Trichosanthes tricuspidata subsp. javanica
Description
Climber to 20 m long, glabrous, leafy stem 2-4 mm diam.;
Leaves:
Fruit ripening evenly (orange-)red, (narrowly) ovoid, (5-)7-9 by (4-)5-6 cm, apex c. 5 mm beaked;
Seeds dark brown, compressed, obovate or narrowly elliptic, smooth, 10-13 by (4-)5-10 by 1-3 mm, margin absent, edge entire.
Distribution
Asia-Tropical: Borneo present; Jawa (Jawa present); Lesser Sunda Is. present; Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia present, Singapore present); Maluku (Maluku present); Sulawesi (Sulawesi present); Sumatera (Sumatera present); Thailand (Thailand present)
Thailand; in Malesia: Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Borneo, Java, Sulawesi, Lesser Sunda Islands, and Moluccas; to allow for regional variation 4 forms are accepted.
Morphology
De Wilde & Duyfjes 21971 (Peninsular Malaysia) has exceptionally broad, broadly triangular, male sepals, c. 10 by 6 mm. Henderson 19550, also from Peninsular Malaysia, has exceptionally large male sepals with narrow sidelobes, like in T. quinquangulata. The collection De Wilde & Duyfjes 21848 (SW Sulawesi) deviates from the Java material by coarsely dentate leaf margins, and smaller fruit (c. 5.5 cm long) with small seeds.
Citation
Rugayah 1999: Trichosanthes (Cucurbitaceae) in Malesia, thesis: 120: pl. 10;
W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes 2008 – In: Fl. Thailand: 535
Rugayah & W.J.de Wilde 1997: p. 481. – In: Blumea: f. 1c & c', 2b, 3b
Miq. 1856 – In: Fl. Ned. Ind.: 676
Ridl. 1922 – In: Fl. Malay Penins.: 844
Cogn. 1881 – In: A.DC. & C.DC., Monogr. Phan. 3: 374