Zehneria emirnensis (Baker) Keraudren

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

Morphology General Habit

Climber to 8 m.; stems, grooved, glabrous.

Morphology Leaves

Leaf-blade ovate-cordate in outline, acuminate, acute and apiculate, sinuate-toothed or almost entire, punctate, glabrous except for a few short scabrid hairs on the nerves beneath, 35–80 mm. long, 28–64 mm. broad; petiole 19–54 mm. long.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers

Dioecious. Female flowers solitary or 2–10 in sessile or up to 33 mm. pedunculate umbelliform groups; pedicels 4–22 mm. long; ovary ellipsoid or fusiform, beaked, 3–5 mm. long, 1.5–2.5 mm, across; receptacle-tube broadly campanulate, 3–3.5 mm. long, hairy inside; lobes triangular, 0.5 mm. long; petals ± 2.5 mm. long and 1.5 mm. broad. Male flowers in rarely sessile but usually long-pedunculate subumbelliform or racemiform groups of 10–40, with up to 42 mm. long peduncles and 2–7 mm. long pedicels, sometimes the peduncles prolonged and bearing more than 1 subumbellate group of flowers; receptacle-tube 3–4 mm. long; lobes triangular, 0.5 mm. long; petals white, turning yellow when old, ovate-triangular, 2–3 mm. long, 1.5–2 mm. broad; stamens 3; filaments long.

sex Male

Male flowers in rarely sessile but usually long-pedunculate subumbelliform or racemiform groups of 10–40, with up to 42 mm. long peduncles and 2–7 mm. long pedicels, sometimes the peduncles prolonged and bearing more than 1 subumbellate group of flowers; receptacle-tube 3–4 mm. long; lobes triangular, 0.5 mm. long; petals white, turning yellow when old, ovate-triangular, 2–3 mm. long, 1.5–2 mm. broad; stamens 3; filaments long.

sex Female

Female flowers solitary or 2–10 in sessile or up to 33 mm. pedunculate umbelliform groups; pedicels 4–22 mm. long; ovary ellipsoid or fusiform, beaked, 3–5 mm. long, 1.5–2.5 mm, across; receptacle-tube broadly campanulate, 3–3.5 mm. long, hairy inside; lobes triangular, 0.5 mm. long; petals ± 2.5 mm. long and 1.5 mm. broad.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits

Fruits in sessile or up to 27 mm. pedunculate clusters of 1–4, with 7–20 mm. long pedicels, baccate, sphaeroid, apiculate, 7–9 mm. long, 5–7 mm. across, scrobiculate when dry.

Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds

Seeds ovate in outline, smooth, narrowly bordered, compressed, ± 4 × 2.5 × 0.5 mm.

Habitat

Rain-forest; 900–1950 m.

Distribution

T3 T6