Monoecia. 
( 3i ) 
GOLDEN MOMORDICA. 
T his is another of thofe climbing Plants of the Chinese, which in their 
native Wildnefs cover Trees. The Fruit in this is the moft ftriking 
Part 5 large irregularly, rais’d in Tubercles ; and of a golden Yel- 
low. This is its firft State, and in this ’tis very beautiful 5 but when it burfts 
with extream Ripenefs, and Ihews the inner Coat, there is a new Scene of 
Wonder : the Crimfon upon that is much more ftriking than the rich Colour 
of the natural Outfide ; and the Variety the white Seeds form, adds to the ge- 
neral Beauty : they feem fo many Crimfon Lumps under the Skin, while they 
are cover’d by it, as they are in a very peculiar Way originally : but when 
that burfts, and lets them out, they are white. 
The Plant is weak and always gets Support ; but like the preceding, when 
it has once faften’d on a Tree, it climbs to the full height of it ; and covers all 
its Branches. The extream Ends of the Stalk, after this, hang down partly 
by their own Weaknefs, and partly by the Weight of the Fruit : and as this is 
produc’d in vaft Profufion, the Wind blowing the Branches one againft another, 
ftrikes thefe together in a wild and very whimfical Manner. Nature, perhaps, 
ordain’d this to favour the Burfting of the Fruit for the Sake of the Seeds be- 
ing difcharg’d j for this is fo firm in their Subftance, that it would be a great 
while before they open’d otherwile. 
The Flowers, which cover this Plant in great Profufion, are of two Kinds; and 
they lead us to another Clafs in the fexual Syftem. They might appear all a- 
like to an incurious Eye, but when their inner Part is examin’d, we find in 
fome the male Organs of Fructification only ; and in others only the Female : 
*tis thus in Melons, and a Multitude of other Plants ; and as in thofe Kinds, 
fo in the prefent, the firft mention’d, or male Flowers fall off without any far- 
ther Ufe, the Female only being fucceeded by Fruit. 
The Male and Female Flowers have equally a fmall Cup cut into five Seg- 
ments ; and one of them, as well as the other, has five Petals, which grow to, 
or rife from this Cup. In the male Flower the Filaments are three, they are 
very Ihort, and each fupports its proper Button : but theft are not alike ; jfbr 
two of them are Iplit at the End and have an Appendage on each Side, but the 
Third has only one of thefe Appendages. 
In the female Flower there are the Rudiments of three Filaments, but there 
are no Buttons upon them. There rifts in the Centre a Column or Style with 
three Heads, and under the Flower is the Rudiment of a Fruit which afterwards 
ripens to the Form here figur’d. 
In the Generality of Plants, the Filaments and Style are plac’d in the fame 
Flower ; and in thofe Cafes the Clafles are characteris’d from the Number and 
Infertion, or Proportion of thofe Parts. In this and many others they are in 
ftparate Flowers ; but thofe being upon the fame Plant, they are call’d Monoe- 
cia 1 in others yet the niale Flowers grow upon diftinCt Plants from the Female, 
tho’ of the fame Species; as in Hemp, Spinach, and the like; and thefe are call’d 
therefore Dioecia. 
There is not a more fingular Plant than this, or more worth Culture in the 
whole Monoecious Clafs. 
S P I- 
Momordica pomis angulatis tuberculatis, foliis villofis longitudinaliter paltnatis, Linn. 
Indian Balfam Apple, 
