''Lagenaria sphaerica'' is a herbaceous climber in the family
Cucurbitaceae
The Cucurbitaceae, also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family consisting of about 965 species in around 95 genera, of which the most important to humans are:
*''Cucurbita'' – squash, pumpkin, zucchini, some gourds
*''Lagena ...
. It is commonly known as the wild melon.
These plants are found in low-lying areas from the
Eastern Cape
The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha.
The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...
of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
to
East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
. The may grow along river floodplains or up into the canopy of
riparian
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks ar ...
forests. They may also be found in coastal dune vegetation.
These plants produce large white flowers which attract many insects. The melon
gourd
Gourds include the fruits of some flowering plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, particularly ''Cucurbita'' and ''Lagenaria''. The term refers to a number of species and subspecies, many with hard shells, and some without. One of the earli ...
is green and flecked with white.
In Tanzania only the male flowers produce
nectar
Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...
, which is fed on by the
Eastern Olive Sunbird, but the actual pollinators
carpenter bees
Carpenter bees are species in the genus ''Xylocopa'' of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant m ...
in the genus ''Xylocopa''; female individuals mimic the males and are nectarless (Ollerton & Nuttman 2013).
File:Lagenaria sphaerica two.JPG, Flowers
File:Lagenaria sphaerica, vrug, Krugerwildtuin.jpg , Climbing in ''Acacia'' sp.
References
*Ollerton, J. & Nuttman, C. (2013) Aggressive displacement of ''Xylocopa nigrita'' carpenter bees from flowers of ''Lagenaria sphaerica'' (Cucurbitaceae) by territorial male Eastern Olive Sunbirds (''Cyanomitra olivacea'') in Tanzania. Journal of Pollination Ecology 11: 21–26
* Pooley, E. (1998). ''A Field Guide to Wild Flowers: KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Region''. .
External links
*
Cucurbitoideae
Flora of South Africa
Crops originating from South Africa
Creepers of South Africa
Eastern Cape
{{Cucurbitales-stub