Trichosanthes adhaerens
Content
Description
Climber, 4-6 m long, clinging to tree trunk with adhesive pads on the tips of short tendrils, plant green-white harshly hairy, hairs 1-2 mm long, leafy stem 2-4 mm diam.;
Leaves:
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Borneo present (Sabah present)
Malesia: Borneo (Sabah; known only from the type collection).
Taxonomy
1 This species is close to T. beccariana, especially to subsp. pusilla, but the latter differs in leaves with shorter hairs, smaller male flowers with a c. 15 mm long receptacle-tube.
2 Deeply divided leaves more or les appressed to a substrate occur commonly in juvenile stages of several Trichosanthes species, e.g. T. tricuspidata. The growth habit of T. adhaerens is possibly typical and unique for the species, and could be a neotenic trait.