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Telfairia pedata

Authority (Smith ex Sims) Hooker Family Magnoliopsida:Dilleniidae:Violales:Cucurbitaceae Synonyms Common names Editor Ecocrop code 10308

Notes
BRIEF DESCRIPTION A climbing vine with a stout, woody stem reaching up to 30 m in length. The fruit is 45-60 cm in length, 20 cm in diameter, weighing up to 15 kg with deep longitudinal ridges. The seeds are circular, flattened, yellow or brown and about 38 mm x 12 mm. USES The seeds are eaten dried, roasted, in soups, or pickled. They can also be made to express an oil, called castanah oil, used in soap and candle making. GROWING PERIOD Perennial vine. COMMON NAMES Oyster nut, Zanzibar oil vine, Mkweme, Matandu, African pumpkin. FURTHER INF Oyster nut is indigenous to tropical Africa, probably East Africa. It is cultivated from sea level up to 1800 m in elevation and is fairly drought-resistant.
Sources
SOURCES (T. pedata (Smith ex Sims) Hook) Tindall H 1983 pp 186-187 [LIG, TEXT, FER] Duke J 1975 pp 29 [PH, RAIN, TEMP] Roecklein J 1987 pp 334 [USE]