''Zehneria'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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 ...

s – of

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 in the cucumber and gourd

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

, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, through

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...

. The name honours botanical artist

Joseph Zehner Josef Zehner aka Joseph Zehner ( fl. 19th century) was an Austrian botanical illustrator. The plant genus ''Zehneria'' in the family Cucurbitaceae The Cucurbitaceae, also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family consisting ...

.Flora of Australia Online.

Description

''Zehneria'' species are either

monoecious Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system alongside gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy. Monoecy is conne ...

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 ...

, annual or perennial, climbing

s. Their

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are simple, dentate and usually palmately lobed.

Inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

s grow on axillary

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

s, with the

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s normally clustered, occasionally solitary. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is fleshy, usually globose or ellipsoidal, and

indehiscent Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part; structures that op ...

. The seeds are obovate, compressed and smooth.

Selected species

* ''

Zehneria alba ''Zehneria alba'' is a species of flowering plant in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It is endemic to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the northeastern Indian Ocean. The specific epithet is from the Latin ''albus'' (whi ...

'' Ridl. * ''

Zehneria baueriana ''Zehneria baueriana'', commonly known as the native cucumber or giant cucumber, is a species of flowering plant – a vine in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It is found on Norfolk Island, an Australian territory in the Tasman Se ...

'' Endl. * ''

Zehneria bodinieri ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jos ...

'' (H. Lév.) W. J. de Wilde & Duyfjes * ''

Zehneria brevirostris ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jos ...

'' W. J. de Wilde & Duyfjes * ''

Zehneria capillacea ''Zehneria capillacea'' is a herbaceous climbing herb of the Cucurbitaceae family native to many countries in West and Central Africa. Description The plant is a slender climbing herb that can grow up to . The leaf outline is triangular with a ...

'' (Schumacher & Thonning) Jeffrey * ''

Zehneria cunninghamii ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jos ...

'' F.Muell. * ''

Zehneria ejecta ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jos ...

'' F. M. Bailey * ''

Zehneria hermaphrodita ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jos ...

'' W. J. de Wilde & Duyfjes * ''

Zehneria indica ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jos ...

'' (Lour.) Keraudren * ''

Zehneria japonica ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jos ...

'' (Thunb.) H. Y. Liu * ''

Zehneria marginata ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jos ...

'' (Blume) Keraudren * ''

Zehneria marlothii ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family (biology), family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours Bota ...

'' (Cogn.) R. Fern. & A. Fern. * ''

Zehneria maysorensis ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family (biology), family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours Bota ...

'' Wight. & Arn. * ''

Zehneria microsperma ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jos ...

'' Hook. f. * ''

Zehneria minutiflora ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jos ...

'' (Cogn.) C. Jeffrey * ''

Zehneria mucronata ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jose ...

'' (Blume) Miq. * ''

Zehneria repanda ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jos ...

'' (Blume) Simmons * ''

Zehneria scabra ''Zehneria scabra'' is a Perennial plant, perennial climbing or trailing herb that belong to the family Cucurbitaceae. Morphology The herb can climb up to long. The older parts of the stems are woody with corky-ridged bark. Its leaves are tria ...

'' (L.f.) Sond. * ''

Zehneria scabrella ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jose ...

'' F. Muell. * ''

Zehneria sphaerosperma ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family (biology), family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours Bota ...

'' W. J. de Wilde & Duyfjes * '' Zehneria tenuispica'' W. J. de Wilde & Duyfjes * ''

Zehneria thwaitesii ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jos ...

'' (Schweinf.) C. Jeffrey * ''

Zehneria wallichii ''Zehneria'' is a genus of flowering plants – of vines in the cucumber and gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It contains about 35 species ranging from Africa, through Southeast Asia to Australia and Oceania. The name honours botanical artist Jos ...

'' (C. B. Clarke) C. Jeffrey

Gallery

File:TimunTikus.jpg, Zehneria grown in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

File:BuahTimunTikus.jpg, Close-up of a Zehneria fruit File:TimunTikusTua.jpg, Matured Zehneria is black in color

References

Notes

Sources

* * * Cucurbitaceae genera {{Cucurbitales-stub