Cucumis dipsaceus |
|
---|---|
hedgehog gourd, teasel gourd |
|
Habit | Plants: roots thin, without thick, woody rootstock. |
Leaves | petiole weakly hispidulous to hispid; blade ovate to broadly ovate, unlobed to 3-lobate, 3–7.5(–12.5) × 2–7(–12) cm, length 1.1–1.5 times width, base cordate, lobes ovate to elliptic, margins serrate or entire. |
Inflorescences | pedicels of pistillate flowers and fruits cylindric; staminate flowers 1 or 2–7, usually in racemoid fascicles, rarely racemes; pistillate flowers: calyx lobes 5–6(–11) mm, petals 6–15 mm, corolla tube 1–1.5 mm, lobes glabrous inside. |
Tendrils | proximally hispidulous, distally glabrous. |
Pepos | pale yellow, monocolor, ellipsoid to ellipsoid-cylindric or globose, 3.5–7 × 2.5–4 cm, densely echinate at maturity, spinules narrowly cylindric, mostly obscuring fruit surface, flesh light yellow. |
2n | = 24. |
Cucumis dipsaceus |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jul–Sep. |
Habitat | Open shrublands, thicket edges, riparian corridors, stream banks, sandy and loamy soil |
Elevation | 50–100 m (200–300 ft) |
Distribution |
TX; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, Pacific Islands (Galapagos Islands, Hawaii), Australia] |
Discussion | Cucumis dipsaceus is documented as adventive in Texas by collections from Hidalgo and Webb counties. It is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental because of its distinctive fruits. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 38. |
Parent taxa | Cucurbitaceae > Cucumis |
Sibling taxa | |
Name authority | Ehrenberg: in E. Spach, Hist. Nat. Vég. 6: 211. (1838) |
Web links |