Zehneria maysorensis

As per efi thread:
W.J.J.O. DE WILDE & B.E.E. DUYFJES in THAI FOR. BULL. (BOT.) 32: 15–31. 2004 write:
1. Zehneria maysorensis (Wight & Arn.) Arn. Type: S India, Wallich 6702 A–D, Wight 1116.— Zehneria maysorensis (Wight & Arn.) Arn. var. oblonga V. P. Prasad & M. Prasad, J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. 17 (2): 471. 1993. Type: S India, Vivekananthan 45710 (MH, not seen).— Monoecious or dioecious. Ovary and fruit ellipsoid, longer than broad. Distribution: confined to southern peninsular India, at low altitudes.
2. Zehneria bodinieri (Lévl.) W. J. de Wilde & Duyfjes. Lecotype: China, Bodinier 1957 (E).— Monoecious. Ovary and fruit globose. Distribution: widespread, in Sri Lanka and southern peninsular India, and from N India to S China, Indochina and Malesia, at low and medium altitudes
3. Zehneria hookeriana (Wight & Arn.) Arn. Type: S India, Wight 1117.—Monoecious. Ovary and fruit globose. Distribution: endemic to southern India, in montane area.
  

Herbaceous climbers; stem slender, glabrous. Leaves alternate, 7-8 by 6.5-8 cm, broadly ovate, cordate at base, acute-acuminate at apex, shallowly 3-angled, serrate along margins, minutely and densely punctuate above, glabrous to minutely papillate beneath; nerves usually sparsely hispid beneath; petiole 2-3 cm long, glabrous or sparsely hispid beneath near the lamina; tendrils simple. Plants monoecious. Flowers cream-yellow. Male flowers subumbellate; peduncle 2-4 cm long; pedicels ca 2 mm long. Calyx tube campanulate, ca 3 mm long, glabrous outside, hairy inside; lobes minute, teeth-like. Corolla lobes ovate, acute at apex, ca 2.5 mm long. Stamens 3; filaments ca 3 mm long; anthers ca 1 by 1.25 mm, papillose. Disk ca 0.5 by 0.75 mm. Female flowers solitary, axillary or co-axillary to the male peduncle; pedicels ca 2 mm long. Calyx oblong, ca 6 by 2 mm. Style ca 3.5 mm long; stigma spreading. Disk 3-lobed, ca 0.75 by 1.25 mm. Staminodes 3, filiform, ca 3 mm long, hairy. Fruits oblong, ca 1.7 x 1.1 cm, finely reticulate rugose; seeds flattened, broadly obovate, ca 3.5 by 2 mm, smooth at faces. 

Flowering and fruiting: October-December
Degraded forests and grasslands
India to South East Asia
 
 

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Cucurbitaceae week : Plant for ID Dr. Phadke 06/04/2012: I think I have clicked this in wild in Mahabaleshwar in this rainy season …sept or Oct. Can’t place the ID. Flowers are very small One cm or so.

This may turn out to be Zehneria maysorensis (Wight & Arn.) Arn., owing to the ellipsoid/ oblongoid fruit and ovary which are longer than broad. The pictures also show the dieocious nature of the plant (other two related species are always monoecious).
Reference:
De Wilde WJJO, Duyfjes BEE (2004) Zehneria (Cucurbitaceae) in Thailand, with a note on the Indian Zehneria maysorensis. Thai Forest Bulletin, Botany 32: 15–31.

 
Status of Zehneria scabra in India : 4 posts by 3 authors.
I have been somewhat confused about the status of Zehneria scabra, uploaded by several members including …, … and other members from Kas
These confusions are often confounded by the absence of author citations. Strange as it may look Zehneria scabra (L.f.) Sond (Swedeish name flikig pilreva), and Melothria scabra Naudin (Swedish name djungelgurka), are two distinct species, often confused on net, as Melothria is an important species with good looking mini watermelon like fruits, and none look similar to our Kas plants. and as such names Cape zehneria, South African Zehneria won’t apply to our Kas plant.
My doubts are supported by recent nomenclature update by Renner and Pandey in 2013
They do not list Zehneria scabra for India, and Melothria perpusilla (Blume) Cogn. is cited as synonym of Zehneria perpusilla (Bl.) Bole and Almeida…….but as per citation this species does not grown in India.
The other name often cited as synonym of Melothria perpusilla is correctly Zehneria hookeriana (Wight & Arn) Arn, is endemic to Tamil Nadu
This leaves third name Zehneria maysorensis (Wight & Arn.) Arn. found in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Could it be our plant from Kas???

Many many thanks … for discussing Zehneria / Melothria.

Not much discussed about this genus in context of India on internet resources.

Have based my ID referencing … Further Flowers of Sahyadri.

Eager to know the facts.

If so,efi page on Zehneria scabra & threads in it requires a re-look.

Perhaps we may include in our discussion two species described in Fascicles of Flora of India, No 11: Cucurbitaceae, by H. L. Chakravarty

Melothria perpusilla (Blume) Cogn. (plant under our discussion for which Zehneria scabra has been used in our uploads)
Melothria mucronata (Blume) Cogn.
I have gone through the description of two species but find little differences
M. mucronata having 1-3 cm long petiole, broadly ovate leaves 5-8 cm, as much broad, scabrous, corolla lobes ovate, acute, but important fruits are ovoid-oblong 8-15 mm long, 6-9 mm broad, mucronate at apex.
var. mucronata with glabrous lower surface, female flower solitary and var. umbellata Chakr. with lower surface hairy along nerves, female flowers in axillary umbels……..latter is now correctly considered as Zehneria maysorensis (Wight & Arn.), Arn, and there is a suggestion that var. mucronata may also belong here.
M. perpusilla having 2-5 cm long petiole, ovate-cordate leaves 5-9 cm long, 4-7 cm broad, glabrous, corolla lobes ovate-oblong, subacute and fruits globose, 8-10 mm in diam.
var. perpusilla with acute or mucronate leaf apex and var. subtruncata Cogn. with acuminate leaf apex, base subtruncate.
var. perpusilla is now correctly known as Zehneria perpusilla (Blume) Bole & Almeida, but as reported in Renner and Pandey species does not grown in India.
var. subtruncata Cogn. is now correctly known as Zehneria bodinieri (H. Lév.) W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes,
It must be mentioned that Zehneria hookeriana Arn. is endemic to Tamil Nadu and very close to Zehneria bodinieri and I would be happy if some one gives me diagnosis of this species and how to differentiate two.
So our collections having gone under Zehneria scabra in our websites may be sought to be segregated into three species: Zehneria maysorensis with beroadly ovate scabrous leaves, ovate corolla lobes and oblong 8-15 mm long fruits, Z. bodinieri with ovate leaves longer than broad, glabrous leaves, ovate-oblong corolla lobes and globose 8-10 mm fruits, and very similar Z. hookeriana.
I hope … who have great collection Western Ghats and South India, and other experts especially …, and great expert Prof. Renner should be able to sort this out.
I have a feeling that mixed upload by … from Kas and Mahabaleshwar may have both these species, Mahableshwar photograph looking different from Kas one.
efi thread   
Many thanks … for raising this discussion. Will get back to it from my end very soon.

The only thing I can contribute to this discussion is the original locations from where these name have been described; only by studying material from near the type localities can one infer whether there are 1, 2 or 3 species and which name applies to which collection:
1) Zehneria perpusilla (Blume) Bole & M.R. Almeida, J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 79(2): 315. 1983.
= Melothria perpusilla (Blume) Cogn. in A. & C. DC., Monogr. Phan. 3: 607. 1881.
=Cucurbita perpusilla Blume, Cat. Gew. Buitenzorg (Blume) 105. 1823.
Lectotype: Java, Blume s.n. (L, barcode L0048312).
2) Zehneria mucronata (Blume) Miq., Flora van Nederlandsch India 1. 1856
= Melothria mucronata (Blume) Cogn.
= Bryonia mucronata Blume — Bijdr. Fl. Ned. Ind. 15: 923. 1826
= Pilogyne mucronata (Blume) W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes — Reinwardtia 12(5): 410. 2009
Type: Java, Blume s.n. (L, barcode xxx have to check).
3) Melothria bodinieri H.Lév., Fl. Kouy-Tcheou 122 (1914-15)
= Pilogyne bodinieri (H.Lév.) W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes, Reinwardtia 12(5): 410. 2009
= Zehneria bodinieri (H.Lév.) W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes, Thai Forest Bull., Bot. 32: 17. 2004
Lectotype designated by De Wilde & Duyfjes (2004b): China, Guangzhou, Kouyan, Bodinier 1957 (E, P).

Relook at Status of Zehneria scabra in India :

The subject line in earlier post was inappropriate. I am correcting and reposting it

Dear friends
We had good discussion in June, 2013 about status of Zehneria scabra in India
I am including some relevant points for … to resolve this issue for us
I have been somewhat confused about the status of Zehneria scabra, uploaded by several members including …, and other members from Kas
These confusions are often confounded by the absence of author citations. Strange as it may look Zehneria scabra (L.f.) Sond (Swedeish name flikig pilreva), and Melothria scabra Naudin (Swedish name djungelgurka), are two distinct species, often confused on net, as Melothria is an important species with good looking mini watermelon like fruits, and none look similar to our Kas plants.
and as such names Cape zehneria, South African Zehneria won’t apply to our Kas plant.
My doubts are supported by recent nomenclature update by Renner and Pandey in 2013
They do not list Zehneria scabra for India, and Melothria perpusilla (Blume) Cogn. is cited as synonym of Zehneria perpusilla (Bl.) Bole and Almeida…….but as per citation this species does not grown in India.
The other name often cited as synonym of Melothria perpusilla is correctly Zehneria hookeriana (Wight & Arn) Arn, is endemic to Tamil Nadu
This leaves third name Zehneria maysorensis (Wight & Arn.) Arn. found in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Could it be our plant from Kas???
I added this on October 21
Perhaps we may include in our discussion two species described in Fascicles of Flora of India, No 11: Cucurbitaceae, by H. L. Chakravarty

Melothria perpusilla (Blume) Cogn. (plant under our discussion for which Zehneria scabra has been used in our uploads)
Melothria mucronata (Blume) Cogn.
I have gone through the description of two species but find little differences
M. mucronata having 1-3 cm long petiole, broadly ovate leaves 5-8 cm, as much broad, scabrous, corolla lobes ovate, acute, but important fruits are ovoid-oblong 8-15 mm long, 6-9 mm broad, mucronate at apex.
var. mucronata with glabrous lower surface, female flower solitary and var. umbellata Chakr. with lower surface hairy along nerves, female flowers in axillary umbels……..latter is now correctly considered as Zehneria maysorensis (Wight & Arn.), Arn, and there is a suggestion that var. mucronata may also belong here.
M. perpusilla having 2-5 cm long petiole, ovate-cordate leaves 5-9 cm long, 4-7 cm broad, glabrous, corolla lobes ovate-oblong, subacute and fruits globose, 8-10 mm in diam.
var. perpusilla with acute or mucronate leaf apex and var. subtruncata Cogn. with acuminate leaf apex, base subtruncate.
var. perpusilla is now correctly known as Zehneria perpusilla (Blume) Bole & Almeida, but as reported in Renner and Pandey species does not grown in India.
var. subtruncata Cogn. is now correctly known as Zehneria bodinieri (H. Lév.) W.J.de Wilde & Duyfjes,
It must be mentioned that Zehneria hookeriana Arn. is endemic to Tamil Nadu and very close to Zehneria bodinieri and I would be happy if some one gives me diagnosis of this species and how to differentiate two.
So our collections having gone under Zehneria scabra in our websites may be sought to be segregated into three species: Zehneria maysorensis with beroadly ovate scabrous leaves, ovate corolla lobes and oblong 8-15 mm long fruits, Z. bodinieri with ovate leaves longer than broad, glabrous leaves, ovate-oblong corolla lobes and globose 8-10 mm fruits, and very similar Z. hookeriana.
I hope …. who have great collection Western Ghats and South India, and other experts especially …., and great expert Prof. Renner should be able to sort this out.
I have a feeling that mixed upload by … from Kas and Mahabaleshwar may have both these species, Mahableshwar photograph looking different from Kas one.

Thanks … for raising this important issue. The taxonomy of this group has historically been problematic and also very confusing. As we can see from the images, the Type specimens are loaded with a number of det. slips placed by great taxonomists. And, we have been using our regional Floras and Florulas to identify our specimens. Thanks to the recent works by De Wilde & Duyfjes, Renner & Pandey and others, this may be the time to re-look our plants to update the nomenclature. But, I feel that study of specimens may be required for a satisfactory ID, especially for this complex group.

 

References (Zehneria maysorensis (Wight & Arn.) Arn.):

efi thread The Plant List  Annotated checklist of the flowering plants of Nepal

Chinese Plant Names

India Biodiversity Portal ICIMOD

JSTOR | Global Plants (Specimen)

Flora of Eastern Ghats: Hill Ranges of South East India, Volume 3 By Thamminen Pullaiah, K. Sri Ramamurthy (description & Keys- maysorensis & scabra- 2007) (Zehneria maysorensis (Wight & Arn.) Arn.- Syn: Bryonia mysorensis Wight & Arn.; Melothria perpusilla var. subtruncata Cogn.; Melothria perpusilla auct. non. (Bl.) Cogn,)


References (Zehneria scabra Sond.):
India Biodiversity Portal (Syn: Melothria perpusilla; Bryonia scabra ; Melothria punctata; Zehneria scabra (L.f.) Sond.)
Flora of Eastern Ghats: Hill Ranges of South East India, Volume 3 By Thamminen Pullaiah, K. Sri Ramamurthy (description & Keys- maysorensis & scabra- 2007) (Zehneria maysorensis (Wight & Arn.) Arn.- Syn: Bryonia mysorensis Wight & Arn.; Melothria perpusilla var. subtruncata Cogn.; Melothria perpusilla auct. non. (Bl.) Cogn) (Zehneria scabra (L.f.) Sond.-Syn: Bryonia scabra L.f., Zehneria hookeriana Arn, & Melothria perpusilla sensu Chakravarthy)