Botanical Name - Trichosanthes bracteata (Lam.) Voigt


Group:

1 Angiosperms (Flowering Plants) - I - Dicotyledons

Family:

Cucurbitaceae

Genus:

Trichosanthes

Common sinhala name:

Maha Gon Kekiri

Habit:

Creepr

Origin:

Native

National conservation status:

LC-Least Concern

Legal status:

Not protected

Similar species:

All vernacular names:

Titta-hondala, Kaka Honda, Kaputu Hondala

Trichosanthes bracteata (Lam.) Voigt

Contributors for Images:

FlowerSL (ID-PMR), Aruna Yasapalitha (ID-PMR), Jecob de Vlas (ID-JdV) - IDA 100%

Sturdy, woody, dioecious climber up to 8 m or more; stems channelled, glabrous to scabrid. Leaves (4—)8—15 x (4—)5.5—14 cm, generally thick, long- petiolate; lamina broadly ovate to subcircular in outline, cordate at base, variously somewhat shallowly to deeply 5(—7)- palmately-lobed, lobes acute, broadly ovate to narrowly linear-oblong, subentire to denticulate, serrate or somewhat incised with subsidiary lobing, glabrous, usually verrucose on both surfaces, major veins scabrid beneath; petiole 1.5—6 cm long, glabrous to scabrid. Flowers white, pinkish-white to pink. Male flowers bracteate, race- mose; racemes up to 25 cm or more long, often with up to 2/3 of rhachis naked below; bracts 2—3 x 1 .5 cm, broadly ovate, fimbriate to sublaciniate, glabrous or finely pubescent with few small, flat glands on surface; calyx-tube up to 4 cm long, lobes up to 1 cm long, acute, laciniate, spreading; petals c. 2 cm longer than calyx. Female flowers shortly stalked; calyx tube c. 3 cm long, complete flower not seen. Fruit c, 7 cm diameter, globose, with thick yellow pericarp. glabrous, smooth, green when young, ripening brilliant red. Seeds c. 125 cm long, compressed, grey, surrounded in bottle-green pulp. (FOC)
Zehneria umbellata


ECERO, 93/A/18
2nd Lane, Bandaranayakepura, Idigolla, Gampaha.

(033) 222 8823,

071 914 3228

floraofsrilankapmr@gmail.com