Zehneria alba

Zehneria alba
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Zehneria
Species:	Z. alba
Binomial name
Zehneria alba Ridl.[1]
Synonyms
Melothria mucronata Cogn. Zehneria mucronata Blume

Zehneria alba is a species of flowering plant in the cucumber and gourd family Cucurbitaceae. It is endemic to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the north-eastern Indian Ocean. The specific epithet is from the Latin albus (white), referring to the colour of the flowers.

Description

Zehneria alba is a dioecious vine with stems growing to 3 m in length. The leaves are broadly ovate, cordate at the base, unlobed to shallowly 3-lobed, dentate, acute to acuminate, and 50–80 mm long. The flowers are small and white; the male inflorescence is paniculate or racemose, 30–150 mm long, with a 10–130 mm long peduncle; the female flowers are solitary or clustered. The fruit is ellipsoidal, 20–30 mm long, with seeds about 4 mm long.^[2]

Distribution and habitat

Found only on Christmas Island, the vine grows there both within the rainforest and along its shrubbed edges.^[2]

Taxonomy

The vine is sometimes considered to be conspecific with Zehneria mucronata Blume.^[2]

References