''Telfairia'' is a small genus of flowering plants in the squash family which are native to Africa. They include ''

Telfairia occidentalis ''Telfairia occidentalis'' is a tropical vine grown in West Africa as a leaf vegetable and for its edible seeds. Common names for the plant include fluted gourd, fluted pumpkin, ugu (in the Igbo language), okwukwo-wiri (in Ikwerre language), and ...

'', the fluted pumpkin, which is an important vegetable in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

and other African nations. It is also known as the oyster nut, a common name it shares with its relative ''

Telfairia pedata ''Telfairia pedata'', commonly known as oysternut (alternately spelled as 'oyster nut', etc. if link has expired, search for ''Telfairia pedata'' aProtabase.org), queen's nut, Zanzibar oilvine (alternately spelled as 'oil vine', etc. ...

''. These are woody and herbaceous

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...

vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") 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 themselv ...

s which bear squashlike fruits that contain large, nutritious oily seeds. The third species is '' Telfairia batesii'' which is very rare and not cultivated. These vines grow quickly to lengths of 30 meters or more, using

tendril In botany, a tendril is a specialized stem, leaf or petiole with a threadlike shape used by climbing plants for support and attachment, as well as cellular invasion by parasitic plants such as ''Cuscuta''. There are many plants that have tendr ...

s to scale trees. ''T. pedata'' is grown as an

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...

for its attractive foliage. The seeds of ''T. occidentalis'' and ''T. pedata'' are over 25% protein and 55% oil, making them a good source of nutrition. They are used as a traditional food source for nursing mothers, the seed flour is fermented to make

baby food Baby food is any soft easily consumed food other than breastmilk or infant formula that is made specifically for human babies between four and six months and two years old. The food comes in many varieties and flavors that are purchased ready-mad ...

, the leaves and shoots, especially of ''T. occidentalis'', are eaten as vegetables.Ajayi, S. A., et al
Conservation status of ''Telfairia'' spp. in sub-Saharan Africa
bioversityinternational.org One recent concern has been the impact of telfairia mosaic virus, which, along with other problems, is a threat to the already low genetic diversity of plants of this genus. Species: *'' Telfairia batesii'' *''

'' - fluted pumpkin, oyster nut *''

'' (

syn. The Botanical and Zoological Codes of nomenclature treat the concept of synonymy differently. * In botanical nomenclature, a synonym is a scientific name that applies to a taxon that (now) goes by a different scientific name. For example, Linnae ...

''T. africana'', ''Fevillea pedata'', ''Joliffia africana'') - oyster nut, queen's nut, Zanzibar oil vine The genus was named for Irish naturalist

Charles Telfair Charles Edward Telfair (1778 in Belfast – 14 July 1833 in Port Louis) was an Irish botanist. Early life and career Telfair was the son of a Belfast schoolmaster. He studied chemistry under Joseph Black and later qualified as a medical doct ...

(1778–1833).

References

External links

Aluka Genus Profile
{{Taxonbar, from=Q145005 Cucurbitoideae Cucurbitaceae genera Dioecious plants