''Xerosicyos'' is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

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 *'' Lagen ...

. Its name comes from

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

''xeros'' (meaning "dry") and ''sicyos'' ("cucumber"). There are three species, all endemic to Madagascar. ''Xerosicyos danguyi'' is a large liana with thick stems and round, gray succulent leaves. It is common in cultivation and often called the "silver dollar" vine. ''Xerosicyos perrieri'' is also a liana with thinner stems and smaller, ovate green succulent leaves. ''Xerosicyos pubescens'' is entirely different from the previous species. It forms a large caudex from which deciduous vines emerge. The leaves are lobed and semi-succulent and die back in the dry season and during prolonged periods of drought.

References

Cucurbitaceae genera Cucurbitaceae Taxa named by Jean-Henri Humbert {{Cucurbitales-stub