Wild cucumber
Coccinia rehmannii

Family: Cucurbitaceae

What it is like

A pumpkin family plant. It is a perennial creeping herb. It has a tuber 40 cm long. The stems are angled. They are grey green with white specks. The leaves are rigid and rough. They are dark green on top and paler below. When they are young they have bristles but they are smooth later. The leaves are deeply divided. The edges of the leaves are thickened and with fine teeth. The flowers are separately male and female. The male flowers are in clusters and the female flowers occur singly. The flowers are funnel shaped and yellow. The fruit is oval and becomes bright red when ripe.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. Plants can tolerate occasional frosts. Plants grow up to 1000 m altitude or higher. They occur on dry sandy soils. They have some salt tolerance. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Asia, Botswana, Central Africa, East Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The tubers are eaten. They must be roasted or boiled and are normally then peeled. The thick juicy stems are eaten after roasting. The leaves are cooked and eaten. The fruit can be eaten. Caution: The fruit are claimed to cause sore eyes.

The tubers are a major food of the Kade Bushmen of the Kalahari. The fruit are occasionally eaten by children.

Edible parts

Leaves, fruit, tubers, root, stem, vegetable

How it is grown

Tubers extend 70 cm into the ground which takes extensive digging to harvest them.

Its other names

Local names

Fuculumnue, Inyang-wazi, Itjimaka, Kaukau, Kgaba, Kujana, Magapa, Oro, Otjimaga, Pfungulune, Tshifhafhe, Uselwa-iwenyoka, Tjwalabetinyoni

Synonyms

Coccinia ovifera Dinter & Gilg.; Coccinia rehmannii var. littoralis Meeuse; Coccinia helenae Buscal & Muschler;