MOMORDICA CYMBALARIA
Author:
Eduard Fenzl, 1859
Family:
CUCURBITACEAE
Origin:
Elevation:
Publisher:
Fenzl ex Naudin. (1859). In: Ann. Sci. Nat. Ser. IV. 12: 134.
Collection number:
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Thickness:
10 Centimetres
Height:
3-5 Metres
Propagate:
Seeds/Tubers
CITES:
Synonyms:
Luffa tuberosa, William Roxburgh, 1832.
Momordica tuberosa, Célestin Alfred Cogniaux, 1881.
Kedrostis malvifolia, Emilio Chiovenda, 1932.
Luffa hilapikku Herb. Madr. ex Wall.
Cucumis hilapikku, Herb. Madr. ex Wall.
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Cucumis tuberosus, Roxb. ex Wight & Arn.
Luffa amara, Wall.
The name does confuse me a bit. It seems like both Eduard Fenzl; 1859 and Joseph Dalton Hooker; 1871 have used this name. Fenzl for a plant in southern India, Hooker for an African plant. Further more, the synonym Momordica tuberosa seems to be used by both Dennstedt 1855 and Cogniaux 1881. And Fenzl used Charles Victor Naudin's descriptions, but I fail to find what name he originally gave the plant. My aim is to use the data above to the Indian plant, described by Fenzl. That said, I can't rule out it is the same species found both in Africa and India, as it is a medicine plant, which could have been brought around in ancient times by man - or birds.
The name comes from Mordio: 'to bite' after the bitten appearance of the seeds. The species name means 'small-cup', as to shape of lip. Photo of the leaves from Tjprc.org.
Flower
White - Yellow
Soil
Rich
Water
Medium
Sun
Medium - Maximum
