Momordica anigosantha Hook.f.

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

Morphology General Habit

Perennial climber or trailer to 3 m.

Morphology Stem

Stems herbaceous, glabrous to rather long crisped-hairy.

Morphology Leaves

Leaves pedately 3–5(–7)-foliolate; median leaflet largest, narrowly to broadly elliptic or ovate-elliptic, subtruncate at the base, acuminate, acute and apiculate, shortly toothed and entire or sinuate between the teeth, 43–110 mm. long, 17–44 mm. broad; lateral leaflets similar but smaller, unequal-based and sometimes lobed on the outer side; central petiolule 6–16 mm. long; petiole 12–45 mm. long.

Morphology General Tendrils

Tendrils bifid.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Dioecious. Male flowers 5–50 or more in lax racemiform or pseudo-paniculate inflorescences, sometimes bearing small shortly stalked leafy bracts at the forks; peduncles 17–70 mm. long, simple or branched, glabrous or pubescent; bracts subtending pedicels lanceolate, ± 2.5 mm. long; pedicels 9–35 mm. long, usually ± pubescent, sometimes glandular; receptacle-tube asymmetric, horizontal, arched, 6–7 mm. long, blackish or brownish-green; lobes green, narrow, curved, lanceolate, 4–7 mm. long, the lower 3 longer; corolla zygomorphic; petals 15–22 mm. long, 10–14 mm. broad, cream-white to apricot-orange, the lowermost largest, with a deep orange horseshoe-shaped marking in the claw and a scale inside at the base; stamens 2, each 1-thecous; thecae inverted U-shaped, forward-pointing; staminode 1, posterior, between the stamens, hairy. Female flowers on 55–65 mm. long stalks bearing a minute bract; ovary fusiform and beaked, 12–15 mm. long, 2–4 mm. across, tuberculate; receptacle-tube shallow; lobes subulate, reflexed, ± 3.5 mm. long; corolla ± 30 mm. across, slightly zygomorphic; petals ± 21 mm. long and 15 mm. broad, the lowermost largest but without a horseshoe marking; staminodes 3.

sex Male

Male flowers 5–50 or more in lax racemiform or pseudo-paniculate inflorescences, sometimes bearing small shortly stalked leafy bracts at the forks; peduncles 17–70 mm. long, simple or branched, glabrous or pubescent; bracts subtending pedicels lanceolate, ± 2.5 mm. long; pedicels 9–35 mm. long, usually ± pubescent, sometimes glandular; receptacle-tube asymmetric, horizontal, arched, 6–7 mm. long, blackish or brownish-green; lobes green, narrow, curved, lanceolate, 4–7 mm. long, the lower 3 longer; corolla zygomorphic; petals 15–22 mm. long, 10–14 mm. broad, cream-white to apricot-orange, the lowermost largest, with a deep orange horseshoe-shaped marking in the claw and a scale inside at the base; stamens 2, each 1-thecous; thecae inverted U-shaped, forward-pointing; staminode 1, posterior, between the stamens, hairy.

sex Female

Female flowers on 55–65 mm. long stalks bearing a minute bract; ovary fusiform and beaked, 12–15 mm. long, 2–4 mm. across, tuberculate; receptacle-tube shallow; lobes subulate, reflexed, ± 3.5 mm. long; corolla ± 30 mm. across, slightly zygomorphic; petals ± 21 mm. long and 15 mm. broad, the lowermost largest but without a horseshoe marking; staminodes 3.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruit on a 100–145 mm. long stalk, fleshy, fusiform and beaked, bright red and splitting into 3 valves, ornamented with conical fleshy tubercles in 8 longitudinal rows, 45–65 mm. long, 16–38 mm. broad.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds oblong in outline, compressed, ± 12 × 7 × 3 mm.; testa sculptured; margins grooved.

Habitat

Lowland rain- and ground-water forest and forest remnants; 300–1220 m.

Distribution

K4 K7 T3 T6 U2 U4 Z