34-473: See text Solanum aculeastrum is commonly known as soda apple , sodaapple nightshade , goat apple , poison apple , or more ambiguously as " bitter-apple ". It is a poisonous nightshade species from Africa and only distantly related to true apples . The term "soda apple" probably derives from " Sodom apple ", modified due to the fruit's detergent properties. It is a shrub or small tree native to tropical Africa south to South Africa , in
68-548: A pH range between 5.0 and 7.8. Historical accounts of trade go back to 1895 tracing its harvest and trade in Palestine's Jaffa for export to England under the commerce name of Turkish colocynth. "Brief account of the growth of colocynth in Palestine has more recently appeared in the United States consular reports (1895) from which we abstract the following points of interest : 19 The fruit grows abundantly between
102-695: A food source in areas of the Sahara and Sahel where crops frequently fail or regular farming is impossible. The enigmatic early Egyptian ceramic Clayton rings found in the Western Desert may have been portable ovens for roasting colocynth seeds. The desert Bedouin are said to make a type of bread from the ground seeds. The closely related watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus (Thunb)) was domesticated in Ancient Egypt, and may have been developed for edible seed from cultivated colocynth. In West Africa ,
136-404: A high survival rate due to the long tap root . The vine-like stems spread in all directions for a few meters looking for something over which to climb. If present, shrubs and herbs are preferred and climbed by means of auxiliary branching tendrils. Very similar to watermelon , the leaves are palmate and angular with three to seven divided lobes. The flowers are yellow and solitary in
170-400: A length of 13 feet (4.0 m) – Aristolochia grandiflora , the largest of all calyces. Similarly to ordinary leaves, sepals are capable of performing photosynthesis . However, photosynthesis in sepals occurs at a slower rate than in ordinary leaves due to sepals having a lower stomatal density which limits the spaces for gas exchange. After flowering, most plants have no more use for
204-535: A little moisture and organic fertilizer. The fruits are harvested still unripe by hand, the rind is removed by peeling and the inner pulp filled with seeds is dried in the sun or in ovens. The seeds yield is about 6.7 to 10 t/ha, which means that for an oil profit of 31 to 47%, oil yields may reach up to 3 t/ha. Oleic and linoleic acids isolated from C. colocynthis petroleum ether extracts show larvicidal activity against mosquitoes . Calyx (botany) A sepal ( / ˈ s ɛ p əl , ˈ s iː p əl / )
238-566: A number of subspecies and varieties of the soda apple, but these are not considered valid taxa anymore: Bitter-apple Citrullus colocynthis , with many common names including Abu Jahl 's melon , (native name in Turkey) colocynth , bitter apple , bitter cucumber , egusi , vine of Sodom , or wild gourd , is a poisonous desert viny plant native to the Mediterranean Basin and West Asia , especially
272-463: A relatively new protocol for regeneration has been developed with the aim of incorporating disease and stress resistance to increase yield potential and security avoiding interspecific hybridization barriers. C. colocynthis can be eaten or processed for further uses in medicine and as energy source, e.g. oilseed and biofuel . The characteristic small seed of the colocynth have been found in several early archeological sites in northern Africa and
306-462: A wide range of soil, terrain, and climatic conditions. It is highly branched and reaches 1–5 m high, with numerous sharp, hooked, brown thorns . The leaves are ovate, up to 15 cm long and 13 cm broad, with lobed margins and downy undersides. It flowers (in South Africa) from September to July, peaking from November to March. The petals are white to pale violet surrounding the ovary,
340-527: Is a good example of good water management which may be useful also on research to better understand how desert plants react to water stress. To enhance production, an organic fertilizer can be applied. Colocynth is also commonly cultivated together with cassava ( intercropping ) in Nigeria . Cultivated colocynth suffers of climatic stress and diseases such as cucumber mosaic virus , melon mosaic virus, Fusarium wilt, etc. as any other crop. To improve it,
374-478: Is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom. The term sepalum was coined by Noël Martin Joseph de Necker in 1790, and derived from Ancient Greek σκέπη ( sképē ) 'covering'. Collectively, the sepals are called the calyx (plural: calyces),
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#1732800875695408-456: Is collected by the native peasants (fellaheens) in July and August, before it is quite ripe, and is sold to Jaffa dealers, who peel it and dry the pulp in the sun, It is then molded into irregular small balls, packed in boxes and exported, mostly via England." C. colocynthis , a perennial plant , can propagate both by generative and vegetative means. However, seed germination is poor due to
442-454: Is derived from Arabic: الْحَنْظَل , romanized: al-Ḥanẓal , a name for colocynth. In traditional Arab veterinary medicine, colocynth sap was used to treat skin eruptions in camels . In Palestine it has been used to treat constipation, scabies , and postpartum inflammation in sheep, cows, goats, and chicken. The seeds of colocynth, which must be separated from the pulp and heated to make edible, have been used since antiquity as
476-424: Is filled with a soft, dry, and spongy white pulp, in which the seeds are embedded. Each of the three carpels bears six seeds. Each plant produces 15 to 30 fruits. The seeds are gray and 5 millimetres ( 1 ⁄ 4 in) long by 3 mm ( 1 ⁄ 8 in) wide. They are similarly bitter, nutty-flavored, and rich in fat and protein . They are eaten whole or used as an oilseed . The oil content of
510-708: Is native to the Mediterranean Basin and Asia , and is distributed among the west coast of northern Africa , eastward through the Sahara , Egypt until India , and reaches also the north coast of the Mediterranean and the Caspian Seas . It grows also in Southern Europe and on the Aegean Islands . On the island of Cyprus , it is cultivated on a small scale; it has been an income source since
544-446: Is single with monadelphous anther . The female flowers have three staminoids and a three- carpel ovary. The two sexes are distinguishable by observing the globular and hairy inferior ovary of the female flowers. The fruit is smooth, spheric with a diameter of 5 to 10 centimetres (2 to 4 inches) and an extremely bitter taste. The calyx englobe the yellow-green fruit which becomes marble (yellow stripes) at maturity. The mesocarp
578-428: Is three, or a multiple of three. The development and form of the sepals vary considerably among flowering plants . They may be free (polysepalous) or fused together (gamosepalous). Often, the sepals are much reduced, appearing somewhat awn -like, or as scales, teeth, or ridges. Most often such structures protrude until the fruit is mature and falls off. Examples of flowers with much-reduced perianths are found among
612-481: Is used as a hedge and living barrier for containing livestock . It is often used as a soap replacement, as it is high in saponin . Traditional Zulu practices use the fruit - fresh, boiled, or charred - in herbal medicine to treat a wide variety of afflictions, including cancer, toothaches, and ringworm. The soda apple has been described under a range of junior synonyms , now invalid. Several of these are ambiguous homonyms : The botanist Bitter distinguished
646-446: Is usually applied when the parts of the perianth are difficult to distinguish, e.g. the petals and sepals share the same color or the petals are absent and the sepals are colorful. When the undifferentiated tepals resemble petals, they are referred to as "petaloid", as in petaloid monocots , orders of monocots with brightly colored tepals. Since they include Liliales , an alternative name is lilioid monocots. Examples of plants in which
680-502: The 14th century and is still exported today. It is an annual or a perennial plant in the wild in Indian arid zones, and survives under extreme xeric conditions. In fact, it can tolerate annual precipitation of 250 to 1,500 mm (10 to 59 in) and an annual temperature of 14.8 to 27.8 °C. It grows from sea level up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level on sandy loam, subdesert soils, and sandy sea coasts with
714-464: The Levant , Turkey (especially in regions such as İzmir ), and Nubia . It resembles a common watermelon vine but bears small, hard fruits with a bitter pulp. The plant contains cucurbitacins and is unsafe to use. It originally bore the scientific name Colocynthis citrullus . The vine ranges from 2.4–3 metres (8–10 feet) in length. The roots are large, fleshy, and perennial, leading to
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#1732800875695748-428: The grasses . In some flowers, the sepals are fused towards the base, forming a calyx tube (as in the family Lythraceae , and Fabaceae ). In other flowers (e.g., Rosaceae, Myrtaceae), a hypanthium includes the bases of sepals, petals, and the attachment points of the stamens . Mechanical cues may be responsible for sepal growth and there is a strong evidence suggesting that microtubules are present and determine
782-712: The Near East, specifically at Neolithic Armant , Nagada in Egypt ; at sites dating from 3800 BC to Roman times in Libya ; and the pre-pottery Neolithic levels of the Nahal Hemar caves in Palestine . Zohary and Hopf speculate, "these finds indicate that the wild colocynth was very probably used by humans prior to its domestication." Colocynth has been widely used in traditional medicine for centuries. In Arabia
816-405: The axes of leaves and are borne by yellow-greenish peduncles . Each has a subcampanulated five-lobed corolla and a five-parted calyx . They are monoecious , so the male ( stamens ) and the female reproductive parts ( pistils and ovary ) are borne in different flowers on the same plant. The male flowers' calyx is shorter than the corolla. They have five stamens, four of which are coupled and one
850-542: The calyx which withers or becomes vestigial, although in a few plants such as Lodoicea and eggplant ( Solanum melongena ) the calyx grows along with the fruit, possibly to protect the attachment point. Some plants retain a thorny calyx, either dried or live, as protection for the fruit or seeds. Examples include species of Acaena , some of the Solanaceae (for example the Tomatillo , Physalis philadelphica ), and
884-424: The colocynth had numerous uses in traditional medicine , such as a laxative , diuretic , or for insect bites. The powder of colocynth was sometimes used externally with aloes , unguents , or bandages . Lozenges or pastilles made of colocynth were called "troches of alhandal" or trochisci alhandalæ and used as a laxative . They were usually composed of colocynth, bdellium , and gum tragacanth . Alhandal
918-457: The extreme xeric conditions, so vegetative propagation is more common and successful in nature. In the Indian arid zone, growth takes place between January and October, but the most favorable period for the vegetative growth is during summer, which coincides with the rainy season . Growth declines as soon as the rains and the temperature decrease and almost stops during the cold and dry months of December and January. Colocynth prefers sandy soils and
952-490: The flower also has a bitter, sour smell. These yield to fruit from April to January, peaking in June and November. These smooth, round berries are 6 cm in diameter and fade from green to yellow as they ripen. These berries contain high levels of the poisonous alkaloid solanine . The species name aculeastrum refers to the thorns that adorn most parts of the shrub. Because of its dense growth and prickly nature, soda apple
986-534: The mountains of Palestine and the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, from the city of Gaza northward to Mount Carmel. The plant thrives without any attention whatever on the part of the husbandman, since the climate and soil are all-sufficient for its perfect growth-the natural requirements being merely a sandy soil, warm climate and little moisture. The fruit which is known in commerce as the Turkish colocynth
1020-443: The name egusi may refer to this plant or Watermelon (or more generically to other cucurbitaceae ) in their capacity as seed crops, or to a popular soup made from these seeds. The flowers can be eaten, and the stem tips are a source of water. The oil obtained from the seeds (47%) can be used for soap production. The production is not very time- and energy-consuming due to the ability of colocynth to grow on poor soils with just
1054-498: The outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. The word calyx was adopted from the Latin calyx , not to be confused with calix 'cup, goblet'. The Latin calyx is derived from Greek κάλυξ kalyx 'bud, calyx, husk, wrapping' ( cf. Sanskrit kalika 'bud'), while calix is derived from Greek κύλιξ kylix 'cup, goblet'; both words have been used interchangeably in botanical Latin. The term tepal
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1088-437: The seeds is 17–19% (w/w), consisting of 67–73% linoleic acid , 10–16% oleic acid , 5–8% stearic acid , and 9–12% palmitic acid . The oil yield is about 400 L/ hectare . In addition, the seeds contain a high amount of arginine , tryptophan , and the sulfur -containing amino acids . It resembles the watermelon, which is in the same genus. Citrullus colocynthis is a desert viney plant that grows in sandy, arid soils. It
1122-436: The tensile strength and direction of growth at a molecular level. Morphologically , both sepals and petals are modified leaves. The calyx (the sepals) and the corolla (the petals) are the outer sterile whorls of the flower, which together form what is known as the perianth . In some plants, such as Aristolochia , the calyx is the primary whorl, forming a flower up to 20 inches (51 cm) wide, with one sepal growing to
1156-406: The term tepal is appropriate include genera such as Aloe and Tulipa . In contrast, genera such as Rosa and Phaseolus have well-distinguished sepals and petals. The number of sepals in a flower is its merosity . Flower merosity is indicative of a plant's classification. The merosity of a eudicot flower is typically four or five. The merosity of a monocot or palaeodicot flower
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