Melothria sphaerocarpa

Melothria sphaerocarpa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Melothria
Species:
M. sphaerocarpa
Binomial name
Melothria sphaerocarpa
(Cogn.) H.Schaef. & S.S.Renner
Synonyms[1]
  • Cladosicyos edulis Hook.f.
  • Corynosicyos edulis (Hook.f.) F.Muell.
  • Cucumeropsis edulis (Hook.f.) Cogn.
  • Cucumeropsis mackennii K.Koch
  • Cucumeropsis mannii Naudin
  • Cucurbitella ecuadorensis Cogn.
  • Momordica procera A.Chev.
  • Posadaea sphaerocarpa Cogn.

Melothria sphaerocarpa is a species of melon native from southern Mexico and the Dominican Republic through Central America to tropical South America. It has been introduced to western tropical Africa,[1] where has been known under the synonym Cucumeropsis mannii, and is grown for food and as a source of oil, more often for the seed oil than for the fruit.[2]

Its common names include egusi in Yoruba, 'egwusi in Igbo and agushi in Hausa. Vernacular names for this crop include egusi-itoo. In English it is known as Mann's cucumeropsis and white-seed melon.[3]

  1. ^ a b "Melothria sphaerocarpa (Cogn.) H.Schaef. & S.S.Renner". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Schaefer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ ["Prota 2: Vegetables/Légumes Record". Archived from the original on 2013-12-12. Retrieved 2013-12-06. Egunjobi, J.K. & Adebisi, A.A. (2004). "Cucumeropsis mannii Naudin". Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (Ed). PROTA 2: Vegetables/Légumes. CD-Rom. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands