Coccinia trilobata (Cogn.) C.Jeffrey, Kew Bull. 15: 349. 1962.

Holstein, Norbert, 2015, Monograph of Coccinia (Cucurbitaceae), PhytoKeys 54, pp. 1-166 : 121

25. Coccinia trilobata (Cogn.) C.Jeffrey, Kew Bull. 15: 349. 1962.

Peponia parviflora var. trilobata Cogn., Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 21: 210. 1895. Peponia trilobata (Cogn.) Engl., Pflanzenw. Ost-Afr. C: 399. 1895, nom. illeg. [ Peponia is a diatom genus]. Peponium trilobatum (Cogn.) Engl., Engl. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam., Nachtr.: 318. 1897.

Coccinia trilobata Type: Tanzania. Kilimanjaro: Mkuu [c. 3°10'S, 37°36'E], 1500 m, in hedges, fl, fr, Mar 1894, G. Volkens 1956 (Holotype: B, destroyed; lectotype acc. to sheet, but not published, so designated here: BR! [BR0000008887160, digital image: BR, JPS]; isolectotype: BR!).

Coccinia kilimandjarica Cogn. ex Harms in Fries, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 8: 489. 1923.

Coccinia trilobata Type: Tanzania. Kilimanjaro: Kibohöhe [farm at c. 3°15'50"S, 37°12'0"E], 1100-1200 m, fl, R. Endlich 52a (Holotype; B, destroyed; lectotype, designated here: M! [M0105772, “1122”, digital image: JPS], isolectotype: H!).

Coccinia kilimandjarica var. subintegrifolia Cogn. ex Harms in Fries, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 8: 490. 1923.

Coccinia trilobata Type: Tanzania. Kilimanjaro: Kibohöhe, 1100-1200 m, fl, R. Endlich 52 (Holotype: B, destroyed; lectotype, designated here: M! [M0105773, “1121”, digital image: JPS], isolectotype: H!).

Description.

Perennial climber. Stems up to 3 m, with soft, whitish trichomes, at least along nerves. Petiole 1.5-16.5 cm, with whitish trichomes (Fig. 8b). Leaves 2.6-14.5 × 3.2-18 cm, cordate, 5-angulate to 5-lobate, sometimes lobulate. Margin denticulate. Apex at least of central lobe acute, often acuminate. Upper leaf surface with hyaline to white pustules and usually with white trichomes. Lower leaf surface more or less covered with soft trichomes, denser on nerves. Probracts up to 1.5 mm or missing. Tendrils simple. Male flowers solitary or in short few-flowered racemes. Common peduncle up to 1.7 cm long, pedicel in raceme up to 3.2 cm, each glabrous or with short trichomes. Bracts up to 1 mm. Pedicel in solitary flowers 0.7-4.7 cm, indumentum as in racemes. Perianth tube with articulate trichomes. Calyx lobes 2-5 mm long, lineal, erect to reflexed. Corolla 0.7-2.2 cm, orange-yellow to reddish-orange, deeper colored on the inner side of the lobes, outside with green venation, lobes 0.7-1.3 cm. Filament column pale yellowish green, anther head a bit darker than filament column. Pollen sacs yellow. Female flowers 1(-2) solitary, pedicel 0.5-4 cm, glabrous or sparsely covered with short trichomes. Hypanthium with articulate trichomes, calyx lobes and corolla like in males. Ovary with trichomes, becoming glabrous towards fruit ripening. Style and stigmas not seen. Fruits ovoid to oblong, 4-4.7(-9) × 2 cm, unripe green with white longitudinal stripes that develop a dark green corona during ripening, ripe fruits orange-red. Seeds 6.5-7 × 2.5-3.5 × 1.5 mm (L/W/H), more or less asymmetrically obovate, face flat (Fig. 14c).

Phenology.

Flowering time: January, May-July, October-December.

Distribution.

Fig. 33. Tanzania (Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Tanga), Kenya (Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi, southern Rift Valley Province). Elevation 1100-2100 m. Red soil, black soil. Open forest, savannas, evergreen bushland, shrubland, grassland.

Use.

Leaves eaten as vegetable (Coilly? 24, F. Msajiri 19).

Vernacular names.

Dholuo: angwe (G.R. Williams 307), Kinandi: notondwe (G.R. Williams 307), Meru: katakeru (Coilly? 24), Kikuyu: kigerema (P. Njogu EA13835), Kipare: itotwe (W.J. Kindeketa 648).

Remarks.

The fruits are reported to be poisonous (G.R. Williams 307).

There are some collections that have a mixed (not intermediate) phenotype with Coccinia microphylla : the calyx lobes are unusually long (up to 7 mm), which is a strong argument for Coccinia trilobata , but the indumentum matches Coccinia microphylla . These morphs do not occur in single location but are found in the Ndoto Mts (O. Kerfoot 2644), in Koboko (P. Kirika et al. 002/020/2011), and around Voi (M. Hucks 579, B. Verdcourt 3888, R. Polhill & S. Paulo 962). Whether these are hybrids (F2 or later) or just a variation is not known. These collections look also quite like Coccinia megarrhiza , which occurs in northern Kenya and Ethiopia, however, the indumentum does not match either. A clarification where these collections belong to would require sequence data and a better understanding of the plastid and nuclear haplotypes in the three species, which is not available so far.

The collections in the Usambara Mts are often quite glabrous or the trichomes are minute and thus easy to mix up with Coccinia microphylla .

Specimens examined.

(Selection, in total: 63) Kenya. Central Province: South Nyeri district, S of road (D450), c. 4 km E of Nairobi-Nanyuki road, 3 km N of Kiganjo, S.S. Hooper & C.C. Townsend 1697 (K [K000353353]). Eastern Province: Nkunga Crater Lake, P.A. Luke et al. 7256 (EA). Nairobi: Nairobi river Valley, Chiromo, 1°16'30"S, 36°48'E, R.B. Faden & A.J. Faden 74/822 (BR, DSM, EA, MO, WAG [WAG0234201]). Rift Valley Province: Naivasha District [Nakuru district], Ol Longonot Estate, O. Kerfoot 3543 (EA, S [S08-12472]). Tanzania. Arusha: Small Momela Lake, H.M. Richards 20036 (EA (2), K [K000353413]). Kilimanjaro: valley slopes near Alt Moschi [Old Moshi], A. Peter 56453 (B). Tanga: western Usambara Mts, Mombo-Soni road, R.B. Drummond & J.H. Hemsley 3007 (B, EA, K, LISC, S [S08-12484]).