Cucumis prophetarum | |
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Leaves of Cucumis prophetarum | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Cucurbitales |
Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
Genus: | Cucumis |
Species: | C. prophetarum |
Binomial name | |
Cucumis prophetarum L. (1759) | |
Subspecies | |
Synonyms | |
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Cucumis prophetarum is a dioecious and prostrate or climbing perennial vine in the family Cucurbitaceae. [1] The specific epithet (prophetarum) comes from Latin propheta, meaning "prophet".
Cucumis prophetarum is native to Africa and the Middle East, from Mauritania east to the Horn of Africa and southwest to Angola then southeast to South Africa, as well as Israel south to Yemen and Oman and east to northwestern India. It has been introduced to Qatar. [2] It grows wild in semi-desert bushland and grassland up to 6,594 feet (2,010 meters) in elevation, often with acacia trees. [3]
Its stems and leaves are hairy and the leaves are ovate to round in shape and cordate at the base and measure 2–4 centimeters in length. The margins are dentate or lobulate. They have 3–5 blunt-toothed, obtuse or subacute lobes, and the petioles measure 6–87 millimeters (0.24–3.43 inches) in length. Male flowers occur in clusters of 2–3 on pedicels measuring 3–25 millimeters (0.12–0.98 inches) in length, and are rarely solitary. Female flowers are always solitary and have peduncles measuring 6–30 millimeters (0.24–1.18 inches) in length. They have five yellow petals measuring 5–8 millimeters in length and 2.5–3.5 millimeters in width. The fruit is slightly ovoid and is vertically striped and yellow in color when ripe. It measures 3–4 centimeters in length and is covered in spike-like pustules. [4]
The fruit has a bitter flavor when raw and is sometimes boiled or pickled and the leaves are cooked and served with a staple. [3] The fruit is eaten across its native range and occasionally cultivated and sold in local markets. [3]
The fruit is also used in folk medicine in Saudi Arabia to treat liver disorders. [5]
Hexalobus bussei is a species of plant in the family Annonaceae. It is native to Cameroon. Ludwig Diels, the German botanist who first formally described the species, named it after another German botanist, Walter Busse, who collected the sample that Diels examined.
Monodora crispata is a species of plant in the family Annonaceae. It is native to Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. Heinrich Gustav Adolf Engler, the German botanist who first formally described the species, named it after its curled petal margins.
Monodora junodii is a species of plant in the family Annonaceae. It is native to Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Heinrich Gustav Adolf Engler and Ludwig Diels, the German botanists who first formally described the species, named it after Henri-Alexandre Junod, the Swiss missionary and scientist who collected the specimen that they examined.
Monodora stenopetala is a species of plant in the family Annonaceae. It is native to Malawi and Mozambique. Daniel Oliver, the English botanist who first formally described the species, named it after its narrow petals.
Monodora tenuifolia is a species of plant in the family Annonaceae. It is native to equatorial Africa. George Bentham, the English botanist who first formally described the species, named it after its slender leaves.
Cucumis dipsaceus, also known as Arabian cucumber or hedgehog cucumber, is an annual climbing herb that can be found in tropical and arid locations. The plant is native to eastern Africa, first found in Sudan, southern Egypt, and Ethiopia. The developed fruits of the plant change from green to yellow and contain many seeds. The hairs that cover the oblong fruits nickname this species the “hedgehog cucumber”.
Garcinia leptophylla is an evergreen flowering tree in the family Clusiaceae (Guttiferae). The specific epithet (leptophylla) comes from Greek leptos, and phyllon, and refers to the plant's slender leaves.
Cucumis ficifolius is a dioecious flowering vine in the family Cucurbitaceae. The specific epithet (ficifolius) comes from Latin fici and folius.
Cucumis hystrix is a monoecious annual climbing vine in the family Cucurbitaceae. The specific epithet is Neo-Latin for "porcupine".
Salacca affinis, also known as red salak, red snakefruit salak, red snakefruit, buah ridan salak, buah ridan, linsum, salak hutan, buah manau, kelubi, buah rotan, and ridan, is a flowering shrub in the family Arecaceae. The specific epithet (affinis) comes from Latin "ad finis", meaning "at the boundary", and refers to its resemblance with the congener species Salacca zalacca.
Moquilea platypus, also known as sun sapote, sansapote, and monkey apple, is a flowering tree in the family Chrysobalanaceae. The specific epithet (platypus) is Neo-Latin for "flat-footed".
Couepia polyandra, also known as olosapo, zapote amarillo, baboon cap, and monkey cap, is a flowering tree in the family Chrysobalanaceae.
Calamus erectus, also known as viagra palm and locally as tynriew, tara, and zhi li sheng teng, is a flowering shrub in the family Arecaceae. The specific epithet (erectus) refers to the plant's habit of growing straight rather than creeping or climbing like many species of the genus Calamus.
Litsea garciae, also known as engkala, engkalak, kangkala, pangalaban and Borneo avocado, is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lauraceae and genus Litsea. It is native to Taiwan, the Philippines, Borneo, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi.
Eugenia calycina, also known as savannah cherry, field cherry, Jabuti cherry, Grão de galo, cerejinha, cereja do cerrado, pitanga-vermelha, red pitanga, cherry of the Cerrado, and ca-ajaboti, is a flowering shrub in the family Myrtaceae. The specific epithet (calycina) comes from Latin calycinus, meaning having a notable calyx.
Monodora angolensis is a species of plant in the family Annonaceae. It is native to Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zaire. Friedrich Welwitsch, the Austrian botanist who first formally described the species, named it after Angola where he found it growing near the town of Pungo-Andongo.
Uvariastrum hexaloboides is a species of plant in the Annonaceae family. It is native to Tanzania, Zambia and Zaire. Robert Elias Fries, the botanist who first formally described the species using the basionym Uvaria hexaloboides, named it after a different species Hexalobus monopetalus which he thought its flowers and vegetative parts resembled.
Uvariastrum insculptum is a species of plant in the Annonaceae. It is native to Cameroon, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, and the Republic of the Congo. Adolf Engler and Ludwig Diels, the botanists who first formally described the species using the basionym Uvaria insculpta, named it after the secondary veins on its leaves which are distinctly sunken.
Parmentiera aculeata, commonly known as cow okra, cuajilote, guajilote, huachilote, or pepino kat, is a species of flowering tree in the family Bignoniaceae. It is native to Mexico and Central America and is known primarily for its edible fruit and medicinal properties.