Taxon:  Melothria sphaerocarpa (Cogn.) H. Schaef. & S. S. Renner



Summary
Genus:
Melothria
Family:
Cucurbitaceae
Tribe:
Benincaseae
Nomen number:
463029
Place of publication:
Taxon 60:134.  2011
Verified:
04/28/2011 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
9 (5  active, 1  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Basionym
Posadaea sphaerocarpa Cogn.

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Cladosicyos edulis Hook. f.
Cucumeropsis edulis (Hook. f.) Cogn.
Cucumeropsis mannii Naudin

No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2010. A gift from the New World? The West African crop Cucumeropsis mannii and the American Posadaea sphaerocarpa (Cucurbitaceae) are the same species. Syst. Bot. 35:534-540. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
  2. Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2011. Phylogenetic relationships in the order Cucurbitales and a new classification of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). Taxon 60:122-138.
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishdark egusi as Cucumeropsis mannii1PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource). Note: as Cucumeropsis mannii
Englishegusi-itoo as Cucumeropsis mannii1PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource). Note: as Cucumeropsis mannii
Englishwhite-seed-melon as Cucumeropsis mannii1Whitake, T. W. 1990. Cucurbits of potential economic importance. In: Bates, D. M. et al., Biology and utilization of the Cucurbitaceae 321. Note: as Cucumeropsis mannii
Frenchégousi as Cucumeropsis mannii2PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource). Note: as Cucumeropsis mannii
Frenchegousi-itoo as Cucumeropsis mannii2PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource). Note: as Cucumeropsis mannii
Frenchgousi as Cucumeropsis mannii2PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource). Note: as Cucumeropsis mannii
Portugueselipupu as Cucumeropsis mannii2PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource). Note: as Cucumeropsis mannii
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaSudan s.PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
1NativeAfricaSouth Tropical AfricaAngola  Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2010. A gift from the New World? The West African crop Cucumeropsis mannii and the American Posadaea sphaerocarpa (Cucurbitaceae) are the same species. Syst. Bot. 35:535-540. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaCôte D'Ivoire  Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2010. A gift from the New World? The West African crop Cucumeropsis mannii and the American Posadaea sphaerocarpa (Cucurbitaceae) are the same species. Syst. Bot. 35:535-540. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGhana  Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2010. A gift from the New World? The West African crop Cucumeropsis mannii and the American Posadaea sphaerocarpa (Cucurbitaceae) are the same species. Syst. Bot. 35:535-540. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaGuinea-Bissau  Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2010. A gift from the New World? The West African crop Cucumeropsis mannii and the American Posadaea sphaerocarpa (Cucurbitaceae) are the same species. Syst. Bot. 35:535-540. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaLiberia  Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2010. A gift from the New World? The West African crop Cucumeropsis mannii and the American Posadaea sphaerocarpa (Cucurbitaceae) are the same species. Syst. Bot. 35:535-540. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaNigeria  Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2010. A gift from the New World? The West African crop Cucumeropsis mannii and the American Posadaea sphaerocarpa (Cucurbitaceae) are the same species. Syst. Bot. 35:535-540. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
1NativeAfricaWest Tropical AfricaSierra Leone  Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2010. A gift from the New World? The West African crop Cucumeropsis mannii and the American Posadaea sphaerocarpa (Cucurbitaceae) are the same species. Syst. Bot. 35:535-540. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCameroon  Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2010. A gift from the New World? The West African crop Cucumeropsis mannii and the American Posadaea sphaerocarpa (Cucurbitaceae) are the same species. Syst. Bot. 35:535-540. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCentral African Republic  Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2010. A gift from the New World? The West African crop Cucumeropsis mannii and the American Posadaea sphaerocarpa (Cucurbitaceae) are the same species. Syst. Bot. 35:535-540. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaDemocratic Republic of the Congo  Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2010. A gift from the New World? The West African crop Cucumeropsis mannii and the American Posadaea sphaerocarpa (Cucurbitaceae) are the same species. Syst. Bot. 35:535-540. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
1NativeAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaEquatorial Guinea  Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2010. A gift from the New World? The West African crop Cucumeropsis mannii and the American Posadaea sphaerocarpa (Cucurbitaceae) are the same species. Syst. Bot. 35:535-540. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilAmazonas Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
1NativeSouthern AmericaBrazilBrazilPará Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanDominican Republic  Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2010. A gift from the New World? The West African crop Cucumeropsis mannii and the American Posadaea sphaerocarpa (Cucurbitaceae) are the same species. Syst. Bot. 35:534-540. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
1NativeSouthern AmericaCaribbeanTrinidad and TobagoTrinidad Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaGuyana  Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaVenezuelaAmazonas Steyermark, J. A. et al., eds. 1995-. Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Note: Missouri Botanical Garden & Timber Press
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaVenezuelaBarinas Steyermark, J. A. et al., eds. 1995-. Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Note: Missouri Botanical Garden & Timber Press
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaVenezuelaCarabobo Steyermark, J. A. et al., eds. 1995-. Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Note: Missouri Botanical Garden & Timber Press
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaVenezuelaCojedes Steyermark, J. A. et al., eds. 1995-. Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Note: Missouri Botanical Garden & Timber Press
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaVenezuelaDelta Amacuro Steyermark, J. A. et al., eds. 1995-. Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Note: Missouri Botanical Garden & Timber Press
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaVenezuelaLara Steyermark, J. A. et al., eds. 1995-. Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Note: Missouri Botanical Garden & Timber Press
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaVenezuelaMérida Steyermark, J. A. et al., eds. 1995-. Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Note: Missouri Botanical Garden & Timber Press
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaVenezuelaPortuguesa Steyermark, J. A. et al., eds. 1995-. Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Note: Missouri Botanical Garden & Timber Press
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaVenezuelaSucre Steyermark, J. A. et al., eds. 1995-. Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Note: Missouri Botanical Garden & Timber Press
1NativeSouthern AmericaNorthern South AmericaVenezuelaYaracuy Steyermark, J. A. et al., eds. 1995-. Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Note: Missouri Botanical Garden & Timber Press
1NativeSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaBolivia  Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1NativeSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaColombia  Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
1NativeSouthern AmericaWestern South AmericaEcuador  Jørgensen, P. M. & S. León-Yánez, eds. 1999. Catalogue of the vascular plants of Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75
2CultivatedAfricaWest Tropical AfricaCôte D'Ivoire  PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
2CultivatedAfricaWest Tropical AfricaNigeria  PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
2CultivatedAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCameroon  PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
2CultivatedAfricaWest-Central Tropical AfricaCentral African Republic  PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Native
Africa
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Sudan (s.)
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Central African Republic, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea
  • WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Côte D'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone
  • SOUTH TROPICAL AFRICA: Angola
Southern America
  • CARIBBEAN: Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago [Trinidad]
  • NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Guyana, Venezuela [Amazonas, Barinas, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro, Lara, Mérida, Portuguesa, Sucre, Yaracuy]
  • BRAZIL: Brazil [Amazonas, Pará]
  • WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador
Cultivated
Africa
  • WEST-CENTRAL TROPICAL AFRICA: Central African Republic, Cameroon
  • WEST TROPICAL AFRICA: Côte D'Ivoire, Nigeria

Reference(s)
  1. PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
  2. Davidse, G. et al., eds. 1994. Flora mesoamericana.
  3. Forzza, R. C. et al., coord. Lista de espécies da flora do Brasil (on-line resource).
  4. Jørgensen, P. M. & S. León-Yánez, eds. 1999. Catalogue of the vascular plants of Ecuador. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 75
  5. Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2010. A gift from the New World? The West African crop Cucumeropsis mannii and the American Posadaea sphaerocarpa (Cucurbitaceae) are the same species. Syst. Bot. 35:534-540. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
  6. Schaefer, H. & S. S. Renner. 2010. A gift from the New World? The West African crop Cucumeropsis mannii and the American Posadaea sphaerocarpa (Cucurbitaceae) are the same species. Syst. Bot. 35:535-540. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
  7. Steyermark, J. A. et al., eds. 1995-. Flora of the Venezuelan Guayana. Note: Missouri Botanical Garden & Timber Press
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Human foodoil/fatseeds are rich in oil and contain more protein than peanuts, as Cucumeropsis manniiBurkill, H. M. 1985. The useful plants of west tropical Africa. 1:577. Note: as Cucumeropsis mannii
Human foodseedsas Cucumeropsis manniiPROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource). Note: as Cucumeropsis mannii
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=463029. Accessed 15 April 2026.