M O M 
from ftrong winds, giving them a little water to fet- 
tle the earth to their roots ; after this they will re- 
quire no other care but to keep them clean from 
weeds, and to fupport them with flakes, to prevent 
their being broken by the winds. The plants thus 
preferved through the winter, will flower the latter 
end of June, fo from thele good feeds may be ex- 
pended. 
MOL Y. See Allium. 
MOMORDICA. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 103. tab. 29, 
30. Lin. Gen. Plant. 1090. Male Balfam Apple ; in 
French, Pomme de Marseille. 
The Characters are. 
It hath male and female flowers upon the fame plant. 
c fke male flowers have a fpreading empalement of one leaf. 
The flower hath one petals which adheres to the em- 
palement. It has three fleort awlfhaped ftamina ; in two 
of the flamina the fummits a,re bifid , and eared on both 
Jides ; the third has a Jingle eared fummit ; thefe are com - 
pre/fed in a body. The female flowers have the fame em- 
palement and petal as the male , but fit upon the germen ; 
thefe have three Jhort filaments without fummits. Phe 
germen fupports one taper trifid flyle , crowned by three ob- 
long gibbous ftigmas. Phe germen afterward turns to an 
oblong fruit , opening with an elafiicity , having three mem- 
branaceous cells , filled with comprejfed feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the tenth fe&ion of 
Linnaeus’s twenty-firft clafs, which contains the 
plants with male and female flowers on the fame 
plant, whofe ftamina coalefce together. 
The Species are, 
1. Momordica ( Balfamina ) pomis angulatis tubercula- 
tis, foliis glabris patenti-palmatis. Hort. Cliff. 451. 
Male Balfam Apple with angular warted fruit, and fmooth 
open-handed leaves. Momordica vulgaris. Tourn. Inft. 
R. H. 103. Common male Balfam Apple. 
2. Momordica ( Charantia ) pomis angulatis tubercula- 
tis, foliis villofis, longitudinaliter palmatis. Hort. 
Cliff. 451. Male Balfam Apple with angular warted 
fruit , and hairy leaves , which are longitudinally hand- 
floaped. Momordica Zeylanica, pampinea fronde, 
frudu longiori. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 103. Male Bal- 
fam Apple of Ceylon , with a Vine leaf and a longer 
fruit. 
3. Momordica ( Zeylanica ) pomis ovatis acuminatis 
tuberculatis, foliis glabris palmatis ferratis. Male 
Balfam Apple with an oval. , acute-pointed , warted fruit, 
and fmooth hand-Jhaped leaves , which are fawed. Mo- 
mordica Zeylanica, pampinea fronde, frudu brevio- 
ri. Tourn. Inft. 103. Male Balfam Apple of Ceylon , 
with a Vine leaf and a Jhorter fruit. 
4. Momordica ( Elat er turn ) pomis hifpidis, cirrhis nul- 
lis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 10 10. Male Balfam Apple with a 
prickly fruit , and no tendrils to the Vines. Cucumis 
fylveftris afininus didus. C. B. P. 314. Wild Cucum- 
ber, called Ajfes Cucumber , and the Elaterium of Boer- 
haave. 
The firft fort grows naturally in Afia, the fecond and 
third in the ifland of Ceylon ; they are annual plants, 
which perifh foon after they have ripened their fruit ; 
thefe have trailing ftalks like thole of the Cucumber 
and Melon, which extend three or four feet in length, 
fending out many fide branches which have tendrils, 
by which they fallen themfelves to any neighbouring 
plants, to fecure themfelves from being toffed and 
blown about by the winds, and are garnilhed with 
leaves fhaped like thofe of the Vine. The leaves of 
the firft and third forts are fmooth, and deeply cut 
into feveral iegments, and fpread open like a hand ; 
but thole of the lecond fort are extended more in 
length, and are hairy. The fruit of the firft fpecies 
is oval, ending in acute points, having feveral deep 
angles, which have lharp tubercles placed on their 
edges ; it changes to a red or purplifli colour when 
ripe, opening with an elafiicity, and throwing out 
its feeds. 
1 he fruit of the fecond fort is much longer than 
that of the iirft, and not fo deeply channelled. The 
tubercles are fcattered all over the furface, and are 
not fharp like thofe of the other ; this fruit is yel- 
M O M 
low, when ripe, and cafts out its feeds with an elaft 
ticity. 
The fruit of the third fort is fhort and pointed like 
that of the firft, but does not lwell fo large in the 
middle. The angles of this are not deep, and the 
whole furface is ciofely let with fharp tubercles ; this 
changes to a deep Orange colour when ripe, and calls 
out its feeds in the like manner. 
The fourth fort is commonly called Wild or Spurting 
Cucumber, from its calling out its feeds, together 
with the vifeid juice in which the feeds are lodged, 
with a violent force, if touched when ripe ; and from 
hence it has fometimes the appellation of Noli me 
tangere, or touch me not. This plant grows natu- 
rally in fome of the warm parts of Europe, but in 
England it is cultivated in gardens for the fruit, 
which is ufed in medicine, or rather the faecula of 
the juice of the fruit, which is the Elaterium of the 
fhops. 
This plant hath a large flefhy root fomewhat like that 
of Briony, from which come forth every fpring fe- 
veral thick, rough, trailing ftalks, which divide into 
many branches, and extend every way two or three 
feet ; thefe are garnifhed with thick, rough, almoft 
heart-fhaped leaves, of a gray colour, Handing upon 
long foot-ftalks. The flowers come out from the 
wings of the ftalk, thefe are male and female, grow- 
ing at different places on the fame plant, like thofe 
of the common Cucumber, but they are much lefg, 
of a pale yellow colour, with a greenifh bottom : 
the male flowers (land on fhort thick foot-ftalks, but 
the female flowers fit upon the young fruit, which, 
after the flower is faded, grows to be an inch and a 
half long, and fwelling like a Cucumber, of a gray 
colour like the leaves, and covered over with fhort 
prickles. Thefe do not change their colour when 
ripe, like moft of the other fruit of this clafs ; but 
if attempted to be gathered, they quit the foot- 
ftalk, and call out the feeds and juice with great vi- 
olence ; fo that where any plants are growing, and 
the fruit permitted to Hand till it is ripe, the feeds 
will be fcattered all round to a great diftance, and 
there will be plenty of the plants produced the fol- 
lowing fpring. 
But when the fruit is defigned for Life, it fhould al- 
ways be gathered before it is ripe, otherwife the 
greateft part of the juice will be loft, which is the 
only valuable part; for the juice which is expreffed, 
with part of the parenchyma of the fruit, is not to 
be compared with the other for its virtues; for the 
Elaterium which is made from clear juice of the 
fruit, is much whiter, and will retain its virtues mueb 
longer, than that which is extracted by preffure. 
The three firft forts are annual ; their feeds muft be 
fown on a hot-bed the beginning of March, and 
when the plants come up, they fhould be tranfplant- 
ed out into a frefh hot-bed, after the manner of Cu- 
cumbers or Melons, putting two plants of the fame 
kind under each light, and the plants watered and 
fhaded until they have taken root ; after which they 
muft be treated as Cucumbers, permitting their 
branches to extend upon the ground in the fame man- 
ner, and obferve to keep them dear from weeds. 
With this management (provided you do not let them 
have too much wet, or expofe them too much to the 
open air) they will produce their fruit in July, and 
their feeds will ripen in Auguft and September, when 
you muft obferve to gather it as foon as you fee the 
fruit open, otherwife it will be caft abroad, and with 
difficulty gathered up again. 
Thefe plants are preferved in curious gardens for the 
oddnefs of their fruit ; but as they take up a great 
deal of room in the hot-beds, requiring frequent at- 
tendance, and being of little beauty or ufe, fo they 
are not much cultivated in England, except in bota- 
nic gardens for variety. 
There are fome perfons who put thefe plants in pots, 
and fatten them up to ftakes, to fupport the Vines 
from trailing on the ground, and place the pots in 
ftoves ; where, when they are fikilfully managed, they 
will 
