| Zehneria alba | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Subfamily: | Cucurbitoideae |
| Tribe: | Melothrieae |
| Subtribe: | Cucumerinae |
| Genus: | Zehneria |
| Species: | Z. alba |
| Binomial name | |
| Zehneria alba Ridl.[1] |
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| Synonyms | |
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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 north-eastern Indian Ocean. The specific epithet is from the Latin albus (white), referring to the colour of the flowers.
Contents |
Zehneria alba is a dioecious vine with stems growing to 3 m in length. The leaves are broadly ovate, cordate at the base, unlobed to shallowly 3-lobed, dentate, acute to acuminate, and 50–80 mm long. The flowers are small and white; the male inflorescence is paniculate or racemose, 30–150 mm long, with a 10–130 mm long peduncle; the female flowers are solitary or clustered. The fruit is ellipsoidal, 20–30 mm long, with seeds about 4 mm long.[2]
Found only on Christmas Island, the vine grows there both within the rainforest and along its shrubbed edges.[2]
The vine is sometimes considered to be conspecific with Zehneria mucronata Blume.[2]