Cucumis maderaspatanus L.

Species

Angiosperms > Cucurbitales > Cucurbitaceae > Cucumis

Characteristics

Annual herb. Stems to 4 m, hispid, prostrate or scandent. Leaf-lamina 1-11 x 1-11 cm, narrowly to broadly ovate or triangular in outline, cordate, hastate or sagittate, hispid or scabrid-setulose, especially on the veins, beneath, more shortly so or scabrid-punctate above, unlobed or usually palmately 3(5)-lobed, the lobes usually triangular, entire or remotely and minutely denticulate to coarsely sinuate-denticulate at the margins, the central much the largest, often acuminate, obtuse to acute, apiculate, the lateral shorter and more rounded. Petioles 0·5-11·5 cm long, antrorsely hispid or scabrid. Male flowers on 1-3 mm long pedicels. Receptacle-tube 0·7-1·5 mm long, obconic-campanulate, densely setulose; lobes 0·5-1 mm. long, lanceolate-subulate. Petals 1·2-1·5 mm long, yellow. Female flowers 5-10 in each fascicle; pedicel c. 1 mm long; ovary 1·5-2 mm long, globose, setulose; perianth similar to that of male flower. Fruits 2-8 in axillary clusters, rarely solitary, 6-11 mm in diameter, shortly pedicellate, globose, at first green with paler longitudinal markings, when mature bright red, smooth, glabrous. Seeds 3·5 x 2-3 x 1·5-1·7 mm, ovate in outline, rather tumid, verrucose, bordered.
More
A herb. It is a pumpkin family plant. It keeps growing from year to year. It can be climbing or have the stems trail along the ground. They are 3 m long. They have bristly hairs. The tendrils and thin and simple. The leaves are spear shaped or almost triangle shaped. They can have lobed and teeth. They are 2-9 cm long and 5 mm wide. The fruit are berries. They are in groups of 1-7 on short stalks. They are clustered in the axils of the leaves. They are red. The plant varies a lot.
Prostrate or scandent herb. Tendrils simple. Leaf lamina narrowly to broadly ovate or triangular in outline, cordate, hastate or sagittate, hispid or scabrid-setulose, unlobed or palmately 3(5)-lobed; lobes triangular, central largest, petiolate. Male flowers in sessile fascicles, pedicels 1-3 mm long. Female flowers 13-25 cm each sessile fascicle. Fruits 51-203 mm axillary clusters, globose, 6-11 mm in diameter. Flowers yellow.
Life form annual
Growth form herb
Growth support climber
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality monoecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 3.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a tropical plant. It grows in forest and along rivers. It is often on sandy soils. It grows in savannah grassland. It grows between 300-1,250 m above sea level. In the Indian Himalayas it grows between 1,300-2,100 m above sea level. In Yunnan.
More
Open, not forested, localities. Flood-plain and valley grasslands, riverine margins and damper places in woodland and wooded grasslands at elevations of 300-1,250 metres.
Light -
Soil humidity 1-3
Soil texture 7-8
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

The ripe fruit are eaten. The leaves and seeds are used in curries.
Uses animal food bee plant food fuel gene source medicinal poison social use vertebrate poison
Edible fruits leaves seeds
Therapeutic use Anti-bacterial agents (aerial part), Antioxidants (aerial part), Antiviral agents (aerial part), Diabetes mellitus (aerial part), Hyperlipidemias (aerial part), Insecticides (aerial part), Liver diseases (aerial part), Parasympatholytics (aerial part), Platelet aggregation inhibitors (aerial part), Anthelmintics (fruit), Antioxidants (fruit), Antitussive agents (fruit), Memory disorders (fruit), Paronychia (fruit), Analgesics (leaf), Anthelmintics (leaf), Anti-anxiety agents (leaf), Anti-bacterial agents (leaf), Antifungal agents (leaf), Antihypertensive agents (leaf), Anti-infective agents, local (leaf), Antioxidants (leaf), Antiparasitic agents (leaf), Antipyretics (leaf), Antitussive agents (leaf), Aphrodisiacs (leaf), Appetite stimulants (leaf), Asthma (leaf), Biliary tract diseases (leaf), Bronchitis (leaf), Chronic disease (leaf), Common cold (leaf), Diabetes mellitus (leaf), Digestive system diseases (leaf), Diuretics (leaf), Dizziness (leaf), Edema (leaf), Disorder of ejaculation (leaf), Exanthema (leaf), Eye pain (leaf), Flatulence (leaf), Gonorrhea (leaf), Heat stroke (leaf), Hemorrhoids (leaf), Hyperlipidemias (leaf), Jaundice (leaf), Laxatives (leaf), Liver diseases (leaf), Malaria (leaf), Nausea (leaf), Pain (leaf), Pectoralis muscles (leaf), General tonic for rejuvenation (leaf), Scabies (leaf), Sprains and strains (leaf), Toothache (leaf), Ulcer (leaf), Vertigo (leaf), Vomiting (leaf), Wound healing (leaf), Analgesics (root), Antioxidants (root), Antipyretics (root), Antitussive agents (root), Appetite stimulants (root), Asthma (root), Constipation (root), Diarrhea (root), Diuretics (root), Edema (root), Filariasis (root), Flatulence (root), Laxatives (root), Liver diseases (root), Nausea (root), Parasympatholytics (root), Pregnancy (root), Toothache (root), Vertigo (root), Vomiting (root), Analgesics (seed), Antipyretics (seed), Appetite stimulants (seed), Biliary tract diseases (seed), Diabetes mellitus (seed), Diarrhea (seed), Diuretics (seed), Flatulence (seed), Hypohidrosis (seed), Jaundice (seed), Laxatives (seed), Liver diseases (seed), Low back pain (seed), Menstruation disturbances (seed), Pain (seed), Pregnancy (seed), Sprains and strains (seed), Toothache (seed), Vertigo (seed), Vomiting (seed), Analgesics (shoot), Antitussive agents (shoot), Appetite stimulants (shoot), Asthma (shoot), Biliary tract diseases (shoot), Diuretics (shoot), Edema (shoot), Flatulence (shoot), Jaundice (shoot), Laxatives (shoot), Nausea (shoot), Pain (shoot), Pregnancy (shoot), Sprains and strains (shoot), Vertigo (shoot), Vomiting (shoot), Antifungal agents (stem), Antioxidants (stem), Aperient (unspecified), Carminative (unspecified), Sudorific (unspecified), Expectorant (unspecified), Toothache (unspecified), Bilious (unspecified), Vertigo (unspecified), Diabetes (unspecified), Scrofula (unspecified), Convulsion (unspecified), Analgesics (unspecified), Anemia (unspecified), Anti-bacterial agents (unspecified), Antiemetics (unspecified), Antioxidants (unspecified), Antipyretics (unspecified), Antitussive agents (unspecified), Appetite stimulants (unspecified), Asthma (unspecified), Biliary tract diseases (unspecified), Chronic disease (unspecified), Colic (unspecified), Common cold (unspecified), Cough (unspecified), Diuretics (unspecified), Expectorants (unspecified), Flatulence (unspecified), Hyperlipidemias (unspecified), Hypertension (unspecified), Counterirritant (unspecified), Laxatives (unspecified), Lung diseases (unspecified), Neuralgia (unspecified), Pain (unspecified), Parasympatholytics (unspecified), Thirst (unspecified), Ulcer (unspecified), Vomiting (unspecified), Wound healing (unspecified), Diabetes mellitus (whole plant), Expectorants (whole plant)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) 7 - 14
Germination temperacture (C°) 21 - 23
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Cucumis maderaspatanus unspecified picture

Distribution

Cucumis maderaspatanus world distribution map, present in Angola, Australia, Burundi, Benin, Burkina Faso, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Botswana, Central African Republic, China, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, India, Kenya, Cambodia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Sri Lanka, Mali, Myanmar, Mozambique, Mauritania, Malawi, Malaysia, Niger, Nigeria, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Senegal, Singapore, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, eSwatini, Seychelles, Chad, Togo, Thailand, Tanzania, United Republic of, Uganda, Viet Nam, Yemen, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:292230-1
WFO ID wfo-0000628908
COL ID 329TJ
BDTFX ID 80713
INPN ID 619186
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Bryonia scabrella Melothria celebica Melothria maderaspatana Mukia celebica Mukia maderaspatana Mukia rottleri Bryonia callosa Bryonia cordifolia Bryonia micrantha Bryonia micropoda Bryonia rottleri Bryonia scabra Bryonia gracilis Bryonia hispida Bryonia maderaspatana Coccinia cordifolia Cucumis maderaspatanus Mukia scabrella Bryonia obtusa