Zehneria .] 
LVII. CUCURBITACEiE. 
699 
calyx, stout or slender, often villous ; anthers orbicular, one 1 -celled, two2-celled, 
or all 1-celled, hairy at the back and sides, cells curved, connective not produced. 
Rudiment of ovary 8-lobed. Female flowers : Staminodes 8, linear. Ovary 
ovoid or subglobose ; style inserted on a thick annular disk ; stigma 8-lobed or 
stigmas 3, ovules numerous, on 3 placentas. Berry generally globose. Seeds 
few or many, obovate, flattened or tumid, usually smooth and margined, rarely 
tuberculate. — Slender, glabrous, scabrid or tomentose, scandent or prostrate, 
tropical perennial-rooted herbs. Leaves angled or toothed, often membranous. 
Tendrils simple. Flowers small, white or yellow. Fruit shortly peduncled, 
small. The stems and branches, which are invariably angled and grooved when 
dry, are possibly terete when fresh. — Hook, in Oliver FI. Trop. Afr. ii. 558. 
1. Z. ejecta (casting out its seed), Bail. Queensland Squirting Cucumber. 
A glandular-hairy climber, covering shrubs to the height of 6 or more feet. 
Leaves 2in. long and more broad, membranous, the upper portion sharply 
3-angular cordate at the base, lobes rounded, sinus broad, the margin except 
within the sinus bordered with distant, straight bristle-like teeth. Petioles about 
lin. long. Tendrils simple, filiform. Male flowers numerous on long pedicels in 
a short raceme (umbel-like) at the end of a long slender peduncle. (Flowers not 
in a fit state for describing.) Fruit solitary on a stouc peduncle in the same axil 
with the male inflorescence echinate, oval, about fin. long, when ripe ejecting the 
seed like the Squirting Cucumber. Seeds ik lines long, base tapering, upper end 
obtuse, about 2 lines broad, flat, faces pitted, margins thick. 
Hab.: Thursday Island, E. Cowley (inflorescence 1893). 
I only obtained fruit in 1897. When this plant can be more fully studied, it may be removed 
to Melothria ; however, at present I think it better placed as above. 
12. MUKIA, Arn. 
(From “ Murra,” its name in Malabar.) 
Calyx in the males, and free part of it in the females, turbinate-campanulate, 
5-toothed. Corolla rotate, divided to the calyx into 5 acute lobes. Stamens in 
the males 3, filaments short, free ; anthers two with 2 cells, one with 1 cell, the 
cells parallel and straight, the connective produced into a short point beyond 
them ; the females without staminodia. Ovary in the females with 2 or 3 
placentas and several horizontal ovules ; style clavate, with a thick 2 or 3-lobed 
stigma. Fruit a globular berry. Seeds few, compressed, scrobiculate. — Scabrous- 
hispid annuals, with the habit of (Juciuim. Leaves angular or rarely lobed. 
Flowers small, yellow, the males clustered an 1 pedicellate, the females solitary 
and sessile or nearly so. 
Leaves subdeltoid, angular or 3 to 5-lobed. Fruit globular, nearly Jin. in 
diameter. Seeds about 2 lines long 1. .17. scabrella. 
Leaves triangular-ovate. Fruit oval, about ljin. long. Seeds about 3J lines 
long 2 . M. celcbica. 
1. 1YI. scabrella (rough), Am. in Hook. Juurn. But. iii. 276 ; Benth. FI. 
Austr. iii. 321. Rather slender, but very scabrous-hispid. Leaves shortly 
petiolate, deeply cordate, from broadly triangular to ovate-lanceolate, and more or 
less hastate with broad rounded or angular lobes, usually obtuse, obscurely 
crenate or rarely shortly 3 or 5-lobed, mostly under 2in. long. Male flowers 
clustered in the axils, the pedicels 2 to 8 lines long ; females almost sessile. 
Calyx hirsute, above 1 line long, with small linear teeth. Corolla lobes about 
1 line long. Adnate part of the calyx-tube or ovary in the females about 2 lines 
long, densely hirsute with long white hairs. Style surrounded by a cup-shaped 
disk. Berry globular, sometimes attaining Jin. diameter. — Wight, Ic. t. 501 ; 
Naud. in Ann. Sc. Nat. ser. 4, xii. 142 ; Melothria iiiculerasjiatana , Cogn. in DC. 
Mon. Phan. iii. 628. 
