Cucumis sativus Linnaeus (1753: 1012)

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 : 113

3. Cucumis sativus Linnaeus (1753: 1012) ( Fig. 5 )

Local Name: —Okokon (Annang and Ibibio).

Common Name: —Cucumber.

Habitat: —Cultivated farmland.

Description: —Herb, trailing by means of unbranched tendrils; monoecious. Stem herbaceous, pubescent, angular, 0.5–0.7 cm diam.; tendrils unbranched, ± 30–40 cm long. Leaves simple, green, alternately arranged, petiolate, palmate, acuminate, serrate, pubescent adaxially, scabrid abaxially, 4–15 × 2–25 cm; petiole cylindrical, green, ± 5–11 cm long. Inflorescence axillary, pedunculate. Flowers pentamerous, pedicellate, bracteate; sepals light green, pubescent; petals yellow, fused towards base, 2 × 1.8 cm, glabrous on upper surface, pubescent on lower surface; pedicel cylindrical, pubescent, 1.5 cm long. Fruit cylindrical, pubescent when young, turns glabrous with age, 5–28 × 2–6 cm, green, with patches of yellow and white when ripe, many seeded. Seed lanceolate, milky, 0.4 × 0.1 cm.

Location in Akwa Ibom:— Essien Udim, Oruk Anam, Obot Akara, Ikot Ekpene, Ikot Obong, Ibiono, Uyo, and Nsit Atai.

Abundance:— It existed in 47% of the sampling points, where it was frequent in 20% and rare in 27%.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Cucumis sativus. A. Fruiting plant in habitat. B. Morphological features showing (A) Flower section. (B) Tendrils. (C) Leaf. (D) Fruit. (E) Seed.