''Zehneria'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s – of

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 in the cucumber and gourd

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Cucurbitaceae The Cucurbitaceae (), also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family (biology), family consisting of about 965 species in 101 genera.

. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

to Australia and

Oceania Oceania ( , ) is a region, geographical region including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its co ...

. The name honours

botanical artist Botanical illustration is the art of depicting the form, color, and details of plant species. They are generally meant to be scientifically descriptive about subjects depicted and are often found printed alongside a botanical description in boo ...

Joseph Zehner.Flora of Australia Online.

Description

''Zehneria'' species are either

monoecious Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system comparable with gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy, and contras ...

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 ...

, annual or perennial, climbing

s. Their

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are simple, dentate and usually palmately lobed.

Inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

s grow on axillary

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, with the

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s normally clustered, occasionally solitary. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

is fleshy, usually globose or ellipsoidal, and

indehiscent Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part. Structures that ...

. The seeds are obovate, compressed and smooth.

Selected species

* '' Zehneria alba'' Ridl. * ''

Zehneria baueriana ''Zehneria baueriana'', commonly known as the native cucumber or giant cucumber, is a species of flowering plant – a vine in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It is found on Norfolk Island, an Australian territory in the Tasman Sea, ...

'' Endl. * ''

Zehneria bodinieri ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jose ...

'' (H. Lév.) W. J. de Wilde & Duyfjes * ''

Zehneria brevirostris ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jose ...

'' W. J. de Wilde & Duyfjes * ''

Zehneria capillacea ''Zehneria capillacea'' is a herbaceous climbing herb of the Cucurbitaceae family native to many countries in West and Central Africa. Description The plant is a slender climbing herb that can grow up to . The leaf outline is triangular with a ...

'' (Schumacher & Thonning) Jeffrey * ''

Zehneria cunninghamii ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jose ...

'' F.Muell. * ''

Zehneria ejecta ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jose ...

'' F. M. Bailey * ''

Zehneria hermaphrodita ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jose ...

'' W. J. de Wilde & Duyfjes * ''

Zehneria indica ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jose ...

'' (Lour.) Keraudren * ''

Zehneria japonica ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jose ...

'' (Thunb.) H. Y. Liu * ''

Zehneria marginata ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jose ...

'' (Blume) Keraudren * ''

Zehneria marlothii ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family (biology), family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours Botan ...

'' (Cogn.) R. Fern. & A. Fern. * ''

Zehneria maysorensis ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jose ...

'' Wight. & Arn. * '' Zehneria microsperma'' Hook. f. * '' Zehneria minutiflora'' (Cogn.) C. Jeffrey * '' Zehneria mucronata'' (Blume) Miq. * '' Zehneria repanda'' (Blume) Simmons * ''

Zehneria scabra ''Zehneria scabra'' is a perennial climbing or trailing herb that belong to the family Cucurbitaceae. Morphology The herb can climb up to long. The older parts of the stems are woody with corky-ridged bark. Its leaves are triangular to ovate i ...

'' (L.f.) Sond. * '' Zehneria scabrella'' F. Muell. * '' Zehneria sphaerosperma'' W. J. de Wilde & Duyfjes * ''

Zehneria tenuispica ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jose ...

'' W. J. de Wilde & Duyfjes * '' Zehneria thwaitesii'' (Schweinf.) C. Jeffrey * '' Zehneria wallichii'' (C. B. Clarke) C. Jeffrey

Gallery

File:TimunTikus.jpg, Zehneria grown in

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

File:BuahTimunTikus.jpg, Close-up of a Zehneria fruit File:TimunTikusTua.jpg, Matured Zehneria is black in color

References

Notes

Sources

* * * Cucurbitaceae genera Benincaseae {{Cucurbitales-stub