''Coccinia pwaniensis'' is an East African species of ''

Coccinia The scarlet gourds are a genus (''Coccinia'' from the Greek, ''kokkinia'' or ''kokkinias'' - "red" or "scarlet") with 25 species. It is distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and with one species, Coccinia grandis, ''C. grandis'' also in South Asia a ...

'' that was first described in 2010.

Description

Perennial,

dioecious Dioecy ( ; ; adj. dioecious, ) is a characteristic of certain species that have distinct unisexual individuals, each producing either male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproduction is ...

climber. Shoot length up to 3 m. Young shoots are glabrous and green and later make a grey to reddish-grey bark. Leaves are alternate with 0.6 to 4.1 cm long petiole, lamina 2–10 × 2.7–11.4 cm, shallowly to profoundly 3-lobate (rarely 5-lobate). Upper lamina glabrous with clear to whitish pustules. Lower lamina and petiole with sparse hairs that appear wart-like when broken off. Tendrils simple. Probracts 2–3 mm long. Flowers in male plants in long many-flowered

raceme A raceme () or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate growth, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are ...

s, in female plants solitary. Calyx with 5 very acute ("subulate"), 2.5–3.5 mm long lobes. Corolla 1.7–2.6 cm long, pale yellowish-orange.

Stamen The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s in male flowers 3, combined to a single column.

Anther The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

s sinuate, in a globose head. Fruits short cylindrical, 6.2–8.0 cm long and 1.8–2.3 cm in diameter. Seeds 6.5–7.0 × 4.0–4.5 × ca. 1.5 mm (L/W/H), symmetrically obovate, face lenticular.

Distribution

''Coccinia pwaniensis'' occurs along the margins of northern East African coastal forests in SE

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, E and NE

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

Etymology

The epithet is derived from the

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

word for "coast", referring to the distribution of the species.

Hybridization

The species is known to produce sterile hybrids with ''

Coccinia grandis ''Coccinia grandis'', the ivy gourd, also known as scarlet gourd, is a tropical vine. It grows primarily in tropical climates and is commonly found in the Indian states where it forms a part of the local cuisine. ''Coccinia grandis'' is cooked ...

'' in the wild.

References

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q21249918 pwaniensis