Cyclanthera

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Cyclanthera

Description

Annual or perennial herbaceous climbers, glabrescent; Leaves simple, unlobed or deeply lobed to almost foliolate. Flowers small, pale greenish yellow, petals free or hardly connate at base. Fruit oblique, ovoid(-oblong), various of shape, not juicy, glabrous or mostly with soft spines, 1- or more-locular, 5- to many-seeded, when ripe elastically opening and jetting the seeds away, leaving central column and placenta. Seeds few or several, compressed, angular, often toothed at the end(s), faces smooth or rough, margin distinct (wing-like), edge irregularly coarsely toothed.

Distribution

America present, Asia present, Asia-Tropical
An American genus with some 40 species; in Asia 2 species introduced as vegetable; in Malesia 1 species.

Citation

Backer 1964 – In: Backer & Bakh.f., Fl. Java 1: 306
Keraudren 1967 – In: Aubrév. & J.-F.Leroy, Fl. Cambodge, Laos & Vietnam 15: 19
Cogn. 1881 – In: A.DC. & C.DC., Monogr. Phan. 3: 822