Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad.

 
  • Family : CUCURBITACEAE
    (Gourd Or Melon Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : KHARBOOZA FAMILY (खरबूजा फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Cucurbitaceae
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad.
  • Common name : Colocynth, Indian Wild Gourd, Citron, Bitter apple, Vine of Sodom
  • Vernacular name :
    • Indrayan (Hindi)
    • Havumekkekayi gida (Kannada)
    • Pei kumatti, Varikumati (Tamil)
    • Papara (Telugu)
    • Indiravaruni, Chitraphala (Sanskrit)
    • Pekumatti, Kattuvellari (Malayalam)
  • Habit : Climber
  • Habitat : Tropical dry deciduous forests
  • Comments / notes : Often in plains along river banks and in wastelands
  • Flower, Fruit : May-October
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : Kurnool district, Guntur district, Kadapa district, Chittoor district, Anantapur district, West Godavari district, Srikakulam district
    • Kerala : Idukki district
    • Odisha : Sundergarh district
    • Tamil Nadu : Tiruvannamalai district, Dharmapuri district, Villipuram district
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Punjab : Punjab
    • Rajasthan : Churu district, Jaisalmer district, Barmer district, Bikaner district, Jodhpur district
  • World Distribution : Tropics & Sub-tropics of the North Africa, Asia; Semi-arid regions of Atlantic Islands, Afganistan, Pakistan
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2007 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 3
    • R. S. Rao et al., 1986 - Flora of West Godavari District
    • R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Citrullus colocynthis. Downloaded on 14 December 2024.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

Habitat

India Distribution

World Distribution

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