Telfairia occidentalis Hooker (1871: 524)

Umoh, Omodot Timothy & Bassey, Margaret Emmanuel, 2021, Morphology and distribution of species of the family Cucurbitaceae in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, Phytotaxa 508 (2), pp. 107-128 : 122

10. Telfairia occidentalis Hooker (1871: 524) ( Fig. 12 )

Local Name: —Nkong Ubong (Annang), Ikong (Ibibio).

Common Name: —Fluted pumpkin.

Habitat: —Cultivated farmland.

Description: —Herb, perennial, trailing and climbing by means of tendrils. Stem herbaceous, angular glabrous, 0.9–2.0 cm diam.; tendrils 2-fid, spirally coiled above fork. Leaves compound with 3–5 leaflets palmately arranged on leaf stalk, petiolate; leaflets shortly stalked, elliptic or ovate, serrate, young leaflets glabrous, scabrid when older, 6–29 × 4–12 cm, deep green; petiole hollow, herbaceous, 4–8 cm long, 0.2–0.7 cm diam., glabrous. Inflorescence a raceme, 12–15 cm long, bracteate. Flowers pedicellate, pedicel 0.1–0.2 cm long; calyx crenate; corolla lobe ovate, 1–3 cm long, individual petals creamy white with reddish purple eye inside. Fruit pepos, pale green, ± 50–100 × 20–30 cm, with many seeds (30–150) embedded in yellowish pulp. Seed flat, 1.5–2.0 × 3–4 × 2.5–3.0 cm, black.

Location in Akwa Ibom:— Ini, Essien Udim, Oruk Anam, Obot Akara, Ikot Ekpene, Ibiono, Uyo, Ibesikpo Asutan, Nsit Atai, Nsit Ubium, Mkpat Enin, Ikot Abasi, Oron, Mbo, and Eastern Obolo .

Abundance:— It existed in 100% of the sampling areas, and was abundant in 67% and frequent in 33% of the sampling areas.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Telfairia occidentalis. A. Fruiting plant in habitat. B. Morphological features showing (A) Leaf. (B) Fruit. (C) Tendrils. (D) Flower section. (E) Seed.