Kedrostis Medik.

Cucurbitaceae, C. Jeffrey. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1967

Morphology General Habit

Small to medium-sized climbing or trailing herbs, less often rather large woody climbers or more rarely subshrubs

Morphology Leaves

Leaves usually simple, ovate-lanceolate or hastate to suborbicular in outline, ± palmately lobed, sometimes deeply dissected into narrow segments, rarely 3-foliolate with sessile leaflets

Morphology General Tendrils

Tendrils simple, less often proximally bifid, rarely absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers small, greenish-white, greenish-yellow or yellow, monoecious or dioecious Female flowers solitary, paired or few-fasciculate, subsessile or ± shortly stalked; ovary smooth; ovules horizontal; perianth as in ♂ flower; staminodes (3–)5, inserted in mouth of tube; stigma 2(–3)-lobed; disk basal, annular, not distinct from base of tube Male flowers in few- to many-flowered lax or contracted short- to long-pedunculate racemes, more rarely in short dense fascicles, pedicellate; receptacle-tube campanulate; lobes ± small, dentiform, filiform or lanceolate; petals united at the base; stamens 5, all 1-thecous, in 2 pairs with 1 single, inserted in the mouth of the tube, or the paired stamens ± united, when completely so the stamens appearing as 3, 2 double 2-thecous, 1 single 1-thecous; filaments short; connective often apically produced; thecae lateral, short, straight or slightly arcuate; disk basal, usually concave, not distinct from base of tube

sex Male

Male flowers in few- to many-flowered lax or contracted short- to long-pedunculate racemes, more rarely in short dense fascicles, pedicellate; receptacle-tube campanulate; lobes ± small, dentiform, filiform or lanceolate; petals united at the base; stamens 5, all 1-thecous, in 2 pairs with 1 single, inserted in the mouth of the tube, or the paired stamens ± united, when completely so the stamens appearing as 3, 2 double 2-thecous, 1 single 1-thecous; filaments short; connective often apically produced; thecae lateral, short, straight or slightly arcuate; disk basal, usually concave, not distinct from base of tube

sex Female

Female flowers solitary, paired or few-fasciculate, subsessile or ± shortly stalked; ovary smooth; ovules horizontal; perianth as in ♂ flower; staminodes (3–)5, inserted in mouth of tube; stigma 2(–3)-lobed; disk basal, annular, not distinct from base of tube

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits solitary, paired or few-fasciculate, subsessile or stalked, small to medium-sized, fleshy, baccate, red, sometimes hairy, subglobose, ovoid-rostrate, conical or fusiform, indehiscent or dehiscent by a longitudinal slit or valves

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds rather small, tumid, asymmetrically pyriform to subglobose, usually smooth

Figures

Fig. 23, p. 132.

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit

Scandent or trailing herbs with perennial tuberous rootstock, or softly woody climbers

Morphology Leaves

Leaves simple or 3-foliolate

Morphology General Tendrils

Tendrils simple or bifid

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Hypanthium

Hypanthium campanulate

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx

Sepals 5, small, lanceolate to dentiform

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla

Petals 5, united at the base, greenish-yellow or yellow

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens

Stamens 5, all one-thecous, in 2 pairs with 1 single or the paired stamens more or less united into 2 two-thecous stamens, inserted on the mouth of the hypanthium; filaments short; thecae short, straight or curved

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences

Female flowers solitary or few-fasciculate Male flowers racemose or fasciculate Monoecious or dioecious; flowers small

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary

Ovary smooth, glabrous or pubescent; ovules few to many, horizontal; perianth as in male flowers

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Stigma

Stigmas usually 2

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits solitary or few-fasciculate, fleshy, often rostrate, red, indehiscent or dehiscent by a longitudinal slit

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds asymmetrically pyriform or subglobose, usually smooth.

Distribution

About 20 species, mostly in tropical and southern Africa and Madagascar, a few in south-west Asia and Indomalesia.