Telfairia pedata

Plant Characteristics

Origin:	✈	?

Cultivation

Exposure:	☼	?"?" is not in the list (sun, part-sun, shade, unknown) of allowed values for the "Exposure" property.
Water:	◍	?"?" is not in the list (wet, moist, moderate, dry, less when dormant) of allowed values for the "Water" property.

Scientific Names

Read about Telfairia pedata in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Telfairia pedata, Hook. (Feuillaea pedata, Sims). Root stout, fleshy: st. perennial, 50-100 ft. long: lvs. long-petioled; lfts. 3-5 in. long, acuminate, repand-toothed, glabrous except nerves beneath: fls. pale purple, fringed, male 2 in. across; petals obovate-cuneate; female fls. about 4 in. across; ovary obtusely 10-ribbed: fr. fleshy, sometimes weighs 60 lbs., 200-300-seeded; seed 1 in. broad, edible. Zanzibar. B.M. 2681; 2751, 2752.—Intro. into S. Calif. but not successful. The seeds are roundish, about an inch across, and the kernels are sweet to the taste, and are said to be as good as almonds. The negroes of Trop. Afr. boil and eat them. These seeds also yield an abundance of oil which has been said to be equal to olive oil. The fr. becomes l 1/2 - 3 ft. long and 8 in. wide. It is oblong in shape, has 10-12 deep furrows, and is always green. Both male and female fls. are 5-lobed, copiously fringed and purple in color, the females somewhat brownish, with a circular green throat, while the males have a 5-pointed star of green in the middle. The male fls. are about 2 in. across, females 4 in. across, with an ovary 2 in. long. The foliage has an unpleasant smell when bruised. CH The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Cultivation

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Propagation

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Pests and diseases

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

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