Cucurbitaceae
Citrullus

Citrullus naudinianus (Sond.) Hook.f.

First published in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 2: 549 (1871)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is S. Tropical & S. Africa. It is a tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Cucurbitaceae, C. Jeffrey. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb.
Morphology Roots
Root to 1 m. long, tuberous, fusiform.
Morphology Stem
Stems annual, to 6 m., prostrate, ± hirsute, glabrescent.
Morphology General Tendrils
Tendrils solitary, spiniform.
Morphology Leaves
Leaflamina 3–18 × 2·5–14 cm., ovate to broadly ovate in outline, cordate, scabrid and ± pilose especially on the main veins above, rather softly asperulous-tomentose to strongly scabrid beneath, usually deeply palmately 5-lobed, the lobes lanceolate to elliptic or sometimes broadly so, usually deeply pinnately lobulate and often ± sinuate at the margins, acute, usually acuminate, apiculate, the central much the largest.
Morphology Leaves Petiole
Petioles 0·7–7·5 cm. long, hispid, scabrescent.
sex Male
male flowers solitary; pedicels 0·3–2 cm. long, hispid or villous; receptacle-tube 3·5–6 mm. long, pale green, hispid, lobes 3·2–6 × 0·7–1·5 mm., remote, lanceolate, usually slightly expanded above the middle, acuminate, acute. Petals 1·4–2·5 × 0·9–1·3 cm., yellow to white, obovate-elliptic, rounded, apiculate. Stamens 3.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flowers solitary; pedicels 2–8 cm. long; ovary 8–15 × 4–8 mm., ellipsoid; spines short, thick; receptacle-tube 3 mm. long, lobes 3–4 mm. long, subulate; corolla as in male flowers; staminodes 3, small. male flowers solitary; pedicels 0·3–2 cm. long, hispid or villous; receptacle-tube 3·5–6 mm. long, pale green, hispid, lobes 3·2–6 × 0·7–1·5 mm., remote, lanceolate, usually slightly expanded above the middle, acuminate, acute. Petals 1·4–2·5 × 0·9–1·3 cm., yellow to white, obovate-elliptic, rounded, apiculate. Stamens 3.
sex Female
Female flowers solitary; pedicels 2–8 cm. long; ovary 8–15 × 4–8 mm., ellipsoid; spines short, thick; receptacle-tube 3 mm. long, lobes 3–4 mm. long, subulate; corolla as in male flowers; staminodes 3, small.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 6–12 × 4–8 cm., ellipsoid or subglobose, rather glaucous green, becoming pale yellow when mature, covered with prominent seta-tipped spines; fruit stalk rather slender, c. 6 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 7·5–10 × 4–6 × 2·5–3 mm., pallid-stramineous.
[FZ]

Common Names

English
Gemsbok cucumber, Herero cucumber, Wild melon

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Plants and People Africa

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
    • © Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/