinus at base, 

 mostly rather deeply 5 to 7-lobed, often with acutish segments; 

 staminate flowers many in slender simple or compound racemes 3£ to 



5 in. long, the pedicels 1 to 3 lines long; corolla 3 to 4 lines in diam- 

 eter, of a dull or greenish white; pistillate flowers 5 to 6 lines broad, 

 destitute of abortive stamens, the pedicels 5 to 9 lines long; ovary 

 globose, 2-celled, ovules 1 or 2 in each cell; fruit globose, 2 in. in 

 diameter, very densely covered with stout spines 4 to 12 lines long; 

 seeds commonly 4, sometimes less, oblong-ovoid, 9 to 13 lines long, 6 

 lines in diameter, surrounded by a shallow groove or darker lines. — 

 (Megarrhiza Californica Torr.) 



The most common species, growing upon open hills or climbing in 

 thickets; in some localities still very abundant on rich sandy ridges 

 (high places) of interior grain fields: Coast Ranges; Sacramento and 

 San Joaquin Valleys. The var. agrestis Greene, of eastern Contra 

 Costa Co., is described as having smaller fruits with few short spines. 

 E. macrocarpa Greene, Chilicothe, has a very spiny oblong pod 4 in. 

 long. — Kaweah River basin to Southern California. 



2. E. Marah Cogn. Hill Max Root. Stems 4 to 25 ft. long, 

 mostly smooth; leaves muriculate-scabrous, especially on the upper 

 surface, or almost glabrous, reniform or round-cordate, 3 to 7 in. 

 broad, 2 to 4 in. long, 5 to 7-lobed with round sinuses; staminate 

 inflorescence 6 to 10 in. long, the corolla 6 to 7 lines broad, clear white; 

 pistillate flower with abortive stamens (staminodia), on pedicels 3 to 



6 lines long; ovary ovate, 2 to 3-celled; ovules 1 to 4 or more in each 

 cell, attached to the outer side of the cell; fruit ovate-oblong, 2f to 

 3£ in. long, somewhat attenuate at each end, particularly at apex, 

 nearly smooth or muricate with short weak spines; seeds horizontally 

 placed, nearly round, flattened, about 1 in. long, rather less than £ 

 in. thick. — (Megarrhiza Marah Wats.) 



Hills of Marin, Alameda and Contra Costa Cos., often climbing 

 over shrubs and trees. 



