Citrullus ecirrhosus

Citrullus ecirrhosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Citrullus
Species:	C. ecirrhosus
Binomial name
	Citrullus ecirrhosus; Cogniaux 1888
Synonyms[1]
	Colocynthis ecirrhosus (Cogn.) Chakrav.;

Citrullus ecirrhosus, commonly known as Namib tsamma, is a species of perennial desert vine in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, and a relative of the widely consumed watermelon (Citrullus lanatus). It can be found in both Namibia and South Africa, in particular the Namib Desert. It is the sister species to the bitter melon, Citrullus amarus with which it shares hard, white and bitter flesh.[2]

The vines can crawl for up to two meters, and it has yellow flowers. As a desert plant, it is a hardy species, surviving with little water and strong sunlight. The leaves form annual stems which die back each year. The plant relies on water deep in the ground and morning fogs. It is an important source of water for numerous desert fauna. The bitter-tasting fruit it produces are known as tsamma melons.

Tsamma melons in the Namib desert

References

"The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 8 October 2014.
Chomicki, G., and S. S. Renner (2015). "Watermelon origin solved with molecular phylogenetics including Linnaean material: another example of museomics". New Phytologist. 205 (2): 526–532. doi:10.1111/nph.13163. PMID 25358433.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)

External links

Bihrmann's caudiciforms

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 8 October 2014.

[2] Chomicki, G., and S. S. Renner (2015). "Watermelon origin solved with molecular phylogenetics including Linnaean material: another example of museomics". New Phytologist. 205 (2): 526–532. doi:10.1111/nph.13163. PMID 25358433.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)