288 
33. CtTCTJRBITACEiE. 
segment and a single sepaline one giving off an additional side- 
branch or fork to each, but not always forking from its very 
base, as in the fern. fl. of C. moscliata and of the present sp., and 
not reaching to the top of the cup. Stam. 3, their fil. distinct 
with a pit or pore at their base, but combined into a thick 
slightly glandular-pubescent stalk about the length (viz. ^ in.) 
of the compact oblong anther-column which is truncate at each 
end. Fem. fl. much larger than the male, with the cal. -cup much 
shallower, the sep. longer (f in. long) more gr. and leafy, linear- 
oblong, subspathulate and abruptly mucronate. Cor. -cup as in 
male, except that the sepaline nerve is mostly but not always 
forked quite from its base. Throat half-closed by a white thick 
but sharp-edged erect fleshy stiff 3-angular or 3-lobed outer 
ring or crown, about £ in. high or broad, and clothed inside and 
out with y. glandular pubescence, the 3 lobes or angles promi- 
nent spreading or recurved and mostly notched at the tip. 
Within this is a ring of pale wax-like depressed warts or tuber- 
cles (abortive anthers) like those of C. moschata , but much 
smaller depressed and inconspicuous, not prominent or tumid 
above the outer ring, and indeed scarcely discernible except in a 
vertical section of the fl. Styles 3 or 4 very thick distinct far 
down, channeled inside, slightly cohering at the base, quite 
smooth. Stigmas very large and distinct thick and short ovate 
bilobed densely velvety deep bright or. Ov. 3-4-celled oblong- 
oval thickly and shortly pubescent. Fr. exactly oval very con- 
stant in size, shape, &c., varying only in col., quite even, never 
ribbed, not hollow but finally splitting internally into 4 equal 
portions as if divided by a crucial incision with a knife ; axis 
from 9-12 or 13, diam. 6-9 or 10 in. Flesh pure w. very firm 
and close, not pulpy but crisp, with a peculiarly sw'eet and nutty 
taste when raw, watery fibrous and insipid boiled. Seeds im- 
bedded in the compact mass formed bv their condensed spongy 
strings and arils, 10 or 11 lines long, about 7 broad, shortly oval, 
indistinctly bordered, very finely punctulate-rugulose, shining, 
very dark coffee-brown or black. Aril indistinct, not w r atery, 
blended with the flesh. 
In C. moschata the inner w r arts or tubercles (abortive anthers) 
in the fem. fl. are developed at the expense of the outer ring or 
cup, which is reduced to a mere thin skin or membrane. In 
the present sp. (as in C. Pepo) it is exactly the contrary: the 
outer ring is thick fleshy high and w T ell developed, but the tu- 
bercles within are obsolete depressed and inconspicuous. 
Though affording a large supply of food to the poorer classes, 
this is a very inferior sort even to A. do Machado , but valuable 
for its great productiveness and long duration, the latter pro- 
