Flora Medica

Stems slender, climbing, very scabrous, with white, frequently hairbearingglands. Leaves cordate, acuminate, somewhat 5-lobed, or5-angled ; angles acute ; upper surface very hairy, under less so, marginsundulately crenate, minutely toothed. Male flowers 1 or 2 together ;female solitary. Calyx of each very hairy. Fruit oval, oblong,rounded at both ends, from 2-3 inches long, and about half as broad,marked with narrow white stripes flesh ; very bitter. Royle. Similarin quality to Colocynth.173. C. pseudo-colocynthis Royle Illustr. 220. t. 47. f. 2.b.Plains of northern India, where it is called " Indrayun " and" Bisloombha."Stems slender, prostrate and radiating, very scabrous. Leaves scabrouson both sides, with white gland-like hair-bearing tubercles,5-lobed ; lobes as well as the angles rounded, the former slightly toothed,the terminal one broader, cuneate, subdivided into 3 smaller lobules.Male flowers generally solitary, as are the female, and long peduncled.Calyx tube oblong, hispid ; segments narrow, linear, and pointed. Fruitoblong and smooth, marked with 8 broad stripes. Flesh verybitter.Royle. Substituted in Northern India for the true Colocynth.LUFFA.$ . Flowers panicled, yellow. Tube of calyx hemispherical; segments longer than the tube. Petals distinct,dropping off by the base. Stamens 5, distinct, anthers verywavy. 5 Flowers . solitary.Tube of calyx oblong-clavate ;segments shorter than the tube. Stamens abortive. Stigmasreniform. Gourd ovate, 3-celled, fibrous internally, operculate.174. L. amara Roxb.fl. ind.m.1\5. Cucumis indicus, &c.Pluk. t. 172. f. 1.Hedges and dry uncultivated places in theEast Indies.Stems several, slender, running to a great extent, but with fewbranches, pretty smooth, 5-sided. Tendrils 3-cleft. Leaves slightly5-7-lobed, rough ; stipules axillary, solitary, cordate, with glandularmarks on one side. Male flowers pretty large, yellow, on long, erect,axillary racemes ;the pedicels with a glandular bract near the base, andarticulated a little above it. Female flowers rather larger, axillary,solitary, peduncled. Fruit oblong, 3 or 4 inches long, and 1 in diameter,tapering equally towards each end, 10-angled, when ripe dry,gray, and filled with dry fibres ; the operculum deciduous. Seedsblackish gray, with elevated minute black dots. Every part extremelybitter. Fruit violently cathartic and emetic. Juice of roasted youngfruit applied to the temples by the natives of India to cure headach.Ripe seeds, either in infusion or substance used by them to vomit andpurge.175. L. Bindaal Roxb.fl.ind. iii. 717- Hindostan.Dioecious, climbing. Leaves 5-angled, toothed. Male flowers inracemes. Females solitary. Fruit round, echinate, with Ions; firm85 G 3