SEPASAL Database
Acanthosicyos naudinianus (Sond.)C.Jeffrey [3]
Cucurbitaceae
SYNONYMS
Citrullus naudinianus (Sond.)Hook.f.
Colocynthis naudinianus (Sond.)Kuntze
Cucumis naudinianus Sond.
VERNACULAR NAMES
!Kung Bushmen (Africa, S.) - cha [1171]; Afrikaans (South Africa)- gemsbok komkommer [1171]; English - wild melon [1171]; English (South Africa) - herero cucumber [187] [1171]; Kwangali (South Africa) - ruputui [1171]; Lozi (Zambia) - lungwatanga [1171]; Thonga (Mozambique) - sirakarana [1171], chirakaraka [1171]; Tswana (Botswana) - mokapana [1171].
DISTRIBUTION
Native - Angola, Mozambique [3], Zambia [3], Zimbabwe [3], Botswana [3], Cape Province, Namibia s.l. [3], Natal [1669], Orange Free State, Transvaal.
DESCRIPTORS
DESCRIPTION
Primary Producer; Terrestrial; Herb; Perennial; Prostrate/Procumbent/Semi-erect; Dioecious [2255]. Thorny/Spiny - unspecified parts.
CLIMATE
Subtropical, Hot and Arid [1613]; Not Frost Tolerant. Annual Rainfall <= 520 mm
SOILS
Saline [1304]; Sandy [3]; Dry.
HABITAT
Woodland [3], Grassland/Forb-Land [3], Wooded Grassland [3]. Altitude 900-1350 m a.s.l. [3]
CHEMICAL ANALYSES
Nutritional Analyses - infructescences [187], seeds [1171], 'roots' [187]; Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - infructescences [187], 'roots' [187], Vitamin B2/Vitamin G (riboflavin) - infructescences [187], 'roots' [187], Vitamin B7/Vit. P-P (nicotinamide, nicotinic acid) - infructescences [187], 'roots' [187], Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) - infructescences [187], 'roots' [187]; Unspecified Carbohydrates - infructescences [187], 'roots' [187], Polysaccharides - 'roots' [1613]; Unspecified Lipids - infructescences [187], 'roots' [187]; Proteins - infructescences [187], seeds [1171], 'roots' [187].
USES
FOOD
- Infructescences (fruits, raw [187]; fruits, potable water [1332] [1507]; fruits [974] [1304] [1332]; epicarp [187]; fruit pulp, potable water [187]; fruit pulp [187])
- Seeds (seed cake, cereal/starch based preparations [1332])
- 'Roots' (tubers/tubercles [1613])
FOOD ADDITIVES
- Seeds (confectionery, flavourings [1171]; dairy/dairy-like preparations, rennet substitutes/milk curdlers [1171])
MATERIALS
- Other Materials/Chemicals (seeds, beads [1304])
VERTEBRATE POISONS
- Mammals (fruits [633])
NOTES
ORIGIN/DOMESTICATION
Wild or semi-cultivated forms used by indigenous peoples [1613]
DESCRIPTION Fruits: Ellipsoid or suglobose, pale yellow when mature, covered with prominent seta-tipped spines, 6-12 x 4-8 cm [3]
Fruits: Mass of 250 g [187]
Roots: Tuberous, to 1 m long [3]
Seeds: 7.5-10 x 4-6 x 2.5-3 mm [3]
Stems: Branching stems often root at nodes and have short, rigid and hooked tendrils
Stems: Prostrate, annual, from crown
FOOD - INFRUCTESCENCES
Epicarp: Roasted and pounded for meal by the Khoisan people [187]
Fruit pulp, potable water: Fruit flesh is 90% water, used by the Khoisan people [187]
Fruit pulp: Green, translucent, jelly-like flesh eaten raw by the Khoisan people but is nearly always roasted by placing fruit in hot ashes near a fire, leaving it there for several hours and turning it over once or twice.
Cooked flesh delicious with a refreshing sweet-sour taste [187]
Fruits, potable water: Used by the indigenous peoples of south-western Africa [1332] [1507]
Fruits: Bitter fruit not eaten in Ovamboland, Namibia, but said to be cooked and eaten by Bushmen [1304]
Fruits: Used by Igwi and Ilgana Bushmen of central Kalahari [974]
FOOD - SEEDS
Seed cake, starch based preparations: Kalahari Bushmen roast the seeds and pound them to make an edible meal [1332]
FOOD - 'ROOTS'
Tubers: Inedible (Maguire, 1978 cited in Arnold, Wells & Wehmeyer, 1985) [187]
Tubers: Nutritionally, the species compares favourably with other cucurbits, Coccinia sessilifolia (Sond.)Cogn. and Cucumis kalahariensis A.Meeuse, which themselves compare with the carrot, potato and turnip [187]
FOOD ADDITIVES - SEEDS
Flavourings, confectionery: Used in confectionery trade in South Africa [1171]
MATERIALS - OTHER MATERIALS/CHEMICALS
Seeds, beads: Used by the Kwanyama Ovambos, Namibia, when dried [1304]
VERTEBRATE POISONS - MAMMALS
Fruits: Any bitter fruits encountered must be discarded as they may be toxic to mammals [633]
MEDICINES - INFECTIONS/INFESTATIONS
Fruit juice, humans, gonorrhoea, enemas: Claims that extracted juice could be used in enemas for gonorrhoea, by inducing a strong purgative action and heavy urination, were not substantiated during testsin 1973 [1304]
NUTRITIONAL VALUE
Fruits:
%: moisture 90.6; ash 1.0; protein 1.3; fat 0.2; fibre 2.1;carbohydrate 4.8
kJ/100 g: energy value 111
mg/100 g: Ca 21.2; Mg 23.6; Fe 0.52; Na 1.53; K 270; Cu 0.12; Zn 0.24; P 25.1; thiamin 0.09; riboflavin 0.03; nicotinic acid 0.98*; vitamin C 34.9*
* = value greater than 20% of average daily requirement [187]
Fruits: Compared with the cucumber it has either similar or notably higher values for fibre, magnesium, potassium, nicotinic acid and vitamin C and energy [187]
Seeds: Contain c. 35% protein [1171]
Tubers:
%: moisture 74.7; ash 1.5; protein 1.1; fat 0.2; fibre 9.7; carbohydrate 12.8
kJ/100 g: energy value 241
mg/100 g: Ca 273*; Mg 123; Fe 1.2; Na 10.2; K 231; Cu 0.1;Zn 0.4; P 16; thiamin 0.04; riboflavin 0.02; nicotinic acid 0.8*; vitamin C 0.8
* = value greater than 20% of average daily requirement [187]
Tubers: Compare favourably with Coccinia sessilifolia (Sond.)Cogn. and Cucumis kalahariensis A.Meeuse (which themselves compare favourably with the carrot, potato and turnip)[187]
CLIMATE
Arid, semi-arid [1613]
TEMPERATURE
1.7°C - 40.6°C [1304]
SOILS
Can tolerate salty subsoil [1304]
CYTOLOGY
n=11 [1507]
RESEARCH NEEDS
Agronomy: Strong candidate for development as high-yielding source of edible oil and protein in dry areas [1507]
REFERENCES
[3] Flora Zambesiaca 1960-. London: Crown Agents for Overseas Governments and Administrations. En. Edited by A.W. Exell et al.
[187] Arnold, T.H., Wells, M.J. and Wehmeyer, A.S. 1985. Khoisan food plants: taxa with potential for future economic exploitation. In Wickens, G.E., Goodin, J.R. and Field, D.V., eds. Plants for arid lands. London, U.K.: Unwin Hyman. Pp. 69-86. En. Proceedings of the Kew International Conference on Economic Plants for Arid Lands, 23-27 July 1984, held in the Jodrell Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, England.
[633] Keith, M.E. and Renew, R. 1975. Notes on some edible wild plants found in the Kalahari. Koedoe 18(1-12). En.
[974] Tanaka, J. 1969. The ecology and social structure of central Kalahari bushmen. A preliminary report. Kyoto Univ. Afr. Studies 3: 1-26. En.
[1171] Fox, F.W. and Norwood Young, M.E. 1982. Food from the veld. Edible wild plants of Southern Africa. Johannesburg and Cape Town: Delta. 399p. En.
[1304] Rodin, R.J. 1985. Ethnobotany of the Kwanyama Ovambos. St. Louis, U.S.A.: Missouri Botanic Gardens. 169p. En.
[1332] Story, R. 1958. Some plants used by the Bushmen in obtaining food and water. Pretoria: Department of Agriculture, Division of Botany. 115p. En. Mem. Botanical Survey of South Africa No. 30.
[1507] Jeffrey, C. 1979. The economic potential of some Cucurbitaceae and Compositae of tropical Africa. In Kunkel G., ed. Taxonomic aspects of African economic botany. Proceedings of the 9th Plenary Meeting of AETFAT, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 18-23 March 1978. Islas Canarias, Spain: Excmo-Ayuntamiento de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Pp. 35-38. En.
[1613] Jeffrey, C. 1982. Pers. comm. En.
[1669] Arnold, T.H. and de Wet, B.C., eds. 1993. Plants of Southern Africa: names and distribution. Pretoria, South Africa: National Botanical Institute. iv, 825p.
[2255] SEPASAL . Notes from SEPASAL datasheet.