Page:Illustrations of Indian Botany, Vol. 2.djvu/62

26 curbitaceae are distinguished from all others by their stamens, hut more especially the anthers, the cells of which, in most of the order, are very long, winding upwards and downwards on the exterior surface of the connectivum. This structure of the anther, combined with the very remarkable one of the ovary and fruit, added to the habit of the plants and lateral tendrils, widely separate this from every other order in the vegetable kingdom. Various attempts have, however, been made to find associates near which to place them in the system of plants. Of the orders thus selected, as relations, some have superior some inferior fruit, some albumenous some exalbumenous seed, but all, except Lindley's group of Epignosœ, among which he places it are objectionable on account of their one-celled ovary : but, as a set off against this advantage he constructs his Cucurbital alliance of plants, having Parietal placentas which properly speaking, excludes Cucurbitaceœ. This group, however, remodeling the alliance will, I apprehend, be found upon the whole the best place, as agreeing with their general character "ovary inferior usually having an epigynous disk" but upon no other account, as in truth they have no relations here. The term Peponiferae under which Meisner groups 9, and Bartling 8 orders is most incorrect as being only applicable to one member of the group.

This family though essentially a tropical one and of more frequent occurrence in India than in any other country, has yet a wide distribution over the world, a few being found even so far north as Europe and one in Britain. At the Cape, we learn from Harvey's " Genera of South African plants" that there are species referable to seven different genera: one species is found in Norfolk island : but generally they are rare in Australia. In equinoctial America and Africa they are of more frequent occurrence, but no where so abundant as in India and her islands, extending eastward to China and Japan. Blume enumerates 46 species found by him in Java alone, which leads one to the inference that the rest of Asia will be found to produce at least two or three times as many more. M. Seringe however only assigns 70 to all Asia including Java, which single fact, shows how little this family is known. Since more than half of the whole number are from that small portion. Let us hope this statement, added to the increasing facilities, which our improved knowledge of their structure confers, in the determination of species, may lead to greater attention being directed to their elucidation, which will unquestionably repay the enquirer with a rich harvest of interesting discoveries.

These are varied. Acrimony and a drastic tendency pervade many species, the fruit of some of which afford cathartics of remarkable power, acting, in even small doses, with great energy on nearly the whole line of the alimentary canal.

Generally speaking, however, this intensity of power is of rare occurrence though the property is found more or loss active in every part of the plant ; mildly in the roots of some and the leaves and young shoots of others, but in greatest intensity in the pulp surrounding the seed. The seed themselves do not partake of that property, being in nearly all, mild and oily. There is reason to believe that some at least, if not all the edible sorts, owe their freedom from this property to cultivation, as some of them in the wild state are found to possess it in great intensity. The Lagenarea vulgaris or bottle gourd may be cited as an example, it being recorded that some sailors were poisoned by drinking beer that had been standing in a flask made of one of these gourds: and Dr. Royle mentions a somewhat similar case, where symptoms of cholera were induced by eating the bitter pulp. The fruit of many of the species of Cucumis, the genus to which the Melon and Cucumber belong, are powerfully cathartic, among these C. Hardwickii, Royle and C. psudo colocynthes Royle, may be enumerated as the chief, but even the Cucumber, especially the less highly cultivated varieties of this country, are sometimes known to prove strongly aperient in susceptible constitutions. C. colocynthes (now Citrullus) is necessarily removed from the genus but affords one of the most valuable medicinal agents derived from the order.

The Melon, C. melo, and C. ulilissimus, so far as I have been able to learn are free from it. The fruit of some species of Luffa are violently cathartic such as L. amara and L. Bindual of Roxburgh, while those of L. acutangula (Cucumis acutangulus Ainslie) are a favourite potherb of the natives, and esteemed very wholesome. Some of the species of Bryonia especially B. alba and B. dicica partake of the cathartic properties of the family in great intensity,