Trichosanthes schlechteri

Primary tabs

Trichosanthes schlechteri

Description

Climber, 4-7 m long, glabrous, leafy stem 2-4 mm diam.; Leaves: Fruit green, paler striped, ripening orange-red, ovoid or ellipsoid, 6.5-20 by 4.5-7.5 cm; Seeds blackish, compressed, (narrowly) elliptic, 16-18 by 8-10 by 3-4 mm, base and apex subtruncate, sometimes ± notched or undulate, margin broad, c. 3 mm wide, edge entire.

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: New Guinea present, Bird’s Head present, Central Province present, Cycloop Mts present, East Sepik present, Morobe present, PT. Freeport present, Papua New Guinea present, West Papua present
Malesia: New Guinea (West Papua (Bird’s Head, Cycloop Mts, PT. Freeport); Papua New Guinea (Morobe, East Sepik and Central Provinces)).

Taxonomy

2 See also the footnote under the regional key. 1 The shape of the corolla in bud is elongated, like in T. quinquangulata and in the related genus Gymnopetalum; in other Trichosanthes species the corolla in bud is hemi-globose.

Uses

Fruits edible.

Citation

Rugayah 1999: Trichosanthes (Cucurbitaceae) in Malesia, thesis: 166: map 25
Rugayah & W.J.de Wilde 1999 – In: Reinwardtia: 275