Cucurbitaceae FAMILY
Cucumis hirsutus
Cucumis hirsutus
Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5
Safety & Hazards
The plant is considered to be poisonous in S. Africa.
Cultivation Details
HabitPerennial Climber
Growth—
Often found in sandy soils in the wild[1]. Prefers a well-drained soil[2]. This species does not hybridize with other members of the genus[3]. A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[3].
Propagation
Seed - Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Cucumis+hirsutus>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]Flora of Tropical Africa Vol 1 - 8 — Var · L.Reeve & Co.; Ashford, Kent. · 1868 - 1917 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Very little information on habitat, range and uses, but gives good descriptions of the plants. It can be downloaded from the internet.
- [2]Bihrmann's Caudiciforms — http://www.bihrmann.com/caudiciforms/ ↩︎An internet site giving information on caudiciform plants (plants with swollen stem bases such as the Baobab tree, cycads and many succulents). Excellent photos, usually of cultivated plants in pots.
- [3]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
- [4]Useful Plants of Nyasaland — Williamson J. · The Government Printer, Zomba, Nyasaland. · 1955 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎Brief details of the uses of almost 500 species of plants.