Cucurbitaceae
Kedrostis

Kedrostis foetidissima (Jacq.) Cogn.

First published in A.L.P.P.de Candolle & A.C.P.de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 3: 634 (1881)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical & S. Africa, SW. Arabian Peninsula. It is a climbing tuberous geophyte and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Cucurbitaceae, C. Jeffrey. Flora Zambesiaca 4. 1978

Morphology General Habit
Rather viscid tuberous-rooted herb, foetid when crushed.
Morphology Stem
Stems to 3 m., prostrate or scandent, rather densely crispate-setulose, glandular, when old developing a thin pallid bark.
Vegetative Multiplication Tubers
Tuber napiform, with rugose bark.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-lamina 1·6–9 × 1·6–10·2 cm., narrowly to broadly ovate in outline, cordate or subhastate, obscurely sinuate-denticulate to almost entire, rather thin, bright green, rather sparsely to densely shortly finely hispid above and beneath, unlobed or incipiently to moderately deeply palmately 3–5-lobed, central lobe much the largest, ovate to triangular, obtuse to rounded, shortly acuminate, apiculate; petiole 0·4–5·2 cm. long, hispid, glandular.
Morphology General Tendrils
Tendrils simple.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers monoecious, male and female usually co-axillary. Female flowers solitary; pedicels 1–3·5 mm. long; ovary 2·5–4 × 0·7–1·5 mm., ellipsoid, rostrate, densely finely pilose; receptacle-tube 1·3–2 mm. long; lobes 0·8–1·2 mm. long, triangular-lanceolate to lanceolate-subulate, acute; petals 1·5–3 mm. long. male flowers 3–15 in small axillary fascicles or racemes, rarely solitary; peduncles 4·5–30 mm. long, slender; pedicels 3–14 mm. long. Receptacle-tube 1·5–3·5 mm. long; lobes 0·8–2·5 mm. long, lanceolate-subulate. Petals 2–5 mm. long, cream, yellow or greenish-yellow.
sex Male
male flowers 3–15 in small axillary fascicles or racemes, rarely solitary; peduncles 4·5–30 mm. long, slender; pedicels 3–14 mm. long. Receptacle-tube 1·5–3·5 mm. long; lobes 0·8–2·5 mm. long, lanceolate-subulate. Petals 2–5 mm. long, cream, yellow or greenish-yellow.
sex Female
Female flowers solitary; pedicels 1–3·5 mm. long; ovary 2·5–4 × 0·7–1·5 mm., ellipsoid, rostrate, densely finely pilose; receptacle-tube 1·3–2 mm. long; lobes 0·8–1·2 mm. long, triangular-lanceolate to lanceolate-subulate, acute; petals 1·5–3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 9–13 × 5–7 mm., ovoid to subglobose, rostrate or erostrate, finely pilose, pale green with darker longitudinal lines becoming orange then red when ripe, indehiscent; pedicel 1·5–9 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 4·3–5·1 × 2·8–3·7 × 2–2·2 mm., asymmetrically ovate in outline, smooth, dark-coloured, bordered, rounded at the base, compressed and shortly 2-lobed at the apex.
[FZ]

Cucurbitaceae, C. Jeffrey. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1967

Morphology General Habit
Glabrous to densely often glandular-hairy perennial herb climbing or trailing to 2 m., all parts giving out an offensive odour when crushed; stem becoming thickened at the base when older, arising from a tuberous root-stock.
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blade sagittate, hastate, deltoid, orbicular-cordate, ovate-cordate or pentagonal in outline, ± scabrid, hairy (sometimes densely so, especially beneath), 19–93 mm. long, 13–92 mm. broad, unlobed or palmately 3(–5)-lobed; lobes subtriangular, not or rarely narrowed below; petiole 5–50 mm. long.
Morphology General Tendrils
Tendrils simple.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Monoecious. Female flowers solitary or paired on 2–5 mm. long stalks, sometimes coaxillary with ♂; ovary beaked, 7–9 mm. long, 2.5–3 mm. across, densely glandular-hairy; receptacle-tube campanulate, simply hairy or glandular-hairy, ± 2 mm. long; lobes subulate, 1–2 mm. long; petals ± 4–5 mm. long and 2 mm. broad. Male flowers 4–11 (rarely fewer) in rather lax fascicles; peduncle filiform, 2–25 mm. long; pedicels filiform, 2–10 mm. long; receptacle-tube campanulate, simply hairy or glandular-hairy, ± 2 mm. long; lobes filiform, 1–2 mm. long; petals yellow, 3.5–4 mm. long, 1.5–2 mm. broad; stamens 3; connectives produced dorsally upwards.
sex Male
Male flowers 4–11 (rarely fewer) in rather lax fascicles; peduncle filiform, 2–25 mm. long; pedicels filiform, 2–10 mm. long; receptacle-tube campanulate, simply hairy or glandular-hairy, ± 2 mm. long; lobes filiform, 1–2 mm. long; petals yellow, 3.5–4 mm. long, 1.5–2 mm. broad; stamens 3; connectives produced dorsally upwards.
sex Female
Female flowers solitary or paired on 2–5 mm. long stalks, sometimes coaxillary with ♂; ovary beaked, 7–9 mm. long, 2.5–3 mm. across, densely glandular-hairy; receptacle-tube campanulate, simply hairy or glandular-hairy, ± 2 mm. long; lobes subulate, 1–2 mm. long; petals ± 4–5 mm. long and 2 mm. broad.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruits on 1–14 mm. long stalks, pyriform, usually ± (often long-) beaked, hairy, scarlet, fleshy, 9–27 mm. long, 6–13 mm. across.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds (fig. 23/11, p. 132) pyriform, subcompressed and narrower at the apex, inflated below, smooth, when fresh with a narrow gelatinous marginal wing, 4–6 × 2–4 × 1.5–2 mm.
Habitat
Rain-forest margins, deciduous and semi-evergreen woodland and bushland, wooded grassland; 0–1830 m.
Distribution
tropical Africa and South Africa, tropical Asia through India to Burma K1 K2 K4 K6 K7 T1 T2 T3 T4 U1 U2 U3 U4
[FTEA]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Scandent or trailing herb to 3 m, glandular-pubescent, foetid when crushed
Morphology Leaves
Leaf-blade ovate-oblong, ovate or broadly ovate, cordate to subhastate, ± sinuate-dentate, finely hispid, 1.6–9 x 1.3–10 cm, unlobed to moderately deeply palmately 3–5-lobed; petiole 0.5–5 cm long, pubescent
Morphology General Tendrils
Tendrils simple
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Male flowers 3–15 in small fascicles or racemes Monoecious
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicels and Peduncles
Peduncles and pedicels slender; pedicels 2–14 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Hypanthium
Hypanthium campanulate, 2–2.5 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals small, tooth-like
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals pale yellow, 2.5–4 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flowers solitary, shortly pedicellate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary ellipsoid, rostrate, glandular-pubescent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit green with darker longitudinal lines, red when ripe, 0.7–2 x 0.6–1 cm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Pedicel
Pedicel 1–6 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds asymmetrically ovate in outline, brownish, smooth, bordered, compressed at the apex, 4–6 mm long.
Distribution
N1; S1–3 tropical Africa, Yemen, India and Myanmar
Ecology
Altitude range 35–230 m.
[FSOM]

Cucurbitaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:1. 1954

Morphology General Habit
A climber, up to 8 ft. high
Note
An unpleasant smell
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers small, yellowish
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit scarlet or crimson when ripe.
[FWTA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Common Names

English
Monkey pepper

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Plants and People Africa

    • Common Names from Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com/
    • © Plants and People Africa http://www.plantsandpeopleafrica.com http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/