THE 
AMERICAN JOURNAL 
OP 
PHARMACY. 
JULY, 1840. 
ART. XIII.— ON CUCUMIS CITRULLUS, By Benjamin I. Ritter. 
(Jin Inaugural Essay. ) 
Although this plant has not been made officinal in any 
of the Pharmacopoeias, it is well known to have medicinal 
properties, which, by some practitioners, are considered valu- 
able. 
The seeds, particularly, have acquired considerable celebri- 
ty for their diuretic effects, and the nutritious and delightful- 
ly refrigerant qualities of the pulp, are universally known 
and acknowledged. 
Botanical History. — The Cucumis citrullus belongs to 
the class Monoscia, order Monadelphia, L., and to the natural 
family Cucurbit acese, Lind. 
Generic Characters. — Staminate flowers five-toothed ; ca- 
rolla five-cleft ; filaments three ; pistillate flowers, calyx and 
carolla like the staminate. Pistil three-cleft. 
Specific description. — Plant annual, hairy ; stem creeping 
procumbent, from ten to fifteen feet long, slender, angular, 
somewhat branching ; tendrils also branching ; leaves three 
to five inches in length, by two to four in width, ovate in their out- 
VOL. VI. — NO, II. 
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