[Illustration: WILD BALSAM GOURD]
Tendrils mostly present, stems often prostrate; flowers usually
unisexual; calyx tubular, 5-lobed; petals united or separate; stamens
usually 3, one anther always 1-celled, the other two 2-celled; ovary
inferior.
Wild Balsam Gourd (_Ibervillea lindheimeri_) has bright scarlet balls
about an inch in diameter and makes conspicuous spots of color on fences
in the fall. The vine is slender, bearing small yellow flowers in the
spring. The fruits are green at first, turning orange and then a scarlet
red. Sometimes they are a little longer than broad and pointed at the
end. The few leaves are thick and deeply 3-5-lobed. It ranges from Texas
to California.
The garden balsam (_Impatiens balsamina_) bears no relation to this
plant. The vines in cultivation known as balsam apple and balsam pear
are, however, members of the gourd family and were introduced from the
Old World tropics. Watermelons, cantaloupes, cucumbers, squashes,
pumpkins, and gourds are well-known members of the gourd family.
[Illustration: WILD GOURD]
Wild Gourd. Mock Orange (_Cucurbita foetidissima_) has long trailing
stems which are often 15 feet long and may be 25 feet long. It is
readily distinguished by its large gray-green triangular leaves which
are somewhat 3-5-lobed. The leaf-blades are 4-12 inches long, and the
leaf-stalk is about half the length of the blade. The star-shaped yellow
flowers, about three inches broad, are almost hidden by the leaves, the
staminate and pistillate flowers being borne on different plants.
The ovoid gourds, which at first are green variegated with a lighter
green, turn quite yellow at maturity. The resemblance of the yellow
fruit to oranges has given rise to the common name, mock orange. The
gourds are about three inches long. They are not edible, as the pulp is
fibrous and bitter. Mexicans use the plant as a soap substitute by
mashing the gourds or the roots in water. They call it “chilicoyote” or
“calabacilla.” The pumpkins and squashes, whose origin is somewhat
obscure, are close relatives of the gourd.