Mann'S Cucumeropsis (Melothria sphaerocarpa)
Description
Egusi is a herbaceous, perennial climbing plant producing stems usually up to 5 metres long, but occasionally to 10 metres. These stems scramble into the surrounding vegetation, supporting themselves by means of tendrils . Egusi used to be a very important seed vegetable in West Africa and parts of Central Africa at a time when there was plenty of forest to practise shifting cultivation. It is commonly collected from wild stands, which are often retained when clearing fields and is also cultivated. Nowadays, although still often cultivated on farms and in gardens throughout its area of distribution, its use is in strong decline being replaced as a seed crop by Citrullus lanatus , 332 . The seeds are a common article of trade in local markets
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Magnoliophyta
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Cucurbitales
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Family: Cucurbitaceae
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Genus: Melothria
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