Puneet Varma (Editor)

Tumamoca macdougalii

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
Kingdom
  
Plantae

Family
  
Cucurbitaceae

Scientific name
  
Tumamoca macdougalii

Order
  
Cucurbitales

Genus
  
Tumamoca

Rank
  
Species

Similar
  
Marah horridus, Schizocarpum, Cucurbita digitata, Brandegea, Telfairia pedata

Tumamoca macdougalii Rose is a member of the Cucurbitaceae or gourd family. Also called the Tumamoc globeberry, it is native to a very narrow area of the Sonoran Desert, and is found in both Sonora and Arizona. It is one of two species in genus Tumamoca.

Tumamoca macdougalii is a monoecious vine climbing over various shrubs. Stems die in the fall, but tuberous roots generally persist through the winter. Leaves are deeply 3-lobed, nearly cleft, each lobe similarly divided into several sections. Flowers are pale yellow with narrow corolla lobes. Pistillate (female) flowers are solitary in the leaf axils; staminate (male) flowers in racemes of 2-6 flowers. Fruits are spherical, red, rarely yellow, about 10 mm (0.4 inches) in diameter.

Uses

The Seri and Tohono O'odham eat the fruits of T. macdougalii.

References

Tumamoca macdougalii Wikipedia