294 
34. PASSIFLORACEJE. 
4-5-lobed or grooved at base, often subtruncate at top and 
always sphinctrally rimate with an irregular deep transverse 
closed or narrow sinuous umbilical groove or cleft with tumid 
spliinctral knuckle-like or puckered coarsely ribbed or plaited 
lips, penetrating about halfway down to the seed and looking 
like the closed uneven suture of a terminal transverse opening, 
although the fr. is from the first completely closed above the 
seed. Surface shining but coarsely rugged or uneven, irregu- 
larly and remotely grooved and more or less setose-echinulate 
or spinulose with scattered subremote erect stiff but scarcely 
pungent short gr. bristles. Flesh about an inch thick pale gr. 
in a, w. in /3, hard firm solid fibrous inwards and gradually com- 
pacted and blending into the large compressed softisli fibrous 
shell. Seed or kernel oblong-ovate compressed not bordered, 
like a large thin almond, point upwards, attached near the 
top of one of its edges, invested with a white smooth shining 
veiny thickish soft but firm somewhat leathery or spongy not 
watery or pulpy coat. Aril, if any, indistinct. Cot. large thin 
flattened foliaceous pure w., nutty or kernel-like and pleasant 
to the taste, especially when boiled. Radicle terminal at the 
upper pointed end. Alb. none. 
Propagated by planting the whole fr., which, after germi- 
nation of the seed, enlarges into a persistent subaerial rhizome. 
The fr. boiled is a favourite vegetable in Mad. during the aut. 
and winter months; resembling young pumpkins, but when 
ripe somewhat firmer, drier or more mealy in consistence, with 
a peculiar nutty flavour. I have never met with it in the 
Canaries. The larger cream-col. or w. -fruited var. /3. is better 
looking, but not so good as the gr. u. 
tfOrder XXXIY. PASSIFLORACE2E. 
The Passion Flower Family. 
FI. mostly perfect and regular. Cal. 5-partite more or less 
tubular at the base. Pet. 5 (rarely 0) imbricate in bud with 
often 1 or more inner filamentous rows or rings within the 
throat. Stam. mostly b, monadelphous, their fil. united into 
a tube sheathing the gynophore or stalk of the free superior 1- 
celled ov. Styles 3-5 mostly 3. Fr. stalked 1 -celled 3-valved 
mostly indehiscent and many-seeded, placentas parietal. Seeds 
with an often juicy aril, ovate or oval compressed, often punc- 
tate. Embryo straight in the middle of the fleshy albumen. 
Cot. leafy flat. — Mostly climbing shr. with axillary tendrils. L. 
alternate mostly stipulate, simple or palmate-lobate. Herbage 
somewhat fetid. FI. mostly conspicuous axillary scentless. Ped. 
