Cardiospermum halicacabum
Content
Description
Annual or perennial herbs or subscrubs, often much branched mainly near the base.
Leaves c. 5-8 by 5-8 cm, sparsely appressed-short-hairy to subglabrous;
Inflorescences patent, sparsely short-hairy, 5-14 cm long;
Flowers 2-3.5 mm long, slender pedicelled.
Sepals 4, concave, thin, subglabrous, green, tinged red, outer pair broadly ovate to suborbicular, 1-1.5 by 1.2 mm, inner pair suborbicular to broad-elliptic, 2-2.5 by 1.5-2 mm, with white margins.
Petals obovate-cuneate to orbicular, rounded and slightly emarginate at apex, 1.5-2.5 by 1-2 mm, at the base with some woolly hairs at the margin, otherwise glabrous, white to creamy with yellowish margin;
Stamens:
Ovary obovoid, 2-3 mm, nearly glabrous to densely pubescent;
Fruits 3-lobed, globular, 1.5-4 cm in diam., mostly sparsely short-hairy, green, reddish at base or with reddish veins.
Seeds subglobular, c. 4 mm diam., dull-black, smooth, glabrous;
Distribution
America present, Asia-Tropical, Tropics and Sub-tropics present
Probably of American origin, but now a fairly common weed of the Tropics and Sub-tropics; throughout Malesia.
Uses
Used as a vegetable and in medicine; baskets are made from the stems, the seeds are used as beads. For more details see
Notes
1. Usually the flower developing first in every bostryx is female, all others are male.
2. In Elbert 1985 the sepals are leafy and green, and the two lower ones are not completely connate.
3. The scales of the adaxial petals are probably also crested, but the crest is here lateral, turned towards the abaxial side of the flower. The suture is inconspicuous in typical C. halicacabum, often more clearly visible and even more or less concave (the scale then becoming laterally hood-shaped) in several forms of C. corindum. The scales of the abaxial petals have a central part which is more or less fleshy, and broad membranous wings; their crests are slightly concave. Probably, these scales are coherent in the flower.
4. For the reduction of C. corindum to C. halicacabum see Cariospermum corindum is a very variable species according to Radlkofer's monograph where it is subdivided into 14 forms. All Malesian specimens represent typical halicacabum, a form which is surprisingly uniform all over the world. There is slight variation in the sizes of flowers and fruits: var. microcarpum representing the relatively small-fruited, var. luridum the big-fruited specimens. In my opinion these varieties do not deserve any taxonomic status.
2. In Elbert 1985 the sepals are leafy and green, and the two lower ones are not completely connate.
3. The scales of the adaxial petals are probably also crested, but the crest is here lateral, turned towards the abaxial side of the flower. The suture is inconspicuous in typical C. halicacabum, often more clearly visible and even more or less concave (the scale then becoming laterally hood-shaped) in several forms of C. corindum. The scales of the abaxial petals have a central part which is more or less fleshy, and broad membranous wings; their crests are slightly concave. Probably, these scales are coherent in the flower.
4. For the reduction of C. corindum to C. halicacabum see Cariospermum corindum is a very variable species according to Radlkofer's monograph where it is subdivided into 14 forms. All Malesian specimens represent typical halicacabum, a form which is surprisingly uniform all over the world. There is slight variation in the sizes of flowers and fruits: var. microcarpum representing the relatively small-fruited, var. luridum the big-fruited specimens. In my opinion these varieties do not deserve any taxonomic status.
Citation
Radlk. 1932: p. 379. – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98. f. 8A-C
Hend. 1961: Comm. Mal. Wild Fl: 10. t. 2
Blume 1847 – In: Rumphia. p 185
Wight 1841 – In: Ic. t. 508
Backer & Bakh. f. 1965 – In: Fl. Java. p 132
Griff. 1854 – In: Notul. p 546
Adelb. 1948 – In: Blumea. p 322
L. 1922 – In: Fl. Malay Penins. p 488
Sims 1807 – In: Bot. Mag. t. 1049
King 1896 – In: J. As. Soc. Beng. p 421
Merr. 1923 – In: Enum. Philipp. Flow. Pl. p 493
Hend. 1949: Mal. Wild Fl. Dicot: 59. f. 52
Steenis 1949: Fl. Sch. Indon. p 251
Ridley 1906 – In: J. Str. Br. Roy. As. Soc. p 186
Backer 1930: Onkruidfl. Suikerrietgr. p 419
Gagnep. 1950: Fl. Indo-Chine. p 933
Craib 1926 – In: Fl. Siam. Enum. p 321
Radlk. 1932 – In: Engl., Pflanzenr. 98. p 397