PUBLISHED IN: Species Plantarum {Sp. Pl.} 2: 1011. 1753. Annotation: as “Anguria.”

TYPE: Sweden. Plant cultivated at Uppsala, syntypes: LINN-1152.5, 1152.6.

ETYMOLOGY:

SYNONYMY: Cucumis subhirsutus minor P. Browne, Civ. nat. hist. Jamaica ed. 2, 353. 1789.
     Cucumis echinatus Moench, nom. superfl., Methodus 654. 1794.
     Cucumis parviflorus Salisb., nom. superfl., Prodr. stirp. Chap. Allerton 157. 1796.
     Cucumis macrocarpus Wender. in Spix & Mart., Reise Bras. 2: 536. 1828.
     Cucumis angurioides M. Roem., Fam. nat. syn. monogr. 2: 79. 1846. TYPE: Fl. Flum. Icon. 10: 85, 1831 [lectotype, designated Kirkbride (1993)]. Nom. nov. for Cucumis anguria J.M. da C. Vellozo, Fl. Flum. Icon. 10: 85. 1831.
     Cucumis erinaceus Naudin ex C. Huber, Catalogue pour le printemps 1864, p. 6. 1864. TYPES: France, Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, 1862, Naudin s.n. (lectotype, designated Kirkbride (1993): K; isolectotypes: E, P).
     Cucumis longipes Hook.f. in Oliv., Fl. trop. Afr. 2: 547. 1871. TYPE: Angola, Golungo Alto: Ad Quibine sob. Bumba, VI 1836, F.M.J. Welwitsch 846 (lectotype, designated Kirkbride (1993): BM; isolectotype: LISU).
     Cucumis anguria L. var. longipes (Hook.f.) A. Meeuse, Blumea, suppl., 4: 200. 1958.
     Cucumis arada L. ex Naudin & F. Muell., Manuel de l'Acclimateur 230. 1887. Kirkbride (1993) examined the Cucumis collections at P in 1987 and was unable to locate the type of C. arada. Presumably it was described from garden plants.
     Cucumis anguria L. subsp. cubensis Gand., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 65: 28. 1918. TYPE: Cuba, Pinar del Río: Punta Brava, 15 Nov 1904, Baker & O'Donovan 3992 (holotype: LY).
     Cucumis cubensis Gand., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 65: 28. 1918, indexing error.
     Cucumis anguria C. Linnaeus subsp. jamaicensis Gand., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 65: 28. 1918. TYPE: Jamaica, Hope, 1 June 1898, W. Harris 6967 (holotype: LY).
     Cucumis jamaicensis Gand., Bull. Soc. Bot. France 65: 28. 1918, indexing error.
     Apodanthera scaberrima T.S. Brandegee, University of California Publications in Botany {Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot.} 10(2): 188. 1922. TYPE: Mexico, Veracruz, Barranca de Panoaya, Purpus 8685 (holotype: UC 208831; isotypes: GH, NY 172324).

INFRASPECIFIC TAXA: Cucumis anguria var. anguria
     Cucumis anguria var. longaculeatus J.H. Kirkbride, Biosystematic Monograph of the Genus Cucumis (Cucurbitaceae). 39. 1993. TYPE: Namibia. Ovamboland: 20 km. south of Oshikango, 12 March 1973, R. J. Rodin 9046 (holotype: K; isotypes: M, MO, PRE)

VERNACULAR NAME: bur gherkin

OTHER VERNACULAR NAMES: West Indian gherkin, gooseberry gourd, wild spiny cucumber
     Chinese: xi yih du huang gua
     Danish: anguria-agurk
     Dutch: eivormige komkommer
     French: concombre des antilles, cornichon des Antilles, angourie
     German: angurien-Gurke, Westindische-Gurke, Pfeffer-Gurke
     Italian: cetriolo americano
     Japanese: gaakin
     Mozambique: caferefere, cassongo
     Potuguese: pepino das Antilhas, cornichão das Antilhas, machiche, maxixé, xuxu (Brazil)
     Russian: anguria
     Spanish: meloncillo, pepino de sábana, patilla de golero, pepino de monte

CULTIVARS:

DESCRIPTION:

CHROMOSOME NUMBER: 2n = 24.

DISTRIBUTION: Widely cultivated and naturalized in the Neotropics. Native to southern Africa.

ECOLOGY:

EDIBLE USE: Immature fruit boiled or pickled.

MEDICINAL USE: fruit

OTHER USE:

ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE:

CONSERVATION:

CULTIVATION PRACTICES:

SEEDS AVAILABLE FROM:

LITERATURE: Meeuse, A. D. J. 1958. The possible origin of Cucumis anguria L. Blumae 1958. Jubilee Vol. Suppl. 4:196–205.

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