Characteristics
A herb. It is a pumpkin family plant. It grows 5 m long. It has simple tendrils. The stems can be 10 cm across. The leaves are simple and kidney shaped or heart shaped. They are 3-5 lobes. They are 1-6 cm long by 2-9 cm wide. The flowers are yellowish green. The male flowers can be in clusters of up to 50 and the female flowers are solitary. The fruit are oval and green with paler stripes. They turn red when ripe.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
herb
|
| Growth support |
climber
|
| Foliage retention |
-
|
| Sexuality |
monoecy
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
-
|
| Mature height (meter) |
-
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
-
|
| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
-
|
Environment
It is a tropical plant. In Kenya it grows in dry lowland areas. It can grow in arid places. It grows between 100-1,100 m above sea level.
| Light |
-
|
| Soil humidity |
-
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
|
Usage
The fruit are used as a dessert fruit. The leaves are eaten as a vegetable.
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seeds or cuttings.
| Mode |
seedlings
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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