Acanthosicyos: Difference between revisions

Acanthosicyos
	Acanthosicyos in situ
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Subfamily:	Cucurbitoideae
Tribe:	Benincaseae
Genus:	Acanthosicyos; Welw. ex Benth. & Hook.f.
Species
	Acanthosicyos horridus; Acanthosicyos naudinianus;
Synonyms
	Acanthosicyus Post & Kuntze, orth. var.

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 09:11, 28 October 2024

Acanthosicyos is a genus of thorny shrubs of the botanical family Cucurbitaceae, subfamily Cucurbitoideae.^[1] The genus name derives from the Greek words "akantha" for thorn and "sykios" for cucumber or gourd.^[2]

Species

Endemic to the Namib Desert in Africa, this genus is represented by two known species including Acanthosicyos horridus, the nara melon, an important food plant in its native range. Both species are dioecious.^[3]^[4]

Image	Name	Distribution	Description
	Gemsbok cucumber (Acanthosicyos naudinianus)	western Botswana, eastern Namibia and northern South Africa	A trailing herb with large, palmate leaves. The fruit is mildly poisonous when unripe.
	Nara melon (Acanthosicyos horridus)	Native to Namib Desert but predominantly found within a narrow coastal strip in Namibia	It is almost exclusively found in sand dunes that have subterranean water supplies available to the plant. The nara plant is leafless, the modified stems and spines serve as the photosynthetic "organs" of the plant.

Both the Nara and the Gemsbok Cucumber are edible; however, eating unripe fruit is highly inadvisable due to the presence of chemicals which "burn" the throat and esophagus. The bushmen of the Kalahari eat the Gemsbok Cucumber after it has been roasted in a fire for a couple of hours. This cooking renders the "burning" chemicals harmless; even if the cooked pulp is still slightly bitter, the Bushman seem to relish eating them, sucking out the contents and either spitting out or chewing up the plentiful seeds.

References

^ Lithwick, Harvey; Bruins, Hendrik J. (1998). The Arid Frontier: Interactive Management of Environment and Development. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7923-4227-4.
^ Umberto Quattrocchi (1999). CRC World Dictionary of Plants Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology. Boca Raton: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-2675-2.
^ "PROTA4U". Archived from the original on 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
^ Unc; Maggs-Kölling; Marais; Sherman; Doniger; Steinberger (2019). "Soil bacterial community associated with the dioecious Acanthosicyos horridus in the Namib Desert". Biology and Fertility of Soils. 55 (4): 393–403. Bibcode:2019BioFS..55..393U. doi:10.1007/S00374-019-01358-7. S2CID 102353767.

Bihrmann's Caudiciforms: Acanthosicyos naudinianus

This Cucurbitales article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[AridFrontier-1] Lithwick, Harvey; Bruins, Hendrik J. (1998). The Arid Frontier: Interactive Management of Environment and Development. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7923-4227-4.

[CRCPlantNames-2] Umberto Quattrocchi (1999). CRC World Dictionary of Plants Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology. Boca Raton: CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-8493-2675-2.

[3] "PROTA4U". Archived from the original on 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2021-03-19.

[unc2019_BaFoS-4] Unc; Maggs-Kölling; Marais; Sherman; Doniger; Steinberger (2019). "Soil bacterial community associated with the dioecious Acanthosicyos horridus in the Namib Desert". Biology and Fertility of Soils. 55 (4): 393–403. Bibcode:2019BioFS..55..393U. doi:10.1007/S00374-019-01358-7. S2CID 102353767.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}
-{{italictitle}}
-{{taxobox
+{{Automatic taxobox
-|name = ''Acanthosicyos''
 |image = Naras auf Düne Sossusvlei.JPG
-|image_caption = Acanthosicyos in situ
+|image_caption = ''Acanthosicyos'' in situ
+|display_parents = 2
-|regnum = [[Plant]]ae
+|taxon = Acanthosicyos
-|unranked_divisio = [[Angiosperms]]
+|authority = [[Welw.]] ex [[Benth.]] & [[Hook.f.]]
-|unranked_classis = [[Eudicots]]
-|unranked_ordo = [[Rosids]]
-|ordo = [[Cucurbitales]]
-|familia = [[Cucurbitaceae]]
-|subfamilia = [[Cucurbitoideae]]
-|tribus = [[Benincaseae]]
-|subtribus = [[Benincasinae]]
-|genus = ''Acanthosicyos''
-|genus_authority = [[Welw.]] ex [[Benth.]] & [[Hook.f.]]
 |subdivision_ranks = Species
 |subdivision =
 * ''[[Acanthosicyos horridus]]''
 * ''[[Acanthosicyos naudinianus]]''
-|synonyms = ''Acanthosicyus'' <small>Post & [[Kuntze]]</small>, orth. var.
+|synonyms = ''Acanthosicyus'' <small>Post & [[Otto Kuntze|Kuntze]]</small>, orth. var.
-|}}
+}}
-'''''Acanthosicyos''''' is a [[genus (biology)|genus]] of [[Thorns, spines, and prickles|thorny]] [[shrub]]s of the [[botany|botanical]] [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Cucurbitaceae]], subfamily [[Cucurbitoideae]].<ref name="AridFrontier">{{cite book |author =Lithwick, Harvey; Bruins, Hendrik J. |title=The Arid Frontier: Interactive Management of Environment and Development |publisher=Kluwer Academic Publishers |location=Boston |year=1998 |pages= |isbn=0-7923-4227-5 |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=}}</ref> The genus name derives from the [[Greek language|Greek]] words "''akantha''" for thorn and "''sykios''" for cucumber or gourd.<ref name="CRCPlantNames">{{cite book |author =Umberto Quattrocchi |title=CRC World Dictionary of Plants Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology |publisher=CRC Press |location=Boca Raton |year=1999 |pages= |isbn=0-8493-2675-3 |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=}}</ref> Endemic to the [[Namib Desert]] in [[Africa]], this genus is represented by two known species including ''[[Acanthosicyos horridus]]'', the nara melon, an important food plant in its native range.
+'''''Acanthosicyos''''' is a [[genus]] of [[Thorns, spines, and prickles|thorny]] [[shrub]]s of the [[botany|botanical]] [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Cucurbitaceae]], subfamily [[Cucurbitoideae]].<ref name="AridFrontier">{{cite book |author1=Lithwick, Harvey |author2=Bruins, Hendrik J. |title=The Arid Frontier: Interactive Management of Environment and Development |publisher=Kluwer Academic Publishers |location=Boston |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-7923-4227-4 }}</ref> The genus name derives from the [[Greek language|Greek]] words "''akantha''" for thorn and "''sykios''" for cucumber or gourd.<ref name="CRCPlantNames">{{cite book |author =Umberto Quattrocchi |title=CRC World Dictionary of Plants Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology |publisher=CRC Press |location=Boca Raton |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-8493-2675-2 }}</ref>
-[[File:0892 Narafrucht Sossusvlei.JPG|thumb|left|''Acanthosicyos horridus'' fruit]]
+==Species==
-The Gemsbok cucumber (''[[Acanthosicyos naudinianus]]'') is found as a trailing herb throughout much of western Botswana, eastern Namibia and northern South Africa.
+Endemic to the [[Namib Desert]] in [[Africa]], this genus is represented by two known species including ''[[Acanthosicyos horridus]]'', the nara melon, an important food plant in its native range. Both species are [[dioecious]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=PROTA4U|url=https://www.prota4u.org/database/protav8.asp?g=pe&p=Acanthosicyos+naudinianus+(Sond.)+Jeffr.|access-date=2021-03-19|archive-date=2021-08-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210827013406/https://www.prota4u.org/database/protav8.asp?g=pe&p=Acanthosicyos%20naudinianus%20%28Sond.%29%20Jeffr.|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=unc2019_BaFoS>{{cite journal|title=Soil bacterial community associated with the dioecious Acanthosicyos horridus in the Namib Desert|year=2019|journal=Biology and Fertility of Soils|volume=55|issue=4|pages=393–403|last1=Unc|last2=Maggs-Kölling|last3=Marais|last4=Sherman|last5=Doniger|last6=Steinberger|doi=10.1007/S00374-019-01358-7|bibcode=2019BioFS..55..393U |s2cid=102353767}}</ref>
+{| class="wikitable"
-The Nara melon (''[[Acanthosicyos horridus]]'') is found in the Namib Desert but predominately found within a narrow coastal strip in [[Namibia]].  It is almost exclusively found in sand dunes that have subterranean water supplies available to the plant.  The nara plant is leafless, the modified stems and spines serve as the photosynthetic "organs" of the plant.
+|-
+! Image !! Name !! Distribution !! Description
+|-
+|[[File:Gemsbok Cucumber (Acanthosicyos naudinianus) (6865171484).jpg|120px]] || Gemsbok cucumber (''[[Acanthosicyos naudinianus]]'') || western Botswana, eastern Namibia and northern South Africa || A trailing herb with large, palmate leaves.  The fruit is mildly poisonous when unripe.
+|-
+|[[File:0892 Narafrucht Sossusvlei.JPG|120px]]||  Nara melon (''[[Acanthosicyos horridus]]'') || Native to Namib Desert but predominantly found within a narrow coastal strip in [[Namibia]] || It is almost exclusively found in sand dunes that have subterranean water supplies available to the plant.  The nara plant is leafless, the [[Aerial stem modification|modified stems]] and spines serve as the photosynthetic "organs" of the plant.
+|-
+|}
 Both the Nara and the Gemsbok Cucumber are edible; however, eating unripe fruit is highly inadvisable due to the presence of chemicals which "burn" the throat and esophagus.  The bushmen of the Kalahari eat the Gemsbok Cucumber after it has been roasted in a fire for a couple of hours.  This cooking renders the "burning" chemicals harmless; even if the cooked pulp is still slightly bitter, the Bushman seem to relish eating them, sucking out the contents and either spitting out or chewing up the plentiful seeds.
 ==References==
-{{reflist}}
+{{Reflist}}
-*[http://www.ipni.org/index.html International Plant Names Index]
 *[http://www.bihrmann.com/caudiciforms/subs/aca-nau-sub.asp Bihrmann's Caudiciforms: ''Acanthosicyos naudinianus'']
+{{Taxonbar|from=Q3303917}}
+{{Authority control}}
+[[Category:Benincaseae]]
 [[Category:Cucurbitaceae genera]]
 [[Category:Flora of Africa]]
+[[Category:Dioecious plants]]
 {{Cucurbitales-stub}}