File:Citrullus_colocynthis_-_Köhler–s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-040.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Citrullus colocynthis
Sign in to saveAlso known as colocynth, bitter apple, bitter cucumber, desert gourd, wild gourd, egusi, vine of Sodom, Colocynthis citrullus
species of plant in the family Cucurbitaceae
OverviewAI-generated
Citrullus colocynthis, commonly known as colocynth or 药西瓜, is a species of plant within the family Cucurbitaceae. Its scientific name is Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad., and it belongs to the genus Citrullus. The organism is classified in the kingdom Plantae, phylum Tracheophyta, class Magnoliopsida, and order Cucurbitales. It is described in the Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition and has uses as a medicinal plant.
The species is native to regions including Afghanistan, Algeria, Assam, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Chad, Cyprus, Djibouti, and Egypt. Its taxon range also includes Gabon. Records of the plant have been documented in Niger, the United States, Sri Lanka, Australia, and Pakistan.
Synthesized by Vinony from 36 facts across 7 sources: Wikidata, GBIF, PubMed, Gbif Occ, Plants of the World, iDigBio, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Species
Citrullus colocynthis
SPECIES
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderCucurbitales
- FamilyCucurbitaceae
Common Name: colocynth
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 576
- With media
- 482
- Family
- Cucurbitaceae
- Collections
- DAV, RSA, MEL, CDA, MICH, NY
- Recorded in
- Niger, United States, Sri Lanka, Australia, Pakistan, Egypt
Research
348 papers- Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad.: A Promising Pharmaceutical Resource for Multiple Diseases.ReviewMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Cheng X, Qin M, Chen R et al.DOI: 10.3390/molecules28176221
- Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad (Bitter Apple Fruit): Promising Traditional Uses, Pharmacological Effects, Aspects, and Potential Applications.ReviewFrontiers in pharmacology · 2021Li QY, Munawar M, Saeed M et al.DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.791049
- The Anticancer Efficiency of Citrullus colocynthis Toward the Colorectal Cancer Therapy.ReviewJournal of gastrointestinal cancer · 2020Abdulridha MK, Al-Marzoqi AH, Ghasemian ADOI: 10.1007/s12029-019-00299-6
- [Research progress on chemical constituents of Citrullus colocynthis and their pharmacological effects].ReviewZhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica · 2020Zheng MS, Liu YS, Yuan T et al.DOI: 10.19540/j.cnki.cjcmm.20191104.201
- Effect of Citrullus colocynthis on glycemic factors and lipid profile in type II diabetic patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.ReviewJournal of diabetes and metabolic disorders · 2022Jafarizadeh A, Raeisi SA, Ghassab-Abdollahi N et al.DOI: 10.1007/s40200-022-01045-9
- Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad (bitter apple fruit): a review of its phytochemistry, pharmacology, traditional uses and nutritional potential.ReviewJournal of ethnopharmacology · 2014Hussain AI, Rathore HA, Sattar MZ et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2014.06.011
- Advances in Gouty Arthritis Management: Integration of Established Therapies, Emerging Treatments, and Lifestyle Interventions.ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2024Yao TK, Lee RP, Wu WT et al.DOI: 10.3390/ijms251910853
- A review on antidiabetic activity of Citrullus colocynthis Schrad.ReviewActa poloniae pharmaceutica · 2014Shi C, Karim S, Wang C et al.
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Citrullus
- Image
- Citrullus colocynthis - Köhler–s Medizinal-Pflanzen-040.jpg
- Has use
- medicinal plant
Show 9 more facts
- taxon rank
- species
- taxon name
- Citrullus colocynthis
- Commons category
- Citrullus colocynthis
- Commons gallery
- Citrullus colocynthis
- taxon common name
- 药西瓜
- short name
- C. colocynthis
- taxon range
- Gabon
- external data available at URL
- www.gbif.org/dataset/31dc1507-a6e1-4233-a8df-c7a78596a7e4
Sources (3)
via Wikidata · CC0
~9 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Citrullus Colocynthis Fruit in Behbahan Wild Citrullus Colocynthis Citrullus colocynthis, with many common names including colocynth, bitter apple, bitter cucumber, vine of Sodom, or wild gourd, is a poisonous desert viny plant native to the Mediterranean Basin and West Asia, especially the Levant, Turkey (especially in regions such as İzmir), and Nubia.
It resembles a common watermelon vine but bears small, hard fruits with a bitter pulp. The plant contains cytotoxic cucurbitacins and is thus unsafe to use as an herbal medicine. It originally bore the scientific name Colocynthis citrullus.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Citrullus colocynthis” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.