Habit as for the genus. Leaves: petiole 3-7 cm long; blade usually 3-lobed, lower surface puberulous or glabrescent, small glands several, especially towards the base, margin entire. Male inflorescences 12-20(-30) cm long, peduncle (2-)10-20 cm long, 3-5 mm thick; flowers (5-)10-20. Male flowers: pedicel 2-10 mm long, bract ovate, c. 5 mm long, inserted up to 10 mm from the base; receptacle-tube 50-70 mm long, basal part 30-45 mm by 3-4 mm, the tube above the middle widening into a dilated section 20-25 mm long, 10(-15) mm wide at the throat; sepals 1(-2) mm long; petals 20-30 mm long, white, outside at base rusty puberulous, threads c. 50 mm long, white, pendent(?), spiralling(?). Stamens inserted at about the middle of the receptacle-tube, i.e. where widening, filaments (5-)7 mm long; synandrium elongate, apex truncate, 10-12 by 3.5-4 mm, included; disc parts narrowly elliptic, 4-6 mm long, free. Female flowers: pedicel 3-4 cm long; receptacle-tube c.3 cm long (including c. 6 mm long solid basal part which remains on top of the ovary after anthesis), gradually widening to c. 7(-10) mm wide throat; style 15-20 mm long, stigma 13-14 by 6-8 mm, lobes truncate; ovary 10-12 mm diam., with soft brown hairs c.1 mm long, pustules absent (always?), ovules 6, one in each locule. Fruit ripening greyish green, 12-18 cm diam., densely grey or brown hairy, glabrescent, sometimes with large, scattered, dark-coloured wart-like lenticels, not grooved; fruiting pedicel 4-8 cm long, 10-15 mm wide. Pyrenes subovoid, hardly compressed, 6-9 cm long, containing 1 seed, faces of pyrenes smooth, margin absent, edge entire.
More
A pumpkin family plant. It is a woody climber or tree. It grows 20-30 m long. The bark is dull and rough. The leaves are 15-25 cm long. They occur in groups of 3. The leaf stalk is long. Plants and flowers are separately male and female. The flowers are white. The fruit are very large. They contain 8 oily seeds. The seeds are oval and 7-8 cm long.
Home