Coccinia abyssinica (Lam.) Cogn. in A.DC. & C.DC., Monogr. Phan. 3: 536. 1881.

Holstein, Norbert, 2015, Monograph of Coccinia (Cucurbitaceae), PhytoKeys 54, pp. 1-166 : 52-55

1. Coccinia abyssinica (Lam.) Cogn. in A.DC. & C.DC., Monogr. Phan. 3: 536. 1881.

Bryonia abyssinica Lam., Encycl. 1(2): 497. 1785.

Coccinia abyssinica Type: Cultivated. Unknown, from seeds sent by Bruce ( Jeffrey 1962) from Ethiopia, cultivated in Paris Royal Botanical Garden, male, fl, Anon. in herb. J.-B. Lamarck s.n. (Holotype: P-LAM! [P00307815, digital image: P-LAM]).

Bryonia macrophylla Ser. in DC., Prodr. 3: 308. 1828.

Coccinia abyssinica Type: without location [probably Ethiopia]. Male and female, fl, 1815, Anon. in coll. [E.]Thibaud s.n. (Holotype: G-DC!).

Cucumis striatus A.Rich., Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 295. 1847.

Coccinia abyssinica Type: Ethiopia. [Tigray]: Mt Sholada near Adwa, fr, [Aug], R. Quartin-Dillon s.n. (Lectotype, designated here: P! [from “Sholada”]).

Coccinia abyssinica Type: Ethiopia. [Tigray]: [Mt] Selleuda [Mt Sholada near Adwa], fr, R. Quartin-Dillon s.n. (Syntype: P! [P05621224, digital image: P]).

Cucurbita exanthematica Fenzl ex A.Rich., Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 296. 1847.

Coccinia abyssinica Type: Ethiopia. Without detailed location, female, fl, G.H.W. Schimper 1418 (Lectotype, designated here: W! [digital image: WU]; isolectotypes: BM!, G!, P! [P05621261, digital image: P], TUB! [TUB004727], non TUB-004726!).

Coccinia diversifolia Naudin ex C.Huber, Cat. Print. 1864: 6. 1864. Cephalandra diversifolia (Naudin ex C.Huber) Naudin, Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. ser. 5, 5: 19. 1866.

Coccinia abyssinica Type: Cultivated. From seeds sent by Schimper from Ethiopia, cultivated in Paris Botanical Garden and Huber’s Garden in Olbia [ Hyères, France], C.V. Naudin s.n. (Lectotype, designated by Jeffrey (1962: 347): P! [P06745719, digital image: P]; isolectotypes: P [P06745720, digital image: P], G-DC (2)!, K).

Coccinia diversifolia var. glabrescens Cogn. in A.DC. & C.DC., Monogr. Phan. 3: 537. 1881.

Coccinia abyssinica Type: Ethiopia. Chaqou-Choada, 2000 m, in thicket, male, fl, 21 Jul 1852, G.H.W. Schimper 250 (Lectotype, designated here: P! [sheet with descriptive text]; isolectotypes: P (2)!).

Description.

Perennial climber. Stems up to 5 m, covered with more or less dense, articulate, dirty-white to yellowish trichomes, rarely glabrous. Petioles 1.5-14 cm, at least on nerves more or less densely covered with articulate trichomes, rarely glabrous. Leaves 7.5-12 × 6.5-12 cm, often cordate to profoundly 3- or 5-lobate. If lobate then central lobe dominating, over-all shape rather (long) cordate (Fig. 4a). Lobes triangulate, ovate to elliptical. Margin more or less densely serrate, dentate. Teeth rarely (if so then small) pale brownish colored in living state or blackish when dried. Leaf apex acute, or if leaf lobate then central lobe acute to long acuminate. Upper leaf surface with clear or whitish pustules, sometimes with some trichomes. Lower leaf surface with soft trichomes articulate appearing when dry or sparsely with stiff narrowly conical trichomes, which can appear warty when short or broken off. Probracts up to 3 mm long. Tendrils simple. Male flowers solitary or in long-pedicelled few-flowered racemes. Pedicel with indumentum as on stem. Common peduncle of raceme 2.5-10 cm, pedicel of flowers in racemes up to 1.5 cm, indumentum as on stem or less dense. Bracts up to 1.7 mm long or missing. Solitary flowers with up to 5 cm long pedicel with trichomes as on stem. Perianth tube more or less densely covered with articulate trichomes. Calyx lobes 2-4 mm, lineal-subulate, upright. Corolla c. 1.4 cm long, yellow to slightly orange, darker on the lobes, lobes up to 5 mm. Filament column white, anther head pale yellowish green, pollen sacs yellow. Female flowers solitary. Pedicel up to 3.5 cm long, indumentum as on stem to glabrous. Style not seen. Stigma shape not seen, yellow. Staminodes not seen. Ovary with long trichomes, often appearing articulate when dry. Hypanthium more or less densely covered with articulate trichomes, calyx lobes and corolla as in males. Fruits 5.5-6 × 3.5-4 cm, short elliptical, glabrous, orange-red sometimes with yellow longitudinal mottling. Seeds 5-6 × 3 × 1.5 mm (L/W/H), slightly asymmetrically obovate, face flat (Fig. 14b).

Phenology.

Flowering time: June-October.

Distribution.

Fig. 20. Ethiopia (Amhara, Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region, Tigray). Elevation 1300-2800 m. On limestone, sandstone, black soil, chromic nitisol ( Mengesha et al. 2012), loam, on deep to shallow soil. Along lake shores among Typha sp., in Podocarpus - Celtis forest (clearings) and degraded forms of these, evergreen shrubs (e.g., Euclea sp.).

Use.

Edibility of fruits is disputed and may differ between wild and cultivated forms (E. Westphal & J.M.C. Westphal-Stevels 1951 and 1953). Tuberous roots boiled for food (T. Ebba 250), young shoots and leaves are eaten when cooked ( Hora 1995). For details see chapter Use, economic potential, and phytochemistry.

Vernacular names.

Dawuro: shushe, ushushe ( Hora 1995); Galinya [Oromo]: anchote ( Getahun 1974b); Kefinya [Kaffa]: ajjo ( Hora 1995); Tigrinya: wouchich (G.H.W. Schimper 1048); Wollamo [Wolleyta]: ušuše (W. Kuls 681). The Kefinya name is not exclusive for Coccinia abyssinica but also used for another crop, Plectranthus edulis (Vatke) Agnew.

Remarks.

The occurrence of monoecy has been reported by W.J.J.O. de Wilde et al. 7805, but the seen specimens contained male flowers only. If both sexes are found on the same individual, this is likely to be a case of leaky dioecy (see also section on Chromosomes and sex determination).

Taxonomic remarks.

The Coccinia abyssinica specimen in the Lamarck herbarium must be the holotype, since there is only one specimen of Coccinia abyssinica in the herbarium of Lamarck in Paris and none in the herbarium of Sonnerat, which he has seen, too. The specimen in the Linnaean herbarium was not annotated with a corresponding name.

Cucurbita exanthematica Fenzl ex A.Rich. is commonly recognized as a synonym of Coccinia grandis with a K.G.T. Kotschy collection as type. However, the label on the Kotschy 308 specimens merely state the species name, the locality, and "frutices scandens" (= climbing on shrubs; W. Greuter - pers. comm.), which cannot be regarded as a diagnostic feature. The label is printed and therefore effectively published but not validly so. Valid publication of that name was effected by Achille Richard (1847), but he chose a different specimen (G.H.W. Schimper 1418), which belongs to Coccinia abyssinica . The Schimper 1418 specimens bear printed labels on which Fenzl designated a variety of his invalid name with the phrase "var. foliis superioribus integris (non lobatis)". The phrase, however, is also not a validation since the species to which this variety is supposed to belong, is not validly published either (Art. 41.3a and b ICN). Naudin (1859) suggested that Eduard Fenzl mixed-up some specimens. He accepted the Kotschy 308 specimen as a synonym of his Coccinia schimperi and recognized the similarity of the Schimper specimen to Lamarck’s Bryonia (Coccinia) abyssinica and Cucumis striatus .

The identity of Cucumis striatus A.Rich. is not obvious. There are two original specimens with this name in P herbarium: one from Selleuda (P05621224) and the other one from Sholada, both names for the same mountain near the city of Adwa. The P05621224 specimen consists of a ripe fruit, a drawing of the fruit, and a tiny fragment of a leaf. Cogniaux identified this specimen as Coccinia adoensis . However, the fruit is ovoid, which would be unusual for that species in which fruits are long ovoid to short cylindrical and often have a sterile apex ( “beak”). Since there are no seeds, which would help to clear this problem up easily, the fruit shape is the only usable character. The leaf fragment might be Coccinia adoensis but it is too small to be certain, and it is loose so it might also be debris from another specimen. The other original specimen (with a number “26” from “Sholada”) contains much leaf material and fruits. The fruits are darker than in the first type specimen. The indumentum of the lower leaf lamina matches certain Coccinia abyssinica collections, as does the leaf shape (cf. G. Negri 703, G.H.W. Schimper 250) although they are not very typical. This specimen is not close to Coccinia adoensis , therefore the present author chose it to be the lectotype and to synonymize the name Cucumis striatus with Coccinia abyssinica .

Specimens examined.

(Selection, in total: 57) Ethiopia. Amhara: Sanka-Berr [vicinity of Reb river] and Begemder [highland], G.H.W. Schimper 1446 (E [E00303229], S [S08-12052], S [S08-12057], W, Z (3)). Oromia: 32 km from Addis Abeba on road to Debre Zeit [Debre Zeyit], E. Westphal & J.M.C. Westphal-Stevels 1951 (BR [BR0000008914613], EA, MO, PRE, WAG [WAG0225550], WAG [WAG0225551], WAG [WAG0225552]) & 1953 (MO, WAG [WAG0225546], WAG [WAG0225547]). SNNPR: Bonga, near Roman Catholic Mission, W.J.J.O. de Wilde & B.E.E. de Wilde-Duyfjes 7805 (MO, WAG [WAG0225537], WAG [WAG0225538], WAG [WAG0225539]). Tigray: 18 km along road from Adu Abun to Axum, 14°09'N, 38°49'E, J.J.F.E. de Wilde 7059 (M, WAG [WAG0225544], WAG [WAG0225545]).