Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt

First published in Hort. Suburb. Calcutt.: 59 (1845)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa, W. Arabian Peninsula, Tropical & Subtropical Asia. It is a climbing tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is used as animal food, a medicine and invertebrate food and for food.

Descriptions

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.
[FZ]

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.
[FSOM]

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.
[UPFC]

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
[CPLC]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

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
[FTEA]

Uses

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.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

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

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

    • Flora of Somalia
    • 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
  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images
  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

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