Momordica sahyadrica Kattuk. & V.T.Antony, Nordic J. Bot. 24: 541 2006 publ. 2007. ?;
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Tendrillar dioecious, perennial climbers, tuberous tap root fusiform when young, subglobose or irregularly bulged when mature, 10-18 x 5-10 cm; tendrils unbranched, 8-15 cm long, the basal 4-5 cm uncoiled. Leaves alternate, 10-16 x 8-18 cm, ovate or broadly triangular in outline, sometimes hastate, entire or 3-5 lobed, base deeply cordate, apex acute or acuminate, margin entire, undulate or coarsely crenulate, lateral veins 5-7 pairs, the lower pair running close to the margin of the basal sinus, hairs short, scattered, white; petiole 3-8 cm long, 1-1.5 mm thick. Male flowers axillary, solitary or a loose fascicle of 5-7 flowers; peduncle 2-5 cm long, pedicels 0.8-1 cm long, subtended by a reniform bract, to 3 x 3 cm, margins cuccullate; sepals free, elliptic oblong, ca 1 x 0.6 cm, yellowish white at center and blackish purple at base and margins; petals free, obovate, ca 4 x 2.5 cm, bright yellow with a narrow greenish yellow base, veins prominent, three petals with a small tongue-like ciliate appendage near the base; stamens 3, two of them with a pair of anthers, the other with a single anther, yellowish orange, filaments up to 3 mm long, anthers 2-3 x 1-2 mm, extrorse, thecae dull black. Female flowers solitary, axillary; peduncle 0.5-2 cm long; pedicel up to 2 cm long, subtended either by a small rudimentary (1.3 x 0.5-5 mm) or reniform ca 2 x 2 cm bract; sepals green, persistent, lanceolate, 0.8-1.3 x 1-3 mm, acuminate, densely glandular hairy within and without; petals ca 4 x 2 cm, greenish yellow and ciliate at base; staminodes 5 (2+2+1), white, cylindrical, touching the style, alternating with sepals, protected by a spur at the base of petals; ovary oblong-ovoid, 1-1.5 x 0.3-0.5 cm, more or less densely clothed with soft papillae of ca 1 mm length; style ca 6 mm long, whitish yellow, stigma ca 4 x 9 mm, cushion-like, 3 lobed, each lobe again 2-lobed. Fruits broadly ellipsoid, or ovoid to fusiform, or with round base and rostrate apex, 5-7.5 x 3-4.2 cm, dark green, turning bright orange on ripening, densely clothed with soft short spines 2-4 mm long; pulp sweet when ripe, carmine red; seeds black, shining, round or slightly cogwheel-shaped, margin warty-dentate, sculptured on faces with irregular furrows and ridges, 6.2-7.7 x 5.4-6.9 mm, seed coat hard, brittle; endosperm oily, aromatica.

Flowering and fruiting: June-October
Moist deciduous and semi-evergreen forests
Western Ghats (endemic)
(Attributions- Dr. N Sasidharan (Dr. B P Pal Fellow), Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi from India Biodiversity Portal

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ID of climber 240412JP01: No images seen now.
I need assistance in ID ing the Cucurbit Climber found on a roadside in Nashik, Maharashtra.
I had seen it flowering around the end of monsoon growing on a Dalbergia lacerifolia tree (known as Takoli locally)
It was an herbaceous climber a few meters long. the leaves varied from cordate to digitate as dipicted in the images attached. But had a slightly serrate margin. The calyx of the flower was peculiarly large and cup shaped. the buds ready to open emerged out of the climber. the calyx was not seen after fruit began to develop. I managed to sight only one very young fruit which was similar to Momordica dioica (Kartuli, in marathi) and had blunt spines over it.
The climber is not seen in the dry season.


Have found similar plant that grows abundantly near OR outskirts of human habitat in the northern Western Ghats, … flowers profusely … ends up by OR after Ganesha festival.

In some of the villages near Varai – Saphale, the flowers are used to adorn Goddess Gauri.
Incidentally, they call the plant – divali — perhaps because of the bright yellow flowers contrasting in the undercover of larger trees.
… thus, could this be Luffa acutangula var. amara
http://www.flickr.com/search/Luffaacutangulavaramara
…, please wait for comments – my ID could be wrong.

Thank you for the prompt reply.
I went through the link. Leaves are very much alike but i think the following points vary in the photographs
1. the fruit is much more spiney than bitter luffa.
2. the flowers of bitter luffa are seen in clusterswhile the flowers of this plant are solitary.
3. The flowers are also raised on a long stalk almost 5cm long as seen in the images attached.
I am attaching a few other images which i think may help

Indeed …, the spiny fruit concerned me while responding. Many thanks for correcting my thought.
Possibilities: Momordica subangulata OR M. angulata; could not get sufficient descriptions to check on internet.
Off the context,
– the (male) flowers of bitter luffa are in clusters, female flowers, solitary … please correct me if wrong.
– the stalks are as long as 5 cm in case of bitter luffa OR even longer.


A patient download of http://www.sbcollege.org/ResearchProjects.pdf illustrates a new species on the last page, Momordica sahyadrica Joseph & Antony.


Could it be M. subangulata subsp. renigera as per discussions in another thread ?


Please also check – http://www.plantillustrations.org/illustration.php?id_illustration=130024


Peduncles 1 flowered and bracts at the apex of peduncles is M. balsamina.


solitary male flowers are also found in M. subangulata and M. cochinchinensis with enlarged bract near tip. M. balsamina would have ovary like M. charantia like ovary with distant tubercles. Tubercles here are somewhat spiny like M. subangulata. I hope male and female flowers were on different vines. … may please confirm.
http://www.efloras.org/object_page.aspx?object_id=120267&flora_id=2


Many thanks … for further clarification.
Hoping … would tell us male and female flowers were on separate plants.

I find it close to Momordica dioica Roxb. ex Willd. as per images herein.


It seems to be M. Sahyadrica. However it may be M dioica also. If it’s m sahyadrica anthesis is in morning hrs if it’s m.dioica anthesis will be in evening hrs


May I request you to pl. tell us when flowers started opening- in the morning or evening ?


 

 


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References:
Catalogue of Life  The Plant List Ver.1.1  India Biodiversity Portal   Kerala plants  Momordica sahyadrica sp. nov. (Cucurbitaceae), an endemic species of Western Ghats of India (Authors Joseph John Kattukunnel, V. T. Antony Volume 24, Issue 5 December 2004 Pages 539–542 Abstract Momordica sahyadrica is a new species occurring in a very narrow habitat range in Western Ghats of India. Formerly, material of it was placed under Momordica dioica, but it appeared distinct from that species in various morphological and ecological features. It is described and illustrated with a note on its distribution and ecology.)