e-Key v3 - Ke<span id="jodit_selection_marker_1706618169898_7017077050728373" data-jodit_selection_marker="start" style="line-height: 0; display: none;"></span>y to Cucurbit<span id="jodit_selection_marker_1706618169898_7317324291953733" data-jodit_selection_marker="end" style="line-height: 0; display: none;"></span>aceae Genera
SANBI Flora Keys Logo
Interactive keys to the identification of seed plants of southern Africa using keys based on plant morphology.
Backtrack a
  • Tendrils apically 2-fid
  • Styles 3, free
 002
b
  • Tendrils simple or proximally 2-4-fid, spine-like or absent
  • Style 1
 002
Backtrack a
  • Stamen 1, central, with thecae ring-like
  • Ovary compressed, containing 1 ovule
 Cyclantheropsis
b
  • Stamens 4 or 5 with thecae short, straight
  • Ovary trigonous, containing several ovules
 Gerrardanthus
Backtrack a
  • Receptacle tube relatively long in both male and female flowers
  • Fruit terete, ribbed or trigonous
  • Stamens 3, with one 1-thecous and the others 2-thecous
 002
b
  • Receptacle tube short, at least in female flowers, or small and campanulate
 002
Backtrack a
  • Monoecious, scabrid herbs
  • Flowers small
  • Tendrils simple
  • Petioles usually with sessile, stipuliform, leafy bract at base
 Dactyliandra
b
  • Monoecious or dioecious herbs, sometimes villous
  • Tendrils unequally bifid or simple, rarely 0
 002
Backtrack a
  • Style long, linear
  • Stigma 3-lobed, dilated
  • Fruit fleshy, few-seeded
 Trochomeria
b
  • Style thick, fleshy
  • Stigma 3-lobed, fleshy
  • Fruit fleshy, many-seeded
 Peponium
Backtrack a
  • Leaves with large stipuliform bracts at bases of petioles
 Ctenolepis
b
  • Leaves without stipuliform bracts at bases of petioles
 002
Backtrack a
  • Fruit muricate or with distinct protuberances or with soft spines
 002
b
  • Fruit not bearing warts, spines or other protuberances, but sometimes hairy
 002
Backtrack a
  • Fruit ultimately dehiscent, often orange or scarlet
  • Seeds much compressed, marginate, usually appearing as if corroded especially along the margin
 Momordica
b
  • Fruit indehiscent, rarely orange or scarlet
  • Seeds not appearing as if corroded
 002
Backtrack a
  • Soft spines on fruit bearing several bristles and intermingled with setae
  • Seeds marginate
 Oreosyce
b
  • Soft spines or warts on fruit not setiferous on the sides and not intermingled with setae but sometimes terminating in a single soft bristle
  • Seeds emarginate (see also Cucumis)
 Acanthosicyos
Backtrack a
  • Fruit circumscissile at the base, scarlet when ripe
  • Seeds tumid
 Corallocarpus
b
  • Fruit not circumscissile at the base
 002
Backtrack a
  • Leaves twice trifoliolate
 Momordica
b
  • Leaves not twice trifoliolate
 002
Backtrack a
  • Outer layer of large fruit (over 60 mm in diameter, never geocarpic) hard and almost bony (see also Citrullus, which has almost invariably dark and rather regularly-shaped ovate, elliptic or oblong seeds)
  • Seeds narrowly triangular, notched or emarginate on the one side, or subrectangular, truncate or bidentate at one or both ends
 Lagenaria
b
  • Outer layer of fruit soft, usually easily squashed or, if harder, either fruit under 20 mm in diameter or geocarpic, or ellipsoid-fusiform, rarely longer than 100 mm
  • Seeds ovate or elliptic to subglobose, not subrectangular and not notched on one or both ends
 002
Backtrack a
  • Seeds not much compressed, not marginate
 Kedrostis
b
  • Seeds distinctly compressed, often marginate
 002
Backtrack a
  • Fruit small, globose or ellipsoid to ovoid, smooth or finely foveolate, glabrous, shorter than 35 mm
  • Seeds marginate
 002
b
  • Fruit larger, mostly longer than 35 mm, glabrous or hairy, never foveolate
 002
Backtrack a
  • Fruit subsessile in axillary clusters
 Mukia
b
  • Fruit not subsessile in axillary clusters
 002
Backtrack a
  • Fruit globose
 Zehneria
b
  • Fruit ellipsoid to ovoid
 Cucumella
Backtrack a
  • Fruit over 50 mm in diameter, often much larger, not geocarpic, glabrous, never scarlet, globose (in cultivated specimens often very large, oblong, and seeds usually dark-coloured)
 Citrullus
b
  • Fruit not globose or, if so, seeds whitish or fruit geocarpic or fruit under 50 mm in diameter
 002
Backtrack a
  • Seeds smooth, ± regularly elliptic or ovate in outline (not triangular or produced on one side), white
  • Fruit hairy or glabrous, but not scarlet when ripe
 Cucumis
b
  • Seeds ± triangular in outline, or ovate-oblong and produced on the one side, white or dark-coloured
  • Fruit scarlet and always quite glabrous when ripe
 Coccinia

Copyright of the content hosted by this website remains with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), unless stated otherwise.
Material from this site may be used in other media, provided that SANBI is acknowledged by the name South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) or refer to the 'How to cite this resource' paragraph on the Home page.
Liability disclaimer: Visitors use this site at their own risk and SANBI is not liable for any of the consequences resulting therefrom.