Trichosanthes pilosa var. pilosa
Content
Description
Climber to 10 m long, variably hairy to various degree (see note 1 and 2), rarely glabrous, leafy stem 1-3(-5) mm diam., grooved;
Leaves:
Fruit ripening red, usually paler striped, (subglobose to) usually (narrowly) ovoid or narrowly ellipsoid, 3-10(-14) by 2.5-3.5(-6) cm, apex acute and 3-5 mm beaked;
Seeds tumid by lateral swellings, variously barrel-shaped, 7-11 by 6-8 by 3-4 mm, margin absent.
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Borneo present (Sabah present); Jawa (Jawa present); Lesser Sunda Is. present (Bali present); Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia present, Singapore present); Maluku (Maluku present); New Guinea present; Philippines (Philippines present); Sulawesi (Sulawesi present); Sumatera (Sumatera present), Flores present, Luzon present, Mindoro present, SE Asia present, Timor present, eastern Kalimantan present, from NE India and China south-east to Australia and the Solomon Islands present
Widespread in SE Asiafrom NE India and China south-east to Australia and the Solomon Islands; in Malesia: Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo (Sabah, eastern Kalimantan), Java, Philippines (Luzon, Mindoro), Sulawesi, Lesser Sunda Islands (Bali, Flores, Timor), Moluccas (few collections), and all over New Guinea.
Taxonomy
3 The root is sometimes tuberous.
1 Trichosanthes pilosa is widespread and particularly variable in indument, leaf shape, size of bract, male raceme and fruit. The variation is largest in eastern Malesia and culminates in New Guinea. In general this species is easily recognised by the tumid seeds and the hairy lower leaf surface (rarely glabrous). The specimens Vanoverbergh 3662-bis, and Merrill 4864 (both from Luzon and in fruit) have the fruits in short racemes. These fruits are almost globose, 3-3.5 by 2.5-3 cm, with only c. 2 mm long fruiting pedicels. Kooy 1359, from Timor, has scabrous leaves, and small fruits with a rather woody and partly hispid-hairy exocarp.
2 The variability of T. pilosa in New Guinea is unusually large, but extremes appear not readily to be segregated. Some are represented by the following choice of specimens:
Karenga & Baker LAE 56930 from high altitude (1960 m) is illustrative of specimens with very scabrous, deeply lobed leaves, and large elongate fruit, 10-14 cm long.
Höft 2104, Streimann 8301 and Streimann & Kairo NGF 27797 (1250, 850, and 1500 m respectively) are illustrative of similar plants, with smaller fruits which are ± hispid hairy.
Koster BW 4326 from lowland Jayapura area, West Papua, deviates by large, densely packed, coarsely dentate, male bracts, measuring 25 by 25 mm.
Henty & Lelean NGF 49912, from lowland (400 m), has remarkably crenate-dentate leaf margins.
Brass 5257 from eastern Papua New Guinea, 1250 m altitude, is the type of T. mafuluensis, and represents a form with unlobed leaves and very narrow male bracts. Similar linear male bracts have e.g. Stevens & Veldkamp LAE 55741 or Womersley & Millar NGF 8472, both from high altitudes (c. 1700 m), but with deeply lobed leaves.
Karenga & Baker LAE 56930 from high altitude (1960 m) is illustrative of specimens with very scabrous, deeply lobed leaves, and large elongate fruit, 10-14 cm long.
Höft 2104, Streimann 8301 and Streimann & Kairo NGF 27797 (1250, 850, and 1500 m respectively) are illustrative of similar plants, with smaller fruits which are ± hispid hairy.
Koster BW 4326 from lowland Jayapura area, West Papua, deviates by large, densely packed, coarsely dentate, male bracts, measuring 25 by 25 mm.
Henty & Lelean NGF 49912, from lowland (400 m), has remarkably crenate-dentate leaf margins.
Brass 5257 from eastern Papua New Guinea, 1250 m altitude, is the type of T. mafuluensis, and represents a form with unlobed leaves and very narrow male bracts. Similar linear male bracts have e.g. Stevens & Veldkamp LAE 55741 or Womersley & Millar NGF 8472, both from high altitudes (c. 1700 m), but with deeply lobed leaves.
Citation
Miq. 1856 – In: Fl. Ned. Ind.: 674
Backer 1964 – In: Backer & Bakh.f., Fl. Java 1: 303
Duyfjes & Pruesapan 2004 – In: Thai Forest Bull.: 89
W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes 2004 – In: Sandakania: 25
2008 – In: Fl. Thailand: 526
W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes 2001 – In: Beaman et al., Pl. Mt. Kinabalu: 211
Rugayah & W.J.de Wilde 1997 – In: Blumea: 478
Rugayah 1999: Trichosanthes (Cucurbitaceae) in Malesia, thesis: 72
W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes 2008 – In: Reinwardtia: 270
Cogn. 1881 – In: A.DC. & C.DC., Monogr. Phan. 3: 380