Taxon:  Cucumis metuliferus E. Mey. ex Naudin



Summary
Genus:
Cucumis
Subgenus:
Cucumis
Section:
Metuliferi
Family:
Cucurbitaceae
Tribe:
Benincaseae
Nomen number:
12574
Place of publication:
Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot. sér. 4, 11:10.  1859
Comment:
there is some question as to whether the spelling should be corrected to "metulifer" to reflect the classical Latin termination (Shenzhen ICN Art. 32.2) for the masculine form of this adjectival epithet (see also W. T. Stearn, Botanical Latin ed. 4:91. 1992), but lacking explicit guidance in the Code for this case we retain the original spelling
Verified:
02/06/2007 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
67 (56  active, 52  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
  2. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  3. Borlaug, N. et al., eds. 2008. Fruits: Horned melon. In: National Research Council, Lost crops of Africa. 3:89-101.
  4. Chen, J.-F. & X.-H. Zhou. 2011. Cucumis. In: Kole, C., ed., Wild crop relatives: genomic and breeding resources, vegetables 6:67-90. Note: this report cites Cucumis metuliferus as 2n=24 that failed in attempts of crossing with either C. melo or C. sativus
  5. Deakin, J. R. et al. 1971. Interspecific hybridization in Cucumis. Econ. Bot. 25:195-211.
  6. Erhardt, W. et al. 2002. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 17. Auflage
  7. Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen 2:1340.
  8. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  9. George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
  10. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
  11. Ghebretinsae, A. G. et al. 2007. Relationships of cucumbers and melons unraveled: molecular phylogenetics of Cucumis and related genera (Benincaseae, Cucurbitaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 94:1256-1266.
  12. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  13. Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
  14. Kellerman, T. S. et al. 1988. Plant poisonings and mycotoxicoses of livestock in Southern Africa
  15. Kirkbride, J. H., Jr. 1993. Biosystematic monograph of the genus Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) Note: Parkway Publ., North Carolina
  16. Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
  17. Navrátilová, B. et al. 2011. Biotechnological methods utilized in Cucumis research - A review. Hort. Sci. 38:150-158. Note: this review showed some successful embryo rescue attempts of crosses of Cucumis sativus × C. metuliferus
  18. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  19. Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
  20. Renner, S. S. et al. 2007. Phylogenetics of Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae): Cucumber (C. sativus) belongs in an Asian/Australian clade far from melon (C. melo. B. M. C. Evol. Biol. 7:58. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-7-58.
  21. Schaefer, H. 2007. Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) must include Cucumella, Dicoelospermum, Mukia, Myrmecosicyos, and Oreosyce: a recircumscription based on nuclear and plastid DNA data. Blumea 52:170.
  22. Sebastian, P. et al. 2010. Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and melon (C. melo) have numerous wild relatives in Asia and Australia, and the sister species of melon is from Australia. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 107:14269-14273.
  23. Thulin, M., ed. 1993-. Flora of Somalia.
  24. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  25. Walters, S. A. & C. W. Todd. 2002. Incompatibility in diploid and tetraploid crosses of Cucumis sativus and Cucumis metuliferus. Euphytica 128:371-374. Note: Netherlands journal of plant breeding
  26. Whitake, T. W. 1990. Cucurbits of potential economic importance. In: Bates, D. M. et al., Biology and utilization of the Cucurbitaceae 321.
  27. Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
  28. Wunderlin, R. & B. Hansen. Atlas of Florida vascular plants (on-line resource).
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
EnglishAfrican horned cucumber  1Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
EnglishAfrican horned melon  1Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
Englishhorny cucumber  1Erhardt, W. et al. 2002. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 17. Auflage
Englishjelly melon  1Whitake, T. W. 1990. Cucurbits of potential economic importance. In: Bates, D. M. et al., Biology and utilization of the Cucurbitaceae 321.
Englishkiwano  1Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Frenchconcombre africain  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
GermanHommelone  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
GermanHorn-Gurke  2Erhardt, W. et al. 2002. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 17. Auflage
GermanKiwano  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaKenya  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaTanzania  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaEast Tropical AfricaUganda  Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEthiopia  Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSudan  Kirkbride, J. H., Jr. 1993. Biosystematic monograph of the genus Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) Note: Parkway Publ., North Carolina
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaAngola  Kirkbride, J. H., Jr. 1993. Biosystematic monograph of the genus Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) Note: Parkway Publ., North Carolina
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMalawi  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaMozambique  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZambia  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaZimbabwe  Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaBotswana  Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaEswatini  Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaNamibia  Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaKwaZulu-Natal Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaLimpopo Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaMpumalanga Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaBurkina Faso  Kirkbride, J. H., Jr. 1993. Biosystematic monograph of the genus Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) Note: Parkway Publ., North Carolina
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaLiberia  Kirkbride, J. H., Jr. 1993. Biosystematic monograph of the genus Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) Note: Parkway Publ., North Carolina
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSenegal  Kirkbride, J. H., Jr. 1993. Biosystematic monograph of the genus Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) Note: Parkway Publ., North Carolina
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCameroon  Kirkbride, J. H., Jr. 1993. Biosystematic monograph of the genus Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) Note: Parkway Publ., North Carolina
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCentral African Republic  Kirkbride, J. H., Jr. 1993. Biosystematic monograph of the genus Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) Note: Parkway Publ., North Carolina
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaDemocratic Republic of the Congo  Kirkbride, J. H., Jr. 1993. Biosystematic monograph of the genus Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) Note: Parkway Publ., North Carolina
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaYemen  Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
2CultivatedAfrica Africa  Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
4NaturalizedAustralasiaAustraliaAustraliaQueensland George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
4NaturalizedNorthern AmericaSoutheastern U.S.A.United StatesFlorida Wunderlin, R. & B. Hansen. Atlas of Florida vascular plants (on-line resource).
Native
Africa
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Ethiopia, Sudan
  • EAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Central African Republic, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Burkina Faso, Liberia, Senegal
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini, South Africa [KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga]
Asia-Temperate
  • ARABIAN PENINSULA: Yemen
Cultivated
Africa
  • REGION: Africa
Naturalized
Australasia
  • AUSTRALIA: Australia [Queensland]
Northern America
  • SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Florida]

Reference(s)
  1. Exell, A. W. et al., eds. 1960-. Flora zambesiaca.
  2. George, A. S., ed. 1980-. Flora of Australia.
  3. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa.
  4. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  5. Kirkbride, J. H., Jr. 1993. Biosystematic monograph of the genus Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae) Note: Parkway Publ., North Carolina
  6. Turrill, W. B. et al., eds. 1952-. Flora of tropical East Africa.
  7. Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
  8. Wunderlin, R. & B. Hansen. Atlas of Florida vascular plants (on-line resource).
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Human foodfruitused like cucumbersWhitake, T. W. 1990. Cucurbits of potential economic importance. In: Bates, D. M. et al., Biology and utilization of the Cucurbitaceae 321.
Vertebrate poisonsmammals Kellerman, T. S. et al. 1988. Plant poisonings and mycotoxicoses of livestock in Southern Africa
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=12574. Accessed 14 April 2026.