Cucumis cinereus
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Full name: | Cucumis cinereus (Cogn.) Ghebretinsar & Thulin |
| Location: | Kyffhäuser (2416AD + 2416CB) |
| ID status: | Fairly certain |
| Afrikaans common name(s): | - |
| English common name(s): | - |
| Synonym(s): | Cucumella cinerea (Cogn.) C. Jeffrey (1962) Melothria cinerea (Cogn.) A. Meeuse (1962) Kedrostis cinerea Cogn. (1901) Kedrostis gracilis R. Fern. (1959) Melothria breyeri Burtt Davy (1926) Melothria hispidula Burtt Davy (1926) |
| Status: | Native |
| Description: | Vines, herbs, or subshubs; monoccious. Stems hispidulous or retrorse-strigose. Stem hairs 0.1-1 mm long (sometimes with hairs of 2 lengths, the longer ones on the ridges and the shorter in the grooves). Leaves: Petioles cylindrical; sulcate in cross-section; 1.5-5(5.5) cm long; pubescence a single type on each petiole; hispidulous or retrorse-strigose. Leaf blades pentalobate to 5-palmately lobed (rarely); broadly ovate to shallowly ovate (rarely) in outline; cordate at the base; with a basal sinus; acute to broadly acute or obtuse at the apex; 1.8-6.5 x 1.5-6 cm; 0.7-1.2 times longer than wide; hispidulous on the upper surface; hispidulous on the veins below; hispidulous on the intervenium below; not ciliate on the margins. Central leaf-blade lobe symmetrical; very broadly triangular or shallowly ovate in outline; acute to broadly acute or obtuse at the apex; 0.7-2 x 0.9-4 cm. Lateral leafblade lobes entire; shallowly triangular or shallowly ovate in outline; acute to broadly acute or obtuse at the apex; 0.3-1.2 x 0.5-2.2 cm. Tendrils: 4-5 cm long. Male inflorescences: Racemose; 5-19-flowered; sessile. Male flowers: Pedicel terete in cross-section: 2-10.5 mm long; hispidulous. Hypanthium campanulate; 2.8-4 mm long; hispidulous. Calyx lobes narrowly oblong, linear, or triangular in outline; 0.7-2.4 mm long. Corolla puberulent outside; sparsely puberulent inside. Corolla lobes elliptic to broadly elliptic or obovate in outline: acute to broadly acute at the apex; 2.6-5.6 x 2-5.6 mm; puberulent outside. Stamens separating from the hypanthium 1.3-1.6 mm from the base ofthe hypanthium. Filaments 0.3-0.4 mm long. Anther thecae straight, without bends; 1.6-1.8 mm long; puberulous (on margins). Anther connective extended. Disc cylindrical or fungiform. Female inflorescences: A solitary flower. Female flowers: Pedicel terete in outline; 2.8-14 mm long. Hypanthium hour-glass shaped; distinctly ridged. Ridges on hypanthium 6. The lower 2/3 to 3/4 of hypanthium fused to the ovary. Fused portion of hypanthium ovoid: 3.6-5.2 mm long; 1.2-1.4 mm in diam. not aculeate. Free portion of hypanthium 1.6-2 mm long; 1.6-2 mm in diam. Calyx lobes narrowly oblong or narrowly triangular in outline; 1-1.3 mm long. Corolla lobes obovate in outline abruptly acuminate at the apex. Stigma 1.1-1.2 mm long; with 3 finger-like projections on the margin. Fruit: Monochromous; orange; ovoid; 1.5-2.5 cm long; 0.6-1 cm in diam.; with the pericarp thin; not aculeate; hispidulous; rostrate at the apex (with hypanthium, calyx, and corolla persistent). Beak 0.7-1 cm long. Seeds: Ovate; 4.2-5.2 x 2.4-3 mm; glabrous; with a band of punctations around the edge on both faces; emarginate. (from Revision of Cucumella by Joseph Kirkbride) |
| 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: | 03 Mar 2009 |
| Camera make: | Canon |
| Camera model: | PowerShot A700 |
| Lens aperture: | f/4.0 |
| Shutter speed: | 1/100 s |
| ISO speed: | - |
| Content last updated: | 18 Apr 2024 |
