Cucumis dipsaceus |
Cucumis myriocarpus |
|
---|---|---|
hedgehog gourd, teasel gourd |
gooseberry gourd, paddy melon |
|
Habit | Plants: roots thin, without thick, woody rootstock. | Plants: rootstock thick, woody. |
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. |
petiole proximally retrorsely strigose, medially hirsute, distally antrorsely strigose; blade ovate, palmately 5-lobed, 2.5–9(–16) × 2–8.5(–13) cm, length 0.8–1.2 times width, base cordate to subcordate, lobes elliptic, margins serrate. |
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. |
pedicels of pistillate flowers and fruits cylindric; staminate flowers 1 or 2–6 in sessile fascicles or panicles; pistillate flowers: calyx lobes 1.5–4.5 mm, petals 2–7 mm, corolla tube 0.3–1.2 mm, puberulent to sparsely puberulent inside. |
Tendrils | proximally hispidulous, distally glabrous. |
antrorsely strigose. |
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. |
orange to yellow with green to yellow stripes, monocolor or bicolor-striped at maturity, short-ellipsoid to globose, 1.5–3(–5) × 1.5–3 cm, obscurely aculeate, flesh yellowish. |
2n | = 24. |
= 24. |
Cucumis dipsaceus |
Cucumis myriocarpus |
|
Phenology | Flowering Jul–Sep. | Flowering Aug–Nov. |
Habitat | Open shrublands, thicket edges, riparian corridors, stream banks, sandy and loamy soil | Fallow fields, orchards, roadsides, vacant lots, disturbed areas |
Elevation | 50–100 m (200–300 ft) | 50–300 m (200–1000 ft) |
Distribution |
TX; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, Pacific Islands (Galapagos Islands, Hawaii), Australia] |
CA; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in 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.) |
Cucumis myriocarpus occurs in Fresno, Kings, Santa Barbara, and Tulare counties. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 6, p. 38. | FNA vol. 6, p. 38. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Ehrenberg: in E. Spach, Hist. Nat. Vég. 6: 211. (1838) | Naudin: Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 4, 11: 22. (1859) |
Web links |