Momordica cochinchinensis

Content

Description

Stout perennial climber to 20 m long, all parts (sub)glabrous, older bark pale, warty and fissured; Leaves: Flowers somewhat hairy, in male solitary, or several in a bracteate raceme to 5(-10) cm long; Fruit ripening orange-red, irregularly bursting, ovoid, (broadly) ellipsoid or subglobose, (6-)10-15(-20) by (4-)6-10(-15) cm, apex ± pointed, pericarp mostly densely soft tuberculate or soft-spiny (spines to 10 mm long), rarely almost smooth; Seeds numerous, brown or grey-black, circular, elliptic, or ovate, 15-30 mm across, 5-8 mm thick, margin coarsely undulate-tubercled;

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: Borneo present; Jawa (Jawa present); Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia present, Singapore absent); Maluku (Maluku present); New Guinea present; Philippines (Philippines present); Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka absent); Sulawesi (Sulawesi present); Sumatera (Sumatera present), Kebun Raya, Bogor present, Papua New Guinea present, South India absent, West Papua present, from NE India and South China, through Indo-China to North Australia and into the Pacific present

Widespread, from NE India and South China, through Indo-China to North Australia and into the Pacific; absent from South India and Sri Lanka; in Malesia: Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo, Java (Kebun Raya, Bogor, probably an old introduction in a waste shrubby garden corner), Philippines, Sulawesi, Moluccas, New Guinea (West Papua, and Papua New Guinea); not known from Singapore.

Morphology

2 Momordica cochinchinensis is accepted as a variable, widely distributed species. The species is particularly heterophyllous. Variable characters used as criteria for describing species now considered as synonyms concern the blade (either entire, lobed or unlobed, or foliolate), the presence or absence of glands on the petioles, the flowers being either solitary or grouped in short raceme-like inflorescences (short-shoots), and also the size (and shape) of the fruit and their mode of ornamentation with soft warts or spines. The length of the fruit stalk (peduncle plus fruiting pedicel) is very variable. How this relates to the Malesian populations needs further investigation. The synonym M. suringarii has mainly 3-foliolate leaves. 1 The roots are tuberous.

Uses

Fruits (unripe) are used as vegetable, or medicinal, especially by the Vietnamese.

Citation

Gagnep. 1921 – In: Fl. Indo-Chine: 1072

Spreng. 2008: p. 466. – In: Fl. Thailand: f. 21

Cogn. & Harms 1924 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 88: 34

Merr. 1918: Sp. Blancoan.: 371

Blanco 1845: Fl. Filip., ed. 2: 531

I.Telford 1982 – In: Fl. Austr.: 167

Merr. 1921: Enum. Born.: 584

W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes 2002 – In: Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & St. Petersburg): 137

Spreng. – In: Sandakania: 75

M.E.C.Reyes, Gildemacher & G.J.Jansen 1994 – In: PROSEA: 206

Ridl. 1922 – In: Fl. Malay Penin.: 848

Cogn. 1881: p. 444. – In: A.DC. & C.DC., Monogr. Phan. 3: incl. var. villosa

Cogn. & Harms 1924 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 88: 23

Merr. 1918: Sp. Blancoan.: 371

Keraudren 1975: p. 38. – In: Aubrév. & J.-F.Leroy, Fl. Cambodge, Laos & Vietnam 15: f. 8

Blanco 1879 – In: Fl. Filip., ed. 3: 53

Blanco 1879: p. 174. – In: Fl. Filip., ed. 3: t. 380

Craib 1931 – In: Fl. Siam.: 758