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Annual; stems hispid to hirsute. Leaves broadly ovate,cordate at base; lamina 3–9 cm long, 4–10 cm wide, mostly 3–5-lobed; lobestriangular to ovate, sinuate-dentate, obtuse, apiculate, rarely unlobed;petiole 3–10 cm long, hispid to hirsute. Male flowers: solitary or in 2–4-floweredfascicles or pedunculate groups; peduncle to 10 mm long; pedicels 2–18 mm long;hypanthium 3–6 mm long; calyx lobes subulate, 1.5–4 mm long; corolla lobesovate, 5–10 mm long, yellow. Female flowers: pedicels 2–6 cm long; ovaryellipsoidal, 10–26 mm long, spinose. Fruit ovoid or ellipsoidal, subtrigonous,6–12 cm long, 3–7 cm diam., spinose with stout fleshy spines tipped withbroad-based bristles, green with paler markings, ripening orange-red. Seeds 7– long.
Leaf-lamina 3·5–12 × 3·5–13·5 cm., ovate to broadly ovate or subpentagonal in outline, cordate, hispid-setulose especially on veins beneath, becoming scabrid-punctate, margins sinuate-denticulate, palmately and usually rather shortly (3)5-lobed, lobes shallowly triangular to ovate or broadly elliptic, rounded to subacute, shortly acuminate, apiculate, very rarely lobulate; basal sinus deep, broad, subrectangular.
Fruit 6·5–13 × 3·5–6·5 cm., oblong-cylindric, rounded at the ends, bluntly trigonous, ornamented with stout fleshy spines, dark green mottled paler grey-green or yellow, becoming bright red when ripe; fruit-stalk 2–7 cm. long, strongly spiculate, ridged, not or only slightly expanded at the apex.
Female flowers solitary, sometimes co-axillary with male; pedicel 5–35 mm. long; ovary 9·5–25 × 7·5–10 mm., ellipsoid, covered with large soft spines; perianth similar to that of male flower.
male flowers solitary or 2–10 in usually sessile fascicles; pedicels 3–16 mm. long. Receptacle-tube 3·5–6 mm. long, lobes 1·5–mm. long. Petals 3–11 mm. long, yellow or pale orange.
Seeds 5·1–7·4 × 3·0–3·7 × 1·0–1·1 mm., narrowly ovate in outline, compressed, with rounded margins and depressed or slightly convex faces, smooth, sericeous-fibrillose.
A pumpkin family plant. It grows each year from seeds. The fruit are 6-13 cm long by 3.5-6.5 cm wide.
Annual; stems prostrate or scandent, to 5 m., strongly patent-setose.
Petiole 2–11·5 cm. long, strongly patent-setulose.
Flowers monoecious.
