''Solena amplexicaulis'', commonly known as the creeping cucumber, is a species of

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

in the family Cucurbitaceae, native to tropical southern Asia. The fruits, leaves, roots and shoots have use as food and in traditional medicine.

Description

''Solena amplexicaulis'' is a perennial climbing plant with thick, tuberous roots. The branched stem is hairless and bears slender curling tendrils and alternate leaves with slender stalks up to long. The leaf blades are leathery, ovate to oblong with heart-shaped bases and pointed tips. They are up to long and wide, with entire or bluntly-toothed margins and either bristly or smooth upper and lower surfaces. Plants are

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

, with male and female flowers appearing on separate plants. The flowers are borne in the leaf axils; the male flowers are small and grow in short-stalked umbels of ten to twenty flowers, each with a tubular calyx from which the triangular petal tips protrude. They are creamy yellow. The female flowers are rather larger and usually solitary, with three stigmas and ovoid inferior ovaries. The fruits grow up to long and turn reddish-brown as they ripen. The seeds are greyish-white and obovate or round.

Distribution and habitat

''Solena amplexicaulis'' is found in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia, Vietnam and China at altitudes of up to . It grows in a range of habitats including tropical mixed forests, thickets, hilly areas, semi-cultivated areas and roadside verges.

Uses

In India, the fruits of ''Solena amplexicaulis'' are picked when not yet ripe for use in salads and in curries, and the shoots, leaves and tubers are also eaten in some parts of the country. In

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...

, the fruits and roots are consumed to assist in the digestion of

bushmeat Bushmeat is meat from wildlife species that are hunted for human consumption, most often referring to the meat of game in Africa. Bushmeat represents a primary source of animal protein and a cash-earning commodity for inhabitants of humid tropi ...

. Creeping cucumber can be gathered from the wild or can be cultivated as a field crop and given suitable supports over which to climb. In

traditional medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

, the tuberous roots of ''Solena amplexicaulis'' are used to treat anorexia, digestive problems, flatulence, asthma, gonorrhoea and spermatorrhoea, and

extract An extract is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol, oil or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures, absolutes or in powder form. The aromatic principles of many spices, nuts, h ...

s of the leaves are widely used to treat inflammation. Additionally, an ethanol extract of the tuberous roots demonstrates antioxidant, antimicrobial and analgesic properties, but is moderately toxic.

Gallery

Solena amplexicaulis 22.JPG Solena amplexicaulis 02.JPG Solena amplexicaulis 30.JPG Solena amplexicaulis 22.JPG Solena amplexicaulis 21.JPG

References

{{Taxonbar Cucurbitaceae Dioecious plants