Coccinia abyssinica

Names and Synonyms

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Cephalandra diversifolia
• Cucumis striatus
• Cucurbita exanthematica
• Bryonia macrophylla
• Bryonia abyssinica
• Coccinia diversifolia
• Coccinia diversifolia var. glabrescens

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant, Coccinia abyssiniaca, belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta. It is classified under the class Equisetopsida and the subclass Magnoliidae within the order Cucurbitales. Furthermore, it is a member of the family Cucurbitaceae and falls under the genus Coccinia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant is primarily located within the Northeast Tropical Africa region. Specifically, its natural habitat includes the highland and lowland areas of Ethiopia. It can also be found spanning across the territories of Sudan and South Sudan. This distribution highlights its presence within key ecological zones of Northeast Africa. Consequently, the plant's range is concentrated in these specific African nations.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Coccinia abyssiniaca is characterized by its classification as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons rather than completing its life cycle in a single year. As a perennial species, it maintains a continuous presence in its natural habitat, often utilizing robust vegetative structures to survive periods of dormancy or environmental stress. This long-lived nature enables the plant to establish deep-seated root systems or climbing mechanisms that support sustained growth and repeated reproductive efforts over several years, distinguishing its developmental strategy from annual or biennial species.

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Coccinia abyssinica is characterized by its growth habit as an obligatory climber, functioning specifically as a vine or liana to navigate its environment. This non-woody plant typically reaches a mean height of approximately 3 m.

Climber :

vine

Climber :

obligatory

Plant height mean:

3 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Coccinia abyssica is characterized by specialized metabolic processes adapted to its specific ecological niche, particularly regarding its nutrient acquisition strategies. In terms of its symbiotic relationships and soil nutrient cycling, the plant does not function as a nitrogen fixer; it lacks the specialized root nodules or the biological mechanism required to host diazotrophic bacteria for the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into bioavailable forms. Consequently, its nitrogen uptake is entirely dependent on the availability of nitrates or ammonium present within the soil substrate. Its metabolic framework is geared toward efficient resource utilization within its habitat, focusing on vegetative growth and reproductive development through standard photosynthetic pathways, without the added physiological complexity of nitrogen-fixing symbioses.

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Coccinia abyssinica has 2 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include CA, Vitamin A.

CA

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)

Vitamin A

1. Foods (Basel, Switzerland)