Cucurbitaceae
Melothria

Melothria pendula L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 35 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Central & E. U.S.A. to Tropical America. It is a scrambling shrub or liana and grows primarily in the subtropical biome. It is used to treat unspecified medicinal disorders, as a medicine and for food.

Descriptions

The Useful Plants of Boyacá project

Distribution
Native from Colombia.
Ecology
Alt. 3 - 2100 m.
[UPB]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 3 - 2100 m.; Amazonia, Andes, Llanura del Caribe, Pacífico, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena.
Morphology General Habit
Trepadora
Conservation
Preocupación Menor
[CPLC]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
fruta de culebra, muchila, patillita, pepa de culebra, pepinillo de monte, pepinillo silvestre, sandillita
[UNAL]

George R. Proctor (2012). Flora of the Cayman Isands (Second Edition). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Morphology General Habit
A tender glabrous climber; leaves broadly ovate-cordate, 2–5 cm long or more, 3–5-angled or shallowly 3–5-lobed, the margins distantly denticulate, the upper (adaxial) surface very rough, the lower less so
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Staminate flowers several toward the end of a peduncle, on pedicels 1–2 mm long; calyx-tube 2 mm long; corolla yellow, 2 mm long. Pistillate flowers solitary, sometimes in the same axil as the staminate ones but on much longer peduncles; calyx and corolla similar to the staminate ones; ovary 4–5 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit purplish-black, ovoid, 1–1.5 cm long; seeds flat, 4 mm long.
Distribution
Grand Cayman. West Indies and continental tropical America, variable.
Ecology
Occurring in rocky thickets and woodlands.
[Cayman]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Amazonia, Andean, Caribbean, Pacific. Elevation range: 3–2100 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Amazonas, Antioquia, Bolívar, Boyacá, Caldas, Caquetá, Cauca, Chocó, Cundinamarca, Huila, La Guajira, Magdalena, Meta, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindío, Risaralda, Santander, Tolima, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Climbing.
Conservation
National Red List of Colombia (2021): Potential LC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, shrubland, native grassland, wetlands (inland), artificial - terrestrial.
Vernacular
Guaquillo
[UPFC]

Uses

Use Medicines Unspecified Medicinal Disorders
Medicinal (State of the World's Plants 2016, Instituto Humboldt 2014).
[UPB]

Use Food
Used for food.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Common Names

Spanish
Guaquillo.

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants of Boyacá Project

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/