Trichosanthes edulis

Primary tabs

Trichosanthes edulis

Description

Climber or creeper, sometimes rooting at the nodes, to 10 m long, brown hairy, late glabrescent, leafy stem 3-5 mm diam.; Leaves: Fruit ripening evenly orange or red, narrowly ellipsoid or (long) pyriform, 10-25 by 5-7 cm, apex ± acute; Seeds densely packed, compressed, narrowly elliptic and ± parallel-sided or obtriangular (broad at apex), 10-15 by 4-8 by 1-2 mm, ± truncate or notched at one or both ends, with or without a longitudinal depression in the middle, margin broad, edge entire or sometimes finely crenulate.

Distribution

Asia-Tropical: New Guinea present; Philippines (Philippines present)
Malesia: New Guinea; 3 varieties; also Philippines (see note).

Taxonomy

One out-reaching collection from the Philippines, Luzon, PP1 3044, with immature male flowers belongs to T. edulis as at present defined. It seems to link up with deviating specimens from Vogelkop as discussed under var. edulis, and its status needs further study.

Citation

Rugayah 1999: Trichosanthes (Cucurbitaceae) in Malesia, thesis: 184: pl. 26