Specimen image via iDigBio · CC0
Coccinia
Sign in to saveThe scarlet gourds are a genus (Coccinia from the Greek, kokkinia or kokkinias - "red" or "scarlet") with 25 species. It is distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and with one species, C. grandis also in South Asia and Southeast Asia, and it is also introduced into the New World. Incidentally, C. grandis is also a cultivated crop and it is used for culinary and medical purposes.
Species
GENUS
- KingdomPlantae
- PhylumTracheophyta
- ClassMagnoliopsida
- OrderCucurbitales
- FamilyCucurbitaceae
via GBIF · Kew POWO
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 116
- With media
- 77
- Family
- Cucurbitaceae
- Collections
- DAV, MEL, ANSP, NY, CM, MO
- Recorded in
- United States, Ethiopia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya, Uganda
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Benincaseae
- Image
- Coccinia grandis.jpg
Show 6 more facts
- taxon rank
- genus
- taxon name
- Coccinia
- Commons category
- Coccinia
- topic's main category
- Category:Coccinia
- taxon common name
- 红瓜属
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~4 min read
Encyclopedic overview
7 sectionsContents
- Description
- Distribution
- Use
- Primary literature
- Gallery
- References
- External links
The scarlet gourds are a genus (Coccinia from the Greek, kokkinia or kokkinias - "red" or "scarlet") with 25 species. It is distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and with one species, C. grandis also in South Asia and Southeast Asia, and it is also introduced into the New World. Incidentally, C. grandis is also a cultivated crop and it is used for culinary and medical purposes.
== Description == Coccinia species are perennial climbing or creeping herbs. Climbing is supported by simple of unequally bifid tendrils. Most species develop a tuber from the hypocotyl, sometimes on roots. The cotyledons are simple, entire and have a blunt tip. The leaves are usually stalked, rarely sessile. The leaves are simple to deeply lobed, usually with teeth along the margin. The lower leaf side often bears small nectar-producing glands.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Coccinia” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.