Coccinia rehmannii
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Full name: | Coccinia rehmannii Cogn. |
| Location: | Kyffhäuser (2416AD + 2416CB) |
| ID status: | Fairly certain |
| Afrikaans common name(s): | Wilde komkommer |
| English common name(s): | Wild cucumber |
| Synonym(s): | Coccinia ovifera Dinter & Gilg Coccinia palmata auct. - sensu Meeuse, Bothalia 8 (1962) quoad specim. Earthy 1, non (Sond.) Cogn.-- misapplied name Coccinia rehmannii Cogn. var. littoralis A.Meeuse |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: | Stems annual or perennial, slender, prostrate or scandent, arising from a large tuberous rootstock, almost glabrous to rather densely hispid or setulose, becoming white-punctate when older. Leaf-lamina 2-8 x 2.5-13 cm, broadly ovate in outline, cordate, shortly usually rather sparsely setulose on veins beneath, scabrid-punctate above, pentagonal or shallowly to usually deeply palmately 3-5-lobed, the lobes broadly ovate or obovate to elliptic or oblanceolate, entire or shallowly to quite sharply sinuate-dentate or deeply and sharply lobulate, obtuse, apiculate, the central largest. Petiole 0.5-6 cm long, sparsely to densely setulose or setose. Tendrils simple. Probracts 1-3 mm long, small, narrow. male flowers solitary, in sessile few-flowered clusters or in 2-20-flowered 0.8-3 cm pedunculate racemes, usually with a co-axillary solitary flower; bracts small, 1-5 mm long, rounded, often absent; pedicels 5-45 mm long. Receptacle-tube 3-6 mm long, broadly campanulate, sparsely to usually densely pubescent, setulose or long-pilose, lobes 2-8 mm long, lanceolate, acute. Corolla whitish-cream to pale yellow, green-veined, the lobes 1-3 x 0.5-1.5 cm, obovate, apiculate, united to above the middle. female flowers solitary; pedicels 2-15 mm long; ovary 6-13 x 1-2.5 mm, shortly ellipsoid or fusiform, almost glabrous to densely pilose; receptacle-tube 2-3.5 mm long, narrowly campanulate or shortly cylindrical, lobes 2-5 mm long, linear-lanceolate or oblanceolate. Fruit 1.5-7.5 x 1-3.5 cm, shortly ellipsoid to ellipsoid-cylindrical, sometimes pyriform, smooth, bright red when mature; fruit-stalk 0.4-2 cm long. Seeds 4.7-7 x 2-3 x 1.1-1.7 mm, asymmetrically ovate-oblong in outline, sometimes slightly arcuate, compressed, with flat faces and 2-grooved margins; testa minutely rugulose. (from JSTOR website / Flora Zambesiaca) Perennial with annual or perennial creeping or climbing stems, growing from a tuberous rootstock. Leaves up to 8 × 13 cm, broadly ovate or pentagonal in outline, shallowly to usually deeply palmately 3-5 lobed, lobes often lobes again, base cordate, upper surfase rough, veins beneath setulose, margins more or less sharply sinuate-dentate. Tendrils simple. Flowers whitish-cream to pale yellow, green-veined. Male flowers solitary or in sessile clusters; female flowers solitary. Fruit ellipsoid or cylindric, up to 7.5 cm long, red, surface smooth. (from Flora of Zimbabwe website) Coccinia rehmannii is a slender perennial, creeper or climber, arising from a large tuberous rootstock, almost glabrous to rather densely hairy, becoming smooth whitish and speckled at maturity, especially in drier areas. The simple tendrils enable the vine to grow over and smother vegetation, cover fences and power lines, trees, shrubs and walls. It can grow up to 4 m high. The plant has perennial roots, woody at the base producing hypocotyl (carrot-like) tubers, that grow up to 0.5 m deep. The leaves of C. rehmanni are simple, alternate, and paired, with a tendril on each node, except for the first nodes. The leaves are 20–80 × 25–130 mm, usually distinctly petiolate. Young leaves tend to be shallowly lobed. Upper leaf surface more or less densely white, pustulate. Lower leaf surface glabrous, sometimes wart-like; the leaf margin usually beset conspicuously with small teeth and often bears trichomes. (from https://www.seedsofnamibia.com/product-page/coccinia-rehmannii) Perennial climber or creeper. Stems up to 4 m, glabrous or with broadbased trichomes, when old often densely white pustulate (esp. in drier areas). Petiole 0.2–4.2 cm, glabrous or with erect, broad-based or often up to 1.5 mm long, articulate trichomes or only wart-like, when old sometimes dense white pustulate (esp. in drier areas). Leaves 0.9–9.7 × 1.4–16.6 cm, shallowly to deeply 3- or 5-lobate, auriculate, sometimes lobulate, rarely cordate. Lobes and lobules usually extending, rarely pointing towards tip, narrowly to broadly triangulate to lanceolate. Leaf margin rather remotely denticulate. Apex acute to obtuse, apiculate. Upper leaf surface more or less densely white pustulate, pustules sometimes with a thick, small trichome, on nerves often with thick, small trichomes. Lower leaf surface glabrous, sometimes with small, blackish glands between nerves, nerves usually with erect trichomes, sometimes wart-like. Probract usually absent, if present then up to 3.5 mm. Tendrils simple. Male fl owers 1–3 solitary, if fasciculate or in few-fl owered racemes then accompanied by 1–2 fl owers. Common peduncle 0.7–4.5(–8.5) cm, glabrous or with long, articulate trichomes. Pedicel of flowers in infl orescences 0.6–2.8 cm, bracts up to 2.5 mm or missing. Pedicel of solitary flowers (0.2–)0.5–5(–9) cm, glabrous or especially at apex with long, articulate trichomes. Perianth tube usually with long (> 0.5 mm) trichomes, rarely almost glabrous. Calyx lobes 0.2–7 mm, narrowly lanceolate or lineal, when young erect, later also spreading to refl exed. Corolla 0.8–2.5 cm long, buff to more or less pale yellow, sometimes with green venation. Lobes 0.3–1.1 cm. Filament column pale buff , anthers buff , pollen sacs yellow (Fig. 10a). Female fl ower solitary. Pedicel 0.4–1.5 cm, glabrous or with long, articulate trichomes. Hypanthium usually with long (> 0.5 mm) trichomes, rarely almost glabrous, calyx lobes and corolla like in male fl owers. Ovary rarely glabrous, often more or less densely covered with articulate trichomes. Style columnar, green. Stigmas 2-lobed, yellow (Fig. 11b). Immature fruit, rarely also at maturity, with whitish, longitudinal mottling that develops a dark green corona during ripening. Ripe fruit globose to elliptical 1–6.2 × 1–2.8 cm, glabrous or with few articulate trichomes, bright orange to red. Seeds 4.5–7 × 2–3.5 × 1–1.2 mm (L/W/H), asymmetrically obovate to somewhat falcate, face flat. (from Monograph of Coccinia (Cucurbitaceae) (Holstein, 2015)) |
| Link(s) |
African Plant Database
JSTOR Plant Science Kew Herbarium Catalogue BGBM Berlin-Dahlem - Virtual Herbarium Züricher Herbarien iNaturalist (Namibia / Alex Dreyer) iNaturalist (Namibia) iNaturalist (southern Africa) Flora of Zimbabwe Fleurs de notre Terre - Galerie Namibie Tree Atlas of Namibia |
| Photographer: | AA Dreyer |
| Date of photograph: | 13 Dec 2008 |
| Camera make: | Canon |
| Camera model: | PowerShot A700 |
| Lens aperture: | f/4.0 |
| Shutter speed: | 1/200 s |
| ISO speed: | - |
| Content last updated: | 18 Apr 2024 |
