Cucumis maderaspatanus L.

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Cucumis maderaspatanus

Photo: Bart Wursten
Vunduzi River below Bunga Ranger Camp, northwestern Gorongosa National Park.

Cucumis maderaspatanus

Photo: Bart Wursten
Vunduzi River below Bunga Ranger Camp, northwestern Gorongosa National Park.

Cucumis maderaspatanus

Photo: Bart Wursten
Vunduzi River below Bunga Ranger Camp, northwestern Gorongosa National Park.

Cucumis maderaspatanus

Photo: Bart Wursten
Vunduzi River below Bunga Ranger Camp, northwestern Gorongosa National Park.

Cucumis maderaspatanus

Photo: Bart Wursten
Vunduzi River below Bunga Ranger Camp, northwestern Gorongosa National Park.

Cucumis maderaspatanus

Photo: Bart Wursten
Vunduzi River below Bunga Ranger Camp, northwestern Gorongosa National Park.

Cucumis maderaspatanus

Photo: Bart Wursten
Near the end of Fenella Drive, Monavale Vlei

Cucumis maderaspatanus

Photo: Bart Wursten
Near the end of Fenella Drive, Monavale Vlei

Cucumis maderaspatanus

Photo: Mark Hyde
National Botanic Garden, Harare

Cucumis maderaspatanus

Photo: Mark Hyde
National Botanic Garden, Harare

Cucumis maderaspatanus

Photo: Mark Hyde
10, Sims Road, Mt Pleasant, Harare

Cucumis maderaspatanus

Photo: Mark Hyde
10, Sims Road, Mt Pleasant, Harare

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Species details: Click on each item to see an explanation of that item (Note: opens a new window)

Synonyms: Bryonia cordifolia L.
Bryonia scabrella L.
Coccinia cordifolia (L.) Cogn.
Melothria maderaspatana (L.) Cogn.
Mukia maderaspatana (L.) M. Roem.
Mukia scabrella (L.) Arn.
Common names:
Frequency:
Status: Native
Description:
Prostrate or climbing herb. Stems, leaves and tendrils with rough, whitish hairs. The leaves are variable, broadly ovate to triangular or palmately 3(-5) lobed, margin serrate. Flowers small, yellow in axillary clusters. Fruit globose, 6-11 mm in diameter, smooth and hairless, green with paler stripes when young, bright red when ripe.
Type location:
India
Notes:
Derivation of specific name: maderaspatanus: from the Madras region of India
Habitat: A climber of damp places in woodland, grassland and riverine margins.
Altitude range: (metres) 166 - 1500 m
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution: Throughout the Old World Tropics including New Guinea and Australia.
FZ divisions: N,Z,MS,M
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters: Display spot characters for this species
Images last updated: Tuesday 16 June 2015
Literature:

Heath, A. & Heath, R. (2009). Field Guide to the Plants of Northern Botswana including the Okavango Delta Kew Publishing Page 245. (Includes a picture).

Jeffrey, C. (1978). Cucurbitaceae Flora Zambesiaca 4 Pages 475 - 477. (Includes a picture).

Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 38.

Ntore, S. & al. (2024). Checklist of the vascular plants of Burundi Page 90.

Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 45.

Pooley, E. (1998). A Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Region. Natal Flora Publications Trust. Durban. Pages 78 - 79. (Includes a picture).

Reekmans, M. (1983). Cucurbitaceae Flore du Rwanda Spermatophytes Volume II Page 466.

Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 53.


Other sources of information about Cucumis maderaspatanus:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Cucumis maderaspatanus
Flora of Burundi: Cucumis maderaspatanus
Flora of Caprivi: Cucumis maderaspatanus
Flora of the DRC: Cucumis maderaspatanus
Flora of Malawi: Cucumis maderaspatanus
Flora of Rwanda: Cucumis maderaspatanus
Flora of Zambia: Cucumis maderaspatanus
Flora of Zimbabwe: Cucumis maderaspatanus

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Cucumis maderaspatanus
African Plant Database: Cucumis maderaspatanus
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Cucumis maderaspatanus
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Cucumis maderaspatanus
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Cucumis maderaspatanus
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Cucumis maderaspatanus
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Cucumis maderaspatanus
JSTOR Plant Science: Cucumis maderaspatanus
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Cucumis maderaspatanus
Plants of the World Online: Cucumis maderaspatanus
Tropicos: Cucumis maderaspatanus
Wikipedia: Cucumis maderaspatanus


Copyright: Mark Hyde, Bart Wursten, Petra Ballings and Meg Coates Palgrave, 2007-25

Hyde, M.A., Wursten, B.T., Ballings, P. & Coates Palgrave, M. (2025). Flora of Mozambique: Species information: Cucumis maderaspatanus.
https://www.mozambiqueflora.com/speciesdata/species.php?species_id=156990, retrieved 7 July 2025

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