Trichosanthes floresana
Content
Description
Climber, early glabrescent, leafy stem 2-4 mm diam.;
Leaves:
Fruit ripening evenly orange-red, subglobose-ovoid, 4-8 by 3.5-6 cm, apex c. 3 mm beaked;
Seeds blackish brown, rather compressed, (narrowly) obovate, 11-16 by 6-10 by 3-5 mm, base and apex ± obtuse, margin absent, edge entire.
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Lesser Sunda Is. present, Flores present
Malesia: Lesser Sunda Islands (Flores).
Taxonomy
1 The dry fruit in the herbarium shows up as ± ovoid, but on the fieldlabels it is described as globose.
3 According to Telford (in litt.) T. floresana may be identical to T. pentaphylla Benth. from Australia (). Further collecting is necessary to make a decision.
2 The three fruiting collections known vary markedly in size of the mature fruits and seeds. The fruit of Schmutz 4385 is c. 8 cm long, with seeds 15-16 by 8-10 mm, whereas the fruit of Schmutz 4614 is only 4 cm long, with seeds 10-11 by 6-7 mm; the fruit and seeds of the third specimen, Verheijen 4285, are intermediate.