Cucurbitaceae
Coccinia

Coccinia schliebenii Harms

First published in Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 11: 685 (1932)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SW. Ethiopia to South Sudan, E. Tanzania to N. Mozambique. It is a liana and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Cucurbitaceae, C. Jeffrey. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit
Stems vigorous, scandent to 12 m., puberulous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-lamina 8–24 × 8–28 cm., ovate or broadly ovate in outline, cordate, bullate, densely scabrid-punctate above, densely asperulous on veins beneath, palmately 5-lobed, the lobes triangular, ovate or lanceolate, sinuate-denticulate, rounded to obtuse, apiculate, the central largest.
Morphology Leaves Petiole
Petioles 3–12 cm. long, densely pubescent.
Morphology General Tendrils
Tendrils 2-fid.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts Probract
Probracts 3–5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
male flowers solitary or in 2–6 cm. pedunculate bracteate clusters, usually with a co-axillary solitary flower; bracts small, 2–4 mm. long, rounded; pedicels of clustered flowers up to 20 mm. long, of solitary flowers up to 45 mm. long. Receptacle-tube 2–5 mm. long, broad and shallow, lobes 12–25 mm. long, ovate-acuminate. Corolla orange-yellow, green-veined, urceolate, the lobes 4·8–6·2 × 1·4–2·1 cm., united to the middle or above. Female flowers solitary; peduncle 20–34 mm. long; ovary 13–24 × 2·5–5 mm., pubescent, 10-ribbed; receptacle-tube 3–4 mm. long, lobes 6·5–19 mm. long; corolla similar to that of male flower.
sex Male
male flowers solitary or in 2–6 cm. pedunculate bracteate clusters, usually with a co-axillary solitary flower; bracts small, 2–4 mm. long, rounded; pedicels of clustered flowers up to 20 mm. long, of solitary flowers up to 45 mm. long. Receptacle-tube 2–5 mm. long, broad and shallow, lobes 12–25 mm. long, ovate-acuminate. Corolla orange-yellow, green-veined, urceolate, the lobes 4·8–6·2 × 1·4–2·1 cm., united to the middle or above.
sex Female
Female flowers solitary; peduncle 20–34 mm. long; ovary 13–24 × 2·5–5 mm., pubescent, 10-ribbed; receptacle-tube 3–4 mm. long, lobes 6·5–19 mm. long; corolla similar to that of male flower.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 6–10 × 2–3 cm., ellipsoid-cylindrical, 10-angled, red; fruit-stalk expanded upwards.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds ovate, lenticular, compressed, rather small, unknown in mature condition.
[FZ]

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

Morphology General Habit
Strong climber to 12 m.; stems brownish-green, herbaceous, rough, angular.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blade broadly ovate- or reniform-cordate in outline, sinuate-toothed, often rather remotely so, deep glossy green, somewhat bullate with sunken nerves and minutely setose becoming scabrid-punctate above, grey-green with raised softly- to scabrid-hairy nerves beneath, 80–240 mm. long, 80–280 mm. broad, palmately 5-lobed; lobes triangular, ovate or lanceolate, broadest or slightly narrowed towards the base, apiculate; petioles hairy, channelled above, 45–122 mm. long.
Morphology General Tendrils
Tendrils bifid.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Bracts
Probracts glandular, 3–5 mm. long, 2–3 mm. broad, larger in the ♀ than in the ♂ plant.
sex Male
Male flowers solitary or in 2–4-flowered racemiform groups on a 20–60 mm. long peduncle, accompanied by a coaxillary longer-pedicelled solitary flower; pedicels 5–40 mm. long, those of the racemose flowers subtended by fleshy bracts 2–4 mm. long and 2–3 mm. broad; receptacle-tube broad and shallow, sulcate in lower half, 2–5 mm. long; lobes ovate-acuminate, 12–25 mm. long; corolla orange-buff with green veins, urceolate, densely glandular-hairy internally about the middle, with the lobes 48–62 mm. long, 14–21 mm. broad, united in lower half or two-thirds; stamens 3.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flowers solitary, on 20–34 mm. long stalks; ovary hairy, 13–24 mm. long, 2.5–5 mm. across, 10-ribbed; receptacle-tube 3–4 mm. long; lobes narrow, 6.5–19 mm. long; corolla glandular as in ♂, with lobes ± 50–52 mm. long and 16 mm. broad, united in lower half or quarter. Male flowers solitary or in 2–4-flowered racemiform groups on a 20–60 mm. long peduncle, accompanied by a coaxillary longer-pedicelled solitary flower; pedicels 5–40 mm. long, those of the racemose flowers subtended by fleshy bracts 2–4 mm. long and 2–3 mm. broad; receptacle-tube broad and shallow, sulcate in lower half, 2–5 mm. long; lobes ovate-acuminate, 12–25 mm. long; corolla orange-buff with green veins, urceolate, densely glandular-hairy internally about the middle, with the lobes 48–62 mm. long, 14–21 mm. broad, united in lower half or two-thirds; stamens 3.
sex Female
Female flowers solitary, on 20–34 mm. long stalks; ovary hairy, 13–24 mm. long, 2.5–5 mm. across, 10-ribbed; receptacle-tube 3–4 mm. long; lobes narrow, 6.5–19 mm. long; corolla glandular as in ♂, with lobes ± 50–52 mm. long and 16 mm. broad, united in lower half or quarter.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit red, cylindrical, 92–99 mm. long, 26–28 mm. across, with the fruit-stalk broadened upwards.
Habitat
Evergreen and riverine forest, semi-evergreen woodland and wooded grassland, often on thicket margins or termite-hills; 810 m.
Distribution
T6 T8
[FTEA]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/158058/759120

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

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]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • 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

  • 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/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. 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 2025. 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