Cucumis pustulatus

Naud. ex Hook. f.

Cucurbitaceae Edible: Fruit 2 iNaturalist observations

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Description

A pumpkin family plant. It is a climbing herb. It grows 2 m long. The leaves are broadly oval and 3-10 cm long by 3-8 cm wide. There are teeth around the edge. There are 5 lobes spread like fingers on a hand and they are oval to triangle shaped with the central one being largest. The fruit is narrowly oval to cylinder shaped and 5-7 cm long by 3-5 cm wide. It is green and turns yellow when ripe. The seeds are 6 mm long.

Edible Uses

The fruit is eaten.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It grows between 300-1,600 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Africa, East Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Tanzania,

Synonyms

Cucumis figarei var. ficifolius Naudin

Also Known As

Qalfoon

References (2)

Lulekal, E., et al, 2011, Wild edible plants in Ethiopia: a review on their potential to combat food insecurity. Afrika Focus - Vol. 24, No 2. pp 71-121
Mutie, F. M., et al, 2023, Important Medicinal and Food Taxa (Orders and Families) in Kenya, Based on Three Quantitative Approaches. Plants 2023, 12, 1145