''Telfairia'' is a small genus of flowering plants in the squash family which are native to Africa. They include ''

Telfairia occidentalis ''Telfairia occidentalis'' is a tropical vine grown in West Africa as a leaf vegetable and for its edible seeds. Common names for the plant include fluted gourd, fluted pumpkin, ugu (in the Igbo language), "Eweroko" (in the Yoruba language),okwu ...

'', the fluted pumpkin, which is an important vegetable in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

and other African nations. It is also known as the oyster nut, a common name it shares with its relative '' Telfairia pedata''. These are woody and herbaceous

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 ...

vine A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...

s which bear squashlike fruits that contain large, nutritious oily seeds. The third species is '' Telfairia batesii'' which is very rare and not cultivated. These vines grow quickly to lengths of 30 meters or more, using

tendril In botany, a tendril is a specialized Plant stem, stem, leaf or Petiole (botany), petiole with a thread-like shape used by climbing plants for support and attachment, as well as cellular invasion by parasitic plants such as ''Cuscuta''. There ar ...

s to scale trees. ''T. pedata'' is grown as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

for its attractive foliage. The seeds of ''T. occidentalis'' and ''T. pedata'' are over 25% protein and 55% oil, making them a good source of nutrition. They are used as a traditional food source for nursing mothers; the seed flour is fermented to make

baby food Baby food is any soft, easily consumed Human food, food other than breastmilk or infant formula that is made specifically for human babies between six months and two years old. The food comes in many varieties and flavors that are purchased ready ...

; and the leaves and shoots, especially of ''T. occidentalis'', are eaten as vegetables.Ajayi, S. A., et al
Conservation status of ''Telfairia'' spp. in sub-Saharan Africa
bioversityinternational.org One recent concern has been the impact of telfairia mosaic virus, which, along with other problems, is a threat to the already low genetic diversity of plants of this genus. Species: *'' Telfairia batesii'' *''

'' - fluted pumpkin, oyster nut *'' Telfairia pedata'' ( syn. ''T. africana'', ''Fevillea pedata'', ''Joliffia africana'') - oyster nut, queen's nut, Zanzibar oil vine The genus was named for Irish naturalist Charles Telfair (1778–1833).

References

External links

Aluka Genus Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q145005 Cucurbitoideae Cucurbitaceae genera Dioecious plants