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CUCUMIS DIPSACEUS EHRENB. EX SPACH.

(CUCURBITACEAE): A NEW RECORD FOR
MAHARASHTRA STATE, INDIA

SAVITA SANJAYKUMAR RAHANGDALE1* AND

Universal Impact
Factor0.9285:2012; SANJAYKUMAR RAMLAL RAHANGDALE2
1.2210:2013 1
DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY, B. J. ARTS, COMMERCE &
Index Copernicus SCIENCE COLLEGE, ALE, DIST. PUNE - 412 411,
ICV 2011: 5.09
ICV 2012: 6.42 MAHARASHTRA, INDIA.
ICV 2013: 15.8 2
DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY, A. W. ARTS, SCIENCE &
ICV 2014:89.16
COMMERCE COLLEGE, OTUR, DIST. PUNE - 412 409,
NAAS Rating
2012 : 1.3; MAHARASHTRA, INDIA.
2013-2014- Corresponding authors e-mail: savitarahangdale7@gmail.com
2015:2.69

Received on: ABSTRACT:

2nd February 2016
Cucumis dipsaceus Ehrenb. ex Spach. is recorded for the first time from
Revised on: three locations in two districts, viz., Pune and Ahmednagar of Maharashtra
12th March 2016
State, India. A short description and ecological note with figure showing
Accepted on: habit and new distribution in India is provided.
20th March 2016

Published on: KEY WORD: Cucumis dipsaceus, New report, Maharashtra state.
1st May 2016
INTRODUCTION:
Volume No.
Online & Print The genus Cucumis L. is cosmopolitan in distribution and represented by
75 (2016) about 52 species in the world (Mabberley, 2008). There are only 13 species

Page No. and 2 varieties reported from India (Chakravarty, 1982; Saravalingam,
58 to 62 2010; Sutar et al., 2013, Nayar et al., 2014) and among that, 5 species and
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is an international 1 variety are reported from Maharashtra State (Almeida, 1998; Singh et al.
open access print & e 2001).
journal, peer reviewed,
worldwide abstract During the floristic exploration of Junnar taluka (190 to 1923 N latitude
listed, published every
and 733 to 7417 E longitude), Pune district, Maharashtra, and
month with ISSN, RNI
Free- membership, surrounding area the authors collected specimens of a Cucurbitaceae
downloads and access.

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 Life Sciences Leaflets FREE DOWNLOAD ISSN 2277-4297(Print)09761098(Online)

member in flowering and fruiting. It was identified as, Cucumis dipsaceus Ehrenb. ex Spach. based
on critical examination of specimens and thorough scrutiny of available literature (Dalzell & Gibson,
1861, Hooker, 1878; Cooke, 1958 (Repr.); Almeida, 1998; Singh et al., 2001; Sarvalingam et al.,
2010; Renner & Pandey, 2012). The identity of the specimen was also confirmed on the basis of
scrutiny of herbarium specimen (K000311083) available online at Royal Botanic Garden, Kew
(www.kew.org/science-conservation/collections/herbarium at apps.kew.org/herbcat/navigator.do.)
(RBG Kew 2016).
It was reported from Tamil Nadu as a new addition to flora of India by Sarvalingam et al., (2010);
then to the Karnataka and Kerala by Sutar et al., (2013) and Geethakumary et al., (2015),
respectively. The present paper reports the extended distribution of the species in India and a new
addition to the flora of Maharashtra State. Therefore, in the present paper, a description, note on
distribution and photographs are provided based on fresh collections (Fig. 1).
Description
Cucumis dipsaceus Ehrenb. ex Spach. Hist. Nat. Veg. 6: 211. 1838; Sarvalingam et al., IJBT 1: 37.
2010; Sutar et al., J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 110(3): 233234. 2013; Geethakumary et al., Asian J.
Sci. Tech. 6 (3):1194-1196. 2015.
Climbing/spreading herbs with tuberous rootstock. Stems weak, quadrangular, grooved, branched and
hispid. Leaves ovate, shallowly trilobed, densely hairy on both surfaces, base cordate, apex acute to
obtuse, margin serrate; petioles 1.5 4.5 cm long; tendril simple, pubescent. Inflorescence
monoecious, solitary axillary; Male flowers 1 1.2 2 2.5 cm; calyx lobes linear, ca 0.13 0.20
cm long, apex acute; corolla yellow; tube campanulate; lobes ca 1 1.2 0.5 0.7 cm, ovate, apex
obtuse, hispid outside, glabrous inside; stamens three; filament long; straight, dorsifixed, ciliate.
Female flowers 0.2 0.23 0.2 0.22 cm; turbinate, hispidulous; calyx lobes linear, ca 0.2 cm long;
corolla lobes obovate, 0.6 0.8 cm long, acute. Ovary oblong, densely aculeate, 3 locular; style long;
stigma 3 lobed, papillate. Fruit oblong, 3 8 2.5 5 cm, green, yellow on maturity, many-seeded,
densely aculeate. The fruits smell like the cucumber and taste little bitter.
Flowering and Fruiting: NovemberFebruary.
Ecological Note: The specimens are collected from village Wadgaon Anand and Rajuri in Junnar
taluka of District Pune and village Vankute, taluka Sangamner, in District Ahmednagar of
Maharashtra State, India. It was observed on fallow land along the canals.
Distribution
Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, Southern Egypt) and Asia: India
[Maharashtra (Present report), Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala].

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Illustration: New Illustrated Flora of the Hawaiian Islands, C. dispsaceus Ehrenb. 22/08/1934;
Sarvalingam et al., 2010.
Specimen examined: Isotype, K000311083 (Botanic Garden Kew, England, available online).
Exsiccata: India. Maharashtra: Pune District, Junnar Taluk, Wadgaon Anand, 660 m, November
2015, S.S. Rahangdale, 0910; Rajuri, 630 m, 29 November 2015, S.S. Rahangdale, 0928; (Herbarium
of B.J. College, Ale); Ahmednagar District, Sangamner Taluk, Vankute 24 January 2016, S.R.
Rahangdale, 0929 (Herbarium of B.J. College, Ale).

CONCLUSIONS:
The species is recently reported from the different states of India as the plant growing in wild from
the foothills of Maruthamalai hills in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu (Sarvalingam et al., 2010),
Attappadi hills of Pallakad district, Kerala (Geethakumary et al., 2015) and Karnataka states. The
locations in Tamil Nadu and Kerala are quite nearer to each other. The present observations of the
species in wild state at three locations of two districts of Maharashtra state, further confirms the wide
distribution of the species in India. At the present locations the species is found in scattered
populations of a few individuals on gravelly, well aerated soil. The area of present distribution in
Maharashtra is under rain shadow of South West Monsoon and has gravelly soils with somewhat
xeric conditions. The thick root stock remains dormant during dry period of the year, surviving the
plant under xeric conditions. As it is reported to be edible as vegetable in African countries, in near
future it may cater as new delicacy in the Indian cuisine.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Authors are grateful to the Principals and Authorities of, Hon. B. J. College, Ale and Principal, A.W.
College, Otur for providing necessary laboratory facilities. The support and help rendered from Dr.
Shriram Bhuskute, Principal, Bhavbhuti Mahavidyalaya, Amgaon, District Gondia is also thankfully
acknowledged.

REFERENCES:
Almeida, M.R. 1998. Flora of Maharashtra Vol. II. Blatter Herbarium, St. Xaviers College, Mumbai.
Pp. 314 317.

Chakravarty, H.L. 1982. Fascicles of Flora of India. Fascicle 11. Botanical Survey of India, Howrah.
Pp. 30 48.

Cooke, T. 1901 (Repr. 1958). Flora of the Presidency of Bombay Vol. I. Botanical Survey of India,
Calcutta. Pp. 568 570.

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Dalzell, N.A. and Gibson, A. 1861. The Bombay Flora. Education Societys Press, Byculla. Pp. 99
103.

Geethakumary, M.P., Deepu, S. and Pandurangan, A.G. 2015. A Note on the occurrence and
taxonomy of Arabian cucumber (Cucumis dipsaceus Ehrenb. ex Spach.) in India. Asian
Journal of Science & Technology. 6(3): 1194 1196.

Hooker, J.D. 1878. The flora of British India, Vol. 2. London, Pp. 619 620.

Kirkbride, J.H. 1993. Biosystematic monograph of the genus Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae). Parkway
Publishers, Boone, North Carolina, USA. 159pp.

Mabberley, D.J. 2008. Plant Book - A portable dictionary of plants, their classification and uses. Ed.
3. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 235pp.

Nayar, T.S., Rasiya Beegam, A. and Sibi, M. 2014. Flowering plants of the Western Ghats.
Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram. pp.
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Renner S.S. and Pandey, A.K. 2012. The Cucurbitaceae of India: Accepted names, synonyms,
geographic distribution and information on images and DNA sequences. Phytokeys @:@-@.
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Sarvalingam, A., Sivalingam, R., Rajendran, A. and Kalidass, C. 2010. Cucumis dipsaceus Ehrenb. ex
Spach. (Cucurbitaceae) - A new record for India. International Journal of Biological
Technology, 1: 3739.

Singh N.P., Lakshminarasimhan, P. and Karthikeyan, S. 2001. Flora of Maharashtra State. Vol. 2.
Botanical Survey of India, Calcutta. Pp. 55 73.

Sutar, S.P., Dixit, T.M., Yadav, S.R. and Bhat, K.V. 2013. Cucumis dipsaceus Ehrenb. ex Spach.
(Cucurbitaceae): A new record for Karnataka, India. Journal of Bombay Natural History
Society, 110(3): 233 234.

Royal Botanic Gardens 2016. www.kew.org/science-conservation/collections/herbarium at

apps.kew.org/herbcat/navigator.do (assessed: 29 January 2016).

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