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This genus is accepted, and its native range is Tropical & S. Africa.
Trochomeria debilis (Sond.) Hook.f.

[FTEA]

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

Morphology General Habit
Perennial tuberous-rooted climbing or trailing herbs with tendrils or small erect herbs without tendrils, often turning black when dried; stems annual
Morphology Leaves
Leaves subsessile and linear to elliptic and often 3-lobed in the erect species, petiolate and broadly ovate-cordate to sagittate in outline and very variously palmately 3–5-lobed in the climbing species; a ciliate or dentate stipuliform bract often present at the petiole base
Morphology General Tendrils
Tendrils simple
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers greenish-yellow, often borne on practically leafless stems, dioecious Female flowers solitary; ovary ovoid to subglobose, beaked; ovules horizontal; perianth-parts as in ♂, with elongated receptacle-tube; staminodes 3, inserted on tube, ± resembling filaments of stamens of ♂ flower; stigma 3-lobed Male flowers in pedunculate clusters, sometimes solitary; receptacle-tube elongated, cylindrical; lobes minute, dentiform; corolla ± stelliform, with the lobes ovate-triangular to linear-lanceolate, spreading or recurved, free almost to the base; stamens 3, 2 double 2-thecous, 1 single 1-thecous; filaments free, inserted on the tube; anthers united into an oblong head in the mouth of the tube; connectives narrow, shortly produced and hairy apically; thecae triplicate; pistillode usually present
sex Male
Male flowers in pedunculate clusters, sometimes solitary; receptacle-tube elongated, cylindrical; lobes minute, dentiform; corolla ± stelliform, with the lobes ovate-triangular to linear-lanceolate, spreading or recurved, free almost to the base; stamens 3, 2 double 2-thecous, 1 single 1-thecous; filaments free, inserted on the tube; anthers united into an oblong head in the mouth of the tube; connectives narrow, shortly produced and hairy apically; thecae triplicate; pistillode usually present
sex Female
Female flowers solitary; ovary ovoid to subglobose, beaked; ovules horizontal; perianth-parts as in ♂, with elongated receptacle-tube; staminodes 3, inserted on tube, ± resembling filaments of stamens of ♂ flower; stigma 3-lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit small to medium-sized, fleshy, thin-walled, baccate, indehiscent, red
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds proportionally large, subglobose, ovoid or ellipsoid, ± tumid; testa smooth, hard, whitish (pitted in 4, T. stefaninii)
Figures
Fig. 12, p. 86.

[FZ]

Cucurbitaceae, C. Jeffrey. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herbs with slender erect, prostrate or scandent annual stems arising from a tuberous rootstock.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves simple, petiolate or sessile.
Morphology General Tendrils
Tendrils simple or absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Probracts when present stipuloid, subcircular, ciliate-laciniate, often absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Receptacle
Receptacle-tube elongate, cylindrical; lobes minute, remote, dentiform.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla ± stelliform, the lobes 5, ovate-triangular to lanceolate-attenuate, spreading or reflexed, free almost to the base.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 3, 2 double two-thecous, 1 single one-thecous; filaments free, inserted on receptacle-tube; anthers coherent; connectives narrow, apically pubescent; thecae tightly flexuous; pistillode usually present.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flowers solitary; ovary ovate to ellipsoid, smooth; ovules several to many, horizontal; perianth as in male flower; staminodes 3; stigma 3-lobed. Male flowers in sessile or pedunculate nodal or axillary clusters or racemes, rarely solitary. Flowers greenish, dioecious, often precocious.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit baccate, bright red, terete, indehiscent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds ellipsoid to subglobose, tumid, usually smooth, white; testa hard, thick.

Native to:

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Central African Repu, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Northern Provinces, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Trochomeria Hook.f. appears in other Kew resources:

First published in G.Bentham & J.D.Hooker, Gen. Pl. 1: 822 (1867)

Accepted by

  • Govaerts, R., Nic Lughadha, E., Black, N., Turner, R. & Paton, A. (2021). The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-021-00997-6 Scientific Data 8: 215.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • —F.T.A. 2: 524.

Flora Zambesiaca

  • in Benth. & Hook., Gen. Pl. 1: 822 (1867).

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • in G.P. 1: 822 (1867)

Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0