Cucumis anguria L.

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

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

Morphology General Habit

Annual herb climbing or trailing to 2.5 m.; stem densely long spreading-hairy.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blade broadly ovate-cordate in outline, subscabrid-hairy especially on nerves with short straight hairs, sinuate-toothed, 40–95 mm. long, 52–90 mm. broad, deeply palmately 5-lobed, lobes somewhat elliptic or rhombic in outline, narrowed below, often (especially the central and largest) 3-lobulate, less often the lobes ovate or rounded-triangular, broadest at the base; petiole 42–120 mm. long, ± spreading-hairy.

sex Male

Male flowers solitary or 3–10 in sessile or up to 26 mm. pedunculate cymose groups; pedicels 4–30 mm. long; receptacle-tube 3–3.5 mm. long; lobes subulate, 1.5–2 mm. long; petals 5–6 mm. long, 2.5–4 mm. broad, yellow.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Female flowers on 13–95 mm. long stalks; ovary ellipsoid, ± 8 mm. long and 5 mm. across, rather densely bristly, each bristle elevated on a slight papilla; receptacle-tube ± 3.5 mm. long and 2.5 mm. across; perianth as in ♂. Male flowers solitary or 3–10 in sessile or up to 26 mm. pedunculate cymose groups; pedicels 4–30 mm. long; receptacle-tube 3–3.5 mm. long; lobes subulate, 1.5–2 mm. long; petals 5–6 mm. long, 2.5–4 mm. broad, yellow.

sex Female

Female flowers on 13–95 mm. long stalks; ovary ellipsoid, ± 8 mm. long and 5 mm. across, rather densely bristly, each bristle elevated on a slight papilla; receptacle-tube ± 3.5 mm. long and 2.5 mm. across; perianth as in ♂.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit (fig. 15/8, p. 95) on a 33–135 mm. long stalk, which is often expanded upwards, shortly ellipsoid or subglobose, 30–43 mm. long, 22–34 mm. across, softly aculeate (the aculei terete, often more abundant and longest at the stalk end of the fruit and practically absent from the distal end), grey-green with about 10 longitudinal bands of deeper green and of varying distinctness, sometimes concolorous, ripening pale lemon-yellow.

Habitat

Deciduous woodland and bushland, lowland grassland; 800–1350 m.

Distribution

T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T7 T8 south to the Transvaal and South West Africa

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Caribbean. Elevation range: 25–1040 m a.s.l. Naturalised in Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Atlántico, Bolívar, Cundinamarca, La Guajira, Magdalena, Santander, Sucre, Valle del Cauca.

Habit

Climbing.

Ecology

Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, artificial - terrestrial.

Vernacular

Cocombro, Cohombro, Concombro

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

Vernacular

WILD CUCUMBER

Morphology General Habit

An annual trailing herb, the angled stems and leaves rough with stiff white hairs; leaves 5–9 cm long, cordate and deeply 5-lobed, with toothed and somewhat wavy margins; petioles equal in length to the blades or longer

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers small, the staminate on peduncles 1–2 cm long and with calyx ca. 6 mm long; anthers with a 2-lobed appendage

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Pistil

Pistillate flowers solitary on peduncles 5–10 cm long

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit pale yellow, ovoid, 4–7 cm long, more or less prickly, edible; seeds 4–4.5 mm long.

Distribution

Grand Cayman. Tropical Africa; West Indies and continental tropical and subtropical America.

Ecology

Often a weed of open fields and waste ground.

Cucurbitaceae, C. Jeffrey. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit

Annual; stems prostrate or scandent, to 3 m., patent-setulose.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-lamina 3–10 × 3·5–12–5 cm., broadly ovate in outline, broadly and shallowly cordate, punctate and setulose becoming scabrid-setose on veins beneath, scabrid-setulose becoming punctate above, margins ± sinuate-denticulate, palmately (3)5(7)-lobed, usually deeply, lobes narrowly to broadly elliptic, rhombic, obovate-elliptic or less often ovate-triangular or triangular, obtuse to rounded, apiculate, the central largest, often shortly 3-lobulate.

Morphology Leaves Petiole

Petiole 2–12 cm. long, patent-setulose.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Flowers monoecious. Female flowers solitary, sometimes co-axillary with male; pedicels 18–105 mm. long; ovary 7–9 × 60–9 mm., broadly ellipsoid, shortly rostrate, softly spiny; perianth similar to that of male flower. male flowers 2–10 in subsessile fascicles; pedicels 6–30 mm. long. Receptacle-tube 2–4 mm. long, lobes 1·2–3 mm. long. Petals 3–7·5 mm. long, yellow.

sex Male

male flowers 2–10 in subsessile fascicles; pedicels 6–30 mm. long. Receptacle-tube 2–4 mm. long, lobes 1·2–3 mm. long. Petals 3–7·5 mm. long, yellow.

sex Female

Female flowers solitary, sometimes co-axillary with male; pedicels 18–105 mm. long; ovary 7–9 × 60–9 mm., broadly ellipsoid, shortly rostrate, softly spiny; perianth similar to that of male flower.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit 3–4·5 × 2·5–3·5 cm., ellipsoid to sub-globose, softly spiny, at least proximally, green or green striped paler green becoming yellow when ripe; spines 3–11 mm. long; fruit-stalk 2·5–21 cm. long, expanded upwards.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds 5–6 × 2·2–2·7 × 1·0–1·3 mm., elliptic in outline, compressed, with rounded margins, smooth.

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. 25 - 1040 m.; Llanura del Caribe, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.

Morphology General Habit

Trepadora

Conservation

No Evaluada

Use

The cucumber (Cucumis sativa L.) and muskmelon or cantaloupe (Cucumis melo L.) are related species of African origin