Sex Mechanism in Coccinia indica Wight and Arn.

Abstract

SOME of the diœcious species of Cucurbitaceæ have been cytologically investigated by several previous workers to ascertain whether the morphological differences in flowers between the sexes could be correlated with any observable chromosomal differences of their gametes. So far, only two species among members of this family, namely, Trichosanthes japonica^1–3 and Coccinia indica^4–6 have been found to possess well-defined sex-chromosomes. In T. japonica, the male is reported to be the heterogametic sex, whereas in C. indica contrary evidences have been furnished by Kumar and Deodikar⁶ and Bhaduri and Bose⁴. The present note is based on the results of a critical cytological investigation of different sex types, such as the diploid male and female, the gynodiœcious form and a triploid male of C. indica.