Cucurbitaceae FAMILY
Cucumis hirsutus
Cucumis hirsutus
Edibility
2/5
Medicinal
2/5
Safety & Hazards
The plant is considered to be poisonous in S. Africa.
Botanical Description
Cucumis hirsutus is a herbaceous, perennial plant producing stems up to 2.5 metres long that become thickened and woody at their base. These stems scramble over the ground, climbing into the surrounding vegetation and supporting themselves by means of tendrils. The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine.
Habitat & Origin
Origintropical
Native RangeAfrica - Cameroon, Sudan, Kenya, south to Angola, Zambia, Botswana, S. Africa, Mozambique and Madagascar.
HabitatWoodland, wooded grassland and grassland, and as a weed on formerly cultivated ground, at elevations up to 2,500 metres[ 299 Title Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Publication Author Website http://www.prota.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa. ].