Momordica leiocarpa Gilg

Species

Angiosperms > Cucurbitales > Cucurbitaceae > Momordica

Characteristics

Herbaceous climber.. Stems flecked with darker green, glabrous except for sparse hairs at the nodes.. Leaf-blade broadly ovate-cordate in outline, shortly and narrowly decurrent on to the petiole, apiculate, shallowly sinuate with minute apiculate teeth, almost glabrous except on the nerves, 85–140 mm. long, 70–130 mm. broad.. Tendrils bifid.. Dioecious.. Male flowers very caducous, 2–7-fasciculate at the apex of a 75–160 mm. long glabrous peduncle, immediately subtended by a broadly obovate-truncate 13–21 mm. long, 19–25 mm. broad bract; pedicels glabrous, 10–35 mm. long; receptacle-tube broadly and shallowly obconic, 3.5–4 mm. long; lobes blackish-green with greenish apices, triangular-acuminate or rounded, convex, 5–9 mm. long.. Petals a delicate apricot-orange, rounded, slightly apiculate, crenate, 28–37 mm. long, 19–30 mm. broad, opening in the evenings, 2 with large scales inside at the base; stamens 3; thecae duplicate; anthers cohering in centre of flower.. Female flowers on ± 120 mm. long stalks; bract on lower quarter of stalk, obovate-elliptic, ± 10 mm. long and 8 mm. broad; ovary longitudinally ridged.. Fruit (fig. 3/3, 4, 5, p. 25) fleshy, ovoid-ellipsoid, orange and splitting into 3 valves, 60–80 mm. long, 35–50 mm. across, with 8 conspicuous remotely serrate longitudinal fleshy wings or ridges coalescing at the base in a flattened disk-like area; pulp scarlet.. Seeds oblong in outline, ± 14 × 8 × 3.5 mm.; testa sculptured, 2-grooved at the margins; cotyledons epigeous.
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Growth form herb
Growth support climber
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Sexuality monoecy
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Environment

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Usage

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Edible -
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Cultivation

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Germination duration (days) 14 - 21
Germination temperacture (C°) 18 - 23
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Distribution

Momordica leiocarpa world distribution map, present in Kenya and Tanzania, United Republic of

Conservation status

Momordica leiocarpa threat status: Vulnerable

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:293483-1
WFO ID wfo-0001301285
COL ID 43Z2W
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Momordica leiocarpa