Cucurbitaceae
Momordica

Momordica kirkii (Hook.f.) C.Jeffrey

First published in Kew Bull. 15: 357 (1961 publ. 1962)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is W. Tanzania to Botswana. It is a climbing shrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

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

Morphology General Habit
Climbing or trailing herb with perennial tuberous rootstock.
Morphology Stem
Stems annual, herbaceous, long spreading-hairy.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blade broadly ovate- or reniform-cordate in outline, membranous, sparsely pubescent, acute, apiculate, obscurely sinuate-toothed, 16–70 mm. long, 21–75 mm. broad, obscurely 3–5-lobed or angled; petiole 15–85 mm. long, long spreading-hairy.
Morphology General Tendrils
Tendrils simple.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Monoecious. Male flowers 1–4, subumbellate, borne in the sinus of foliage leaves at the apex of a peduncle adnate to the subtending petiole, immediately subtended by an ovate-lanceolate acute entire pubescent 5–14 mm. long 1.5–5 mm. broad foliar bract opposing the leaf-blade; pedicels 3–6 mm. long; receptacle-tube broad, shallow, 2.5–3 mm. long; lobes ovate-lanceolate, acute, pubescent, 5–10 mm. long; petals orange, 15–20 mm. long, 7–10 mm. broad, the outer 2 with scales inside at the base; stamens 2 or 3. Female flowers on 4–16 mm. long free stalks; ovary densely pubescent, slender, beaked, 7–13 mm. long, 1–1.5 mm. across; receptacle-tube shallow; lobes linear-lanceolate, 2.5–3 mm. long; petals obovate-lingulate, 10–11 mm. long, 7–8 mm. broad, rounded-subtruncate and slightly apiculate at the apex.
sex Male
Male flowers 1–4, subumbellate, borne in the sinus of foliage leaves at the apex of a peduncle adnate to the subtending petiole, immediately subtended by an ovate-lanceolate acute entire pubescent 5–14 mm. long 1.5–5 mm. broad foliar bract opposing the leaf-blade; pedicels 3–6 mm. long; receptacle-tube broad, shallow, 2.5–3 mm. long; lobes ovate-lanceolate, acute, pubescent, 5–10 mm. long; petals orange, 15–20 mm. long, 7–10 mm. broad, the outer 2 with scales inside at the base; stamens 2 or 3.
sex Female
Female flowers on 4–16 mm. long free stalks; ovary densely pubescent, slender, beaked, 7–13 mm. long, 1–1.5 mm. across; receptacle-tube shallow; lobes linear-lanceolate, 2.5–3 mm. long; petals obovate-lingulate, 10–11 mm. long, 7–8 mm. broad, rounded-subtruncate and slightly apiculate at the apex.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit on a ± 25 mm. long stalk, fleshy, fusiform and beaked, pubescent, 24–32 mm. long, 4–6 mm. across, 8-ribbed, 1–2-seeded, slightly constricted between the seeds, crowned with the persistent receptacle.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds (fig. 3/7, p. 25) fusiform, 12 × 3.5 × 3.5 mm.; faces rounded, deeply sculptured; margins smooth, broadly and shallowly grooved.
Habitat
Deciduous woodland; 1220 m.
Distribution
T4
[FTEA]

Cucurbitaceae, C. Jeffrey. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit
Stems slender, prostrate or scandent to 2 m., hispid-setose, arising from tuberous rootstock.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-lamina 1·6–6·3 × 2·1–7·6 cm., broadly ovate or pentagonal in outline, deeply cordate, sinuate-denticulate, sparsely pilose-setose on veins beneath, sparsely pilose and shortly hispid or punctate above, palmately shortly 5-lobed, lobes triangular, shortly acuminate, obtuse, apiculate, the central largest.
Morphology Leaves Petiole
Petiole 1·2–12·6 cm. long, hispid-setose.
Morphology General Tendrils
Tendrils simple.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers monoecious. male flowers (1)3–4, arising from apex of petiole in basal sinus of leaf-lamina, the peduncle adnate to the petiole except for apical 2–3 mm.; bract 4–14 mm. long, ovate-lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, acuminate; pedicels 3–13 mm. long. Receptacle-tube 2–3 mm. long, lobes 5–11 mm. long, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, acutely-acuminate, blackish-green. Petals 1·4–2·5 cm. long, orange, obovate-obcuneate, bilobed, retuse, apiculate. Female flowers solitary, pedunculate; peduncles 0·3–2·4 cm. long, entirely free from the petioles; ovary 5–21 × 1·2 mm., slender, rostrate, ridged, densely villous or pilose; receptacle-tube very short, lobes 2–4 mm. long, linear-lanceolate, acute; petals 0·6–1·1 cm. long.
sex Male
male flowers (1)3–4, arising from apex of petiole in basal sinus of leaf-lamina, the peduncle adnate to the petiole except for apical 2–3 mm.; bract 4–14 mm. long, ovate-lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, acuminate; pedicels 3–13 mm. long. Receptacle-tube 2–3 mm. long, lobes 5–11 mm. long, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, acutely-acuminate, blackish-green. Petals 1·4–2·5 cm. long, orange, obovate-obcuneate, bilobed, retuse, apiculate.
sex Female
Female flowers solitary, pedunculate; peduncles 0·3–2·4 cm. long, entirely free from the petioles; ovary 5–21 × 1·2 mm., slender, rostrate, ridged, densely villous or pilose; receptacle-tube very short, lobes 2–4 mm. long, linear-lanceolate, acute; petals 0·6–1·1 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 1·8–3·2 × 0·4–0·6 cm., fusiform, ribbed, pubescent especially on ribs, 1–2-seeded; fruit-stalk 1–3·6 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds c. 12 × 3·5 × 3·5 mm., subfusiform; faces rounded, deeply sculptured, margins grooved.
[FZ]

Sources

  • 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

    • 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 2023. 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 2023. 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