Momordica L.

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit

Slender herbaceous vines, annual or perennial, with simple tendrils; leaves lobed or in some species entire. Peduncles often with a small leafy bract

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers yellow, monoecious or dioecious Staminate flowers solitary or in panicles; calyx-tube short, closed by 2 or 3 oblong, incurved scales; petals 5, free or nearly so; stamens 3, the anthers at first coherent, at length free, contorted

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Pistillate flowers solitary, with calyx and corolla like those of the staminate flowers; staminodes none or represented by 3 glands at the base of the style; stigmas 3; ovules numerous

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Berry opening by 3 valves or indehiscent.

Distribution

A genus of 45 species indigenous to the Old World tropics; one or two are naturalised in nearly all warm countries.

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

Morphology General Habit

Small to rather large climbers or trailers

Morphology Leaves

Leaves simple, or pedately 3–7- or pedately biternately 7–15-foliolate

Morphology General Tendrils

Tendrils simple or proximally bifid, rarely paired at the nodes and then usually spinose

Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts

Probracts usually absent

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers medium to large, white, cream or yellow, monoecious or dioecious Male flowers solitary, umbellate or shortly racemose, or in many-flowered fascicles or pseudopanicles, often subtended by a prominent suborbicular sessile sheathing bract; receptacle-tube relatively short and broad; lobes entire; petals 5, free, entire, 1–3 with an incurved scale inside at the base; stamens 3 (2 double 2-thecous, 1 single 1-thecous) or 2 (1 triple (2–)3-thecous, 1 double 2-thecous), usually free; thecae arcuate, duplicate or triplicate Female flowers solitary; ovary usually ribbed, tuberculate or papillose; ovules usually many, horizontal, less often few and pendulous and/or erect; stigma 3-lobed

sex Male

Male flowers solitary, umbellate or shortly racemose, or in many-flowered fascicles or pseudopanicles, often subtended by a prominent suborbicular sessile sheathing bract; receptacle-tube relatively short and broad; lobes entire; petals 5, free, entire, 1–3 with an incurved scale inside at the base; stamens 3 (2 double 2-thecous, 1 single 1-thecous) or 2 (1 triple (2–)3-thecous, 1 double 2-thecous), usually free; thecae arcuate, duplicate or triplicate

sex Female

Female flowers solitary; ovary usually ribbed, tuberculate or papillose; ovules usually many, horizontal, less often few and pendulous and/or erect; stigma 3-lobed

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit rather large, ovoid-ellipsoid to elongate-fusiform, fleshy, ornamented with fleshy tubercles, spines or longitudinal wings or ridges, less often merely bluntly angled or subterete, indehiscent or dehiscent ± irregularly or often by 3 valves, and then exposing the seeds enveloped in scarlet pulp hanging from the faces of the valves

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds medium-sized to rather large, usually compressed, the testa nearly always ± sculptured on the faces and 1–2-grooved at the margins

Figures

Figs. 2, p. 18, 3, p. 25.

Cucurbitaceae, C. Jeffrey. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit

Prostrate or scandent, usually herbaceous plants.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves simple or pedately ternately or 2-ternately 3–21-foliolate.

Morphology General Tendrils

Tendrils simple or 2-fid.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Male flowers solitary, umbellate, shortly racemose or fasciculate, often bracteate; bracts often prominent, more or less cucullate. Receptacle-tube relatively short and broad; lobes entire. Petals 5, free, entire, obtuse to rounded or sometimes retuse, 1–3 with a ventral incurved scale at the base. Stamens 3, two 2-thecous and one 1-thecous, or less often 2, one 3-thecous and the other 2-thecous, free or sometimes with the anthers connate into a head; thecae arcuate, sinuate or triplicate. Flowers white, cream, yellow or orange, monoecious or dioecious. Female flowers solitary, perianth similar to that of male flower but receptacle-tube usually much shorter and lobes often narrower and smaller; ovary ribbed, tuberculate or papillose, rarely smooth; ovules usually many, horizontal, less often few, pendulous and/or erect; stigma 3-lobed.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit ellipsoid to fusiform, tuberculate, spiny, winged or ribbed, rarely smooth, indehiscent or dehiscent into 3 valves and exposing seeds enveloped in bright red pulp.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds usually compressed, with sculptured faces and grooved margins with a slight erose median ridge.