Cucumis africanus L.f.

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Image 1
Fruit
03 May 2008

Image 2
Leaves
04 Mar 2012

Image 3
Leaves and flower
04 Mar 2012

Image 4
Fruit
03 May 2008

Image 5
Fruit and leaves
03 May 2008

Image 6
Leaves+stem
18 Dec 2010

Family:	Curcurbitaceae
Full name:	Cucumis africanus L.f.
ID status:	Fairly certain
Afrikaans common name(s):	Springbokkomkommer, Doringkomkommer, Bitterappel, Agurkie, Afrikaanse komkommer, Wilde komkommer
English common name(s):	Wild cucumber, Bitter apple, Small wild cucumber, Thorn cucumber
Synonym(s):	Cucumis arenarius Schrad. - non Schumach. & Thonn.-- nom.illegit. Cucumis hookeri Naudin
Status:	Native
Description:	Annual, green, scabrous everywhere; branches angulate; leaves deeply 3- or 5- lobed, lobes entire or sublobed, denticulate, as well as the sinus rotundate, middle lobe obovate, longer than the lateral ones; ovary oblong, muricate-echinate, on a slender peduncle; pepo ovoid, densely beset with short, but sharp spines. Stem much branched. Leaves on longish petioles, in var. a. 1.25–1.75 inch long, 1–1.5 inch wide, the upper smaller; in var. ß. 1.5–2.5 inches long, and very similar to those of C. Anguria, L. Male flowers fascicled, very small, much shorter than the hispid petiole; female flowers on longer peduncles. Fruit 1.5 inch long, 0.75 or nearly 1 inch broad. Spines 2 lines long; the ripe fruit sometimes denudate or only tubercled by the remaining base of the spines. Seeds nearly 2 lines long. C. arenarius, Schrad.! E. & Z.! 1795, founded on a single specimen, is a depauperated state of C. africanus. C. arenarius, Arn. and Planch. in herb. Hook. is C. myriocarpus, Naud. C. arenarius, Schum. and Thom.! is a quite different plant; the branches are hispid, tendrils very long, leaves about 2 inches long, 15 lines broad, bluntish-5-lobed, the ovate middle lobe 1 inch long, the four lateral ones short but equal; the whole leaf on both sides subsilky by appressed hairs, a little hispid on the nerves beneath; flowers very small, fascicled and short peduncles, the tube hirsute; the fruit unknown. N. 4919 of Drege's collection has some resemblance to this, but the flowers are much larger, the tendrils very short, and the branches pubescent. (from JSTOR website / Flora Capensis) Annual or perhaps sometimes perennial, or at least sometimes developing a woody rootstock; stems prostrate or scandent, to c. 1 m, patent-setulose or deflexed-setulose, becoming scabrid and developing a thin pallid bark when old. Leaf-lamina 1.6–8.2 x 1.8–7 cm, ovate in outline, cordate, shortly sparsely scabrid-setulose above, densely so beneath, becoming scabrid-punctate, more or less sinuate-denticulate, deeply palmately (3)5-lobed, lobes elliptic, broadly elliptic or ovate-elliptic, obtuse to rounded, shortly acuminate, apiculate, sometimes 3-lobulate, the central largest. Petiole 1.1–6 cm long, antrorsely or patently scabrid-setulose. Flowers monoecious. male flowers solitary or usually 2–5 in small fascicles; pedicels 2–9 mm long. Receptacle-tube 3–5 mm long; lobes 1.5–3 mm long. Petals 5–11 mm long, bright yellow. female flowers solitary; pedicel 10–40 mm long; ovary 8–15 x 3–5 mm, ellipsoid or oblong-ellipsoid, densely softly spiny; perianth similar to that of male flower. Fruit 3.2–6(9) x 1.8–3.3(4.5) cm, ellipsoid to oblong-ellipsoid, rounded at the ends, more or less densely spiny, when ripe strongly striped pale greenish-white and purplish-brown; spines 3–6 mm long, longitudinally compressed; fruit-stalk 2–4.5 cm long, slender, not expanded upwards. Seeds 4–7 x 2–3.8 x 1.1–2 mm, elliptic in outline, compressed. (from JSTOR website / Flora Zambesiaca) Roots: Often with a large, woody, thickened taproot, allowing it to produce large amounts of fruit even in very arid conditions. Stems: The stems are annual and up to more than 2 m long (but can grow to a length 50 m), finely ridged and roughly whitish hairy. The are usually prostrate, but will climb on bushes and other support with the aid of simple tendrils. Cut twigs exude a clear sap. (Welman, 2005) Leaves: The leaves are alternate and simple; stipules are absent. The lamina is ovate, deeply palmately (3–)5-lobed, 16–82 mm x 18–70 mm in size; cordate at the base, with the lobes elliptical, broadly elliptical to ovate-elliptical. (Bosch, 2004) The leaves are dull green and roughly hairy on both sides with bulbous-based hairs; crushed leaves are non-aromatic. The leaf stalks (petioles are finely ridged and roughly hairy, usually 10 - 15 mm long, but can be up to 80 mm long. The tendrils are simple. (Welman, 2005) Flowers: The plants are monoecious and the flowers unisexual, regular and 5-merous. The receptacle is 3 – 5 mm long and the sepals 1.5 – 3 mm. The petals are bright yellow with green veins and 5 – 11 mm long. (Bosch, 2004) The male flowers are fascicled (with 1-5 flowers in small fascicles), rarely solitary; the pedicel is up to 10 mm long. The calyx is 5-lobed with the tube campanulate and the lobes long-linear. The corolla is 5-partite, yellow and veined, with the lobes oblong. The stamens are 3 with the filaments free, linear-oblong and short; the anthers are free or cohering, with one anther 1-thecous and others 2-thecous; the thecae are bent, rarely straight. The pistil is rudimentary. (Dyer, 1975) The female flowers are usually solitary, rarely fasciculate with the pedicel 10 - 40 mm long. The calyx and corolla are as in the male flowers. Three staminodes are often present. The ovary is inferior, ovoid to subcylindrical and tubercled with dense soft spines; with 3-5 placentas and many ovules. The styles are short, surrounded at the base by a cup-like structure and the stigmas are 3-5(6). (Dyer, 1975) Fruits: The fruit is a fleshy, indehiscent and many-seeded berry, with the pericarp tubercled (Dyer, 1975). The fruit is ellipsoid to oblong-ellipsoid and 30–90 mm x 20–45 mm in size. When ripe it is strongly longitudinally striped pale greenish-white and purplish-brown, with the spines 3–6 mm long. The fruit stalk is 20 – 45 mm long, slender and not expanded upwards. (Bosch, 2004) A plant will bear either sweet or bitter fruit and up to 120 per runner in years of good rainfall (Van der Walt & Le Riche, 1999). Seeds: The seeds are cream-coloured, ellipsoid, compressed; 4–7 mm x 2–3.8 mm x 1–1.2 mm (Bosch, 2004). (from Ecoport website)
Link(s)	African Plant Database JSTOR Plant Science Kew Herbarium Catalogue BGBM Berlin-Dahlem - Virtual Herbarium Züricher Herbarien Flora of Zimbabwe Fleurs de notre Terre - Galerie Namibie
Content last updated:	14 Mar 2012