Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt

This species is accepted, and its native range is Tropical Africa, W. Arabian Peninsula, Tropical & Subtropical Asia. It is used as animal food, a medicine and invertebrate food and for food.

[FZ]

Cucurbitaceae, C. Jeffrey. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit: Climber to 20 m.; stem glabrous except at nodes, becoming white-punctate when older.
Morphology Leaves: Leaf-lamina 3·5–11·5 × 3·5–15·5 cm., broadly ovate in outline, cordate, glabrous, punctate, palmately 3–5-lobed, lobes shallowly triangular to elliptic, entire or ± sinuate-dentate, sometimes lobulate.
Morphology Leaves Petiole: Petiole 1–5 cm. long, glabrous or almost so.
Morphology General Tendrils: Tendrils simple.
sex Male: male flowers solitary; pedicels 7–70 mm. long. Receptacle-tube 3–7 mm. long, obconic, expanded above, lobes 2·5–6 mm. long, triangular to lanceolate or oblanceolate. Corolla campanulate, pale yellow, green-veined, the lobes 1·5–2 × 1–1·5 cm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers: Female flowers solitary, axillary; pedicels 4–25 mm. long; ovary 5–15 × 1·5–3·5 mm., ellipsoid-cylindrical; receptacle-tube 2–7 mm. long, shortly cylindrical, lobes 2–4 mm. long; corolla-lobes 2–3·2 × 0·7–1·3 cm. male flowers solitary; pedicels 7–70 mm. long. Receptacle-tube 3–7 mm. long, obconic, expanded above, lobes 2·5–6 mm. long, triangular to lanceolate or oblanceolate. Corolla campanulate, pale yellow, green-veined, the lobes 1·5–2 × 1–1·5 cm.
sex Female: Female flowers solitary, axillary; pedicels 4–25 mm. long; ovary 5–15 × 1·5–3·5 mm., ellipsoid-cylindrical; receptacle-tube 2–7 mm. long, shortly cylindrical, lobes 2–4 mm. long; corolla-lobes 2–3·2 × 0·7–1·3 cm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Fruit 3–6·5 × 1·5–3·5 cm., ellipsoid, obtuse, red.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds: Seeds c. 6 × 3 × 1·5 mm., asymmetrically ovate in outline, compressed, with flat faces and thick 2-grooved margins.

[FSOM]

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

Morphology General Habit: Scandent or trailing perennial herb or softly woody deciduous climber to 20 m; rootstock tuberous
Morphology Leaves: Leaf-blade broadly ovate in outline, cordate, sinuate-dentate with glandular usually reddish teeth, punctate above, glabrous, 3.5–11.5 x 3.5–15.5 cm, obscurely pentagonal to deeply palmately 3–5-lobed, lobes triangular to elliptic or rhombic in outline, often lobulate, sometimes deeply so; petioles 0.5–5 cm long, glabrous
Morphology General Tendrils: Tendrils simple
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers: Female flowers solitary Male flowers solitary or 2–4 in shortly pedunculate clusters
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary: Ovary ellipsoid, 3–14 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Hypanthium: Hypanthium cylindrical, 2–7 mm long Hypanthium obconic, expanded above, glabrous, 3–7 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx: Sepals oblong-lanceolate, 2–4 mm long, red-tipped Sepals lanceolate, 2.5–6.5 mm long, often red at the apex
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla: Petals similar to those of male flowers, 20–35 mm long Corolla pale yellow with green veins, campanulate; petals 14–25 mm long, united in lower half
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Fruit globose to ellipsoid, green with paler green stripes, red when ripe, 3–7 x 1.5–3.5 cm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel: Pedicel 0.4–4 cm long Pedicels 4–25 mm long Pedicels 7–70 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds: Seeds asymmetrically ovate in outline, compressed, c. 6 x 2.5–3 x 1.5 mm, fibrillose.
Distribution: N1, 3; C1, 2; S1–3 tropical Africa west to Senegal and south to S Tanzania, tropical Asia and Australasia east to Fiji.
Ecology: Altitude range 20–1740 m.
Vernacular: Aloondooy, geed qumbe, geel, guud-fayleey (Somali-S); galefon, rooxo, sar gudun (Somali-N).
Note: Plants with smaller fruits and shorter pedicels than in the above description also occur in Somalia. Similar plants from Kenya were provisionally described as Coccinia sp. C in Fl. Trop. E. Afr. (1967), and their status is still uncertain.

[UPFC]

Distribution: Biogeografic region: Caribbean. Elevation range: 0–0 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Bolívar, Magdalena.
Habit: Climbing.
Ecology: Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: artificial - terrestrial.

[CPLC]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution: Adventicia en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 50 m.; Llanura del Caribe.
Morphology General Habit: Trepadora
Conservation: No Evaluada

[FTEA]

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

Morphology General Habit: Perennial climber or trailer to 20 m.; rootstock tuberous; young stems green, herbaceous, angled, glabrous except at the nodes, becoming white-dotted when older, perennial, eventually woody and subterete with thin grey or brownish papery bark.
Morphology Leaves: Leaf-blade broadly ovate to subpentagonal or orbicular in outline, ± cordate at the base, entire or sinuate and often with distinct reddish glandular teeth, glabrous, punctate, 34–115 mm. long, 36–155 mm. broad, shallowly to deeply palmately 3–5-lobed; lobes variable, shallowly triangular and broadest at the base to ovate or rhombic in outline and narrowed towards the base, then often bluntly to rather sharply palmately or ± pinnately 3–5(–7)-lobulate; petiole 12–50 mm. long, glabrous or slightly hairy laterally above.
Morphology General Tendrils: Tendrils simple.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts: Probracts small, glandular.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers: Male flowers solitary or paired (rarely 3–4); pedicels 7–70 mm. long; receptacle-tube obconic, expanded above, slightly glandular-hairy internally, 3–7 mm. long; lobes triangular to lanceolate or lanceolate-subspathulate, often red-tipped, acute, 2.5–6 mm. long; corolla campanulate, pale yellow or pale apricot-orange, ± green-veined, with the lobes 14–20 mm. long, 10–16 mm. broad, united in lower half, sometimes red-tipped; stamens normally 3. Female flowers solitary on 4–25 mm. long stalks; ovary green, cylindrical, smooth, 5–13 mm. long, 1.5–3.5 mm. broad; receptacle-tube cylindrical, glandular-hairy inside, 2–7 mm. long; lobes filiform, lanceolate, or triangular, often red-tipped, 2–4 mm. long; corolla-lobes 21–32 mm. long, 7–13 mm. broad, united in lower half or three-quarters.
sex Male: Male flowers solitary or paired (rarely 3–4); pedicels 7–70 mm. long; receptacle-tube obconic, expanded above, slightly glandular-hairy internally, 3–7 mm. long; lobes triangular to lanceolate or lanceolate-subspathulate, often red-tipped, acute, 2.5–6 mm. long; corolla campanulate, pale yellow or pale apricot-orange, ± green-veined, with the lobes 14–20 mm. long, 10–16 mm. broad, united in lower half, sometimes red-tipped; stamens normally 3.
sex Female: Female flowers solitary on 4–25 mm. long stalks; ovary green, cylindrical, smooth, 5–13 mm. long, 1.5–3.5 mm. broad; receptacle-tube cylindrical, glandular-hairy inside, 2–7 mm. long; lobes filiform, lanceolate, or triangular, often red-tipped, 2–4 mm. long; corolla-lobes 21–32 mm. long, 7–13 mm. broad, united in lower half or three-quarters.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits: Fruit on an 8–40 mm. long stalk, fleshy, baccate, red when ripe except for small green area around fruit-stalk, ellipsoid, rarely spherical, rounded at the ends, 29–67 mm. long, 14–35 mm. across.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds: Seeds asymmetrically pyriform in outline, compressed, with a slightly depressed disk and rather thick 2-grooved margins, 6 × 3 × 1.5 mm.; testa fibrillose.
Figures: Fig. 8/8–10, p. 57.
Habitat: Deciduous bushland, woodland and wooded grassland, dry evergreen forest and evergreen woodland; 0–1680 m.
Distribution: northern tropical Africa eastwards from Senegal to the Somali RepublicArabiatropical Asia from W. Pakistan to HainanMalesia and tropical Australia, Fijiintroduced into the West Indies and tropical South America K1 K2 K4 K5 K7 T1 T2 T3 T6 T8 U1 U2 U3 U4

[UPFC]

Use Animal Food: Used as animal food.
Use Gene Sources: Used as gene sources.
Use Food: Used for food.
Use Invertebrate Food: Used as invertebrate food.
Use Medicines: Medical uses.

Native to:

Assam, Bangladesh, Benin, Borneo, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Repu, Chad, China South-Central, China Southeast, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Hainan, India, Ivory Coast, Jawa, Kenya, Laccadive Is., Laos, Lesser Sunda Is., Malaya, Mali, Maluku, Mauritania, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South China Sea, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sulawesi, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Yemen, Zaïre

Introduced into:

Andaman Is., Brazil Southeast, Caroline Is., Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Fiji, Florida, French Guiana, Guyana, Hawaii, Leeward Is., Marianas, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nicobar Is., Northern Territory, Puerto Rico, Queensland, Suriname, Taiwan, Texas, Tonga, Trinidad-Tobago, Wake I., Western Australia, Windward Is.