Acanthosicyos horridus
Table of Contents
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID644006a163e87755378682 |
| Scientific name | Acanthosicyos horridus |
| Authority | Welw. ex Benth. & Hook.f. |
| First published in | Gen. Pl. 1: 824 (1867) |
Description Top
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The Nama use the melon to make a sweet drink called ǃnara-ǃnara. The melon is also used to make a traditional medicine for treating colds and flu.
Acanthosicyos horridus is an unusual melon that is endemic to the Namib desert. It is a dioecious, leafless, phreatophyte that is found in sandy deserts and is a keystone species, providing food and shelter for a variety of vertebrates. Its melons, seeds, shoots, and flowers are food sources for beetles, gemsbok, and ostrich, while small rodents take shelter amid the spiny tangle of its stems. The melon fruits average 1 kg and are pale green and spiny, with a sweet, aromatic, watery, yellow-orange pulp. The large edible seeds, white to cream in color, are known as butter-nuts or butterpips and are exported for use in baked goods. The Nama people use the melon to make a sweet drink and a traditional medicine for treating colds and flu.
Acanthosicyos horridus is an unusual melon that is endemic to the Namib desert. It is a dioecious, leafless, phreatophyte that is found in sandy deserts and is a keystone species, providing food and shelter for a variety of vertebrates. Its melons, seeds, shoots, and flowers are food sources for beetles, gemsbok, and ostrich, while small rodents take shelter amid the spiny tangle of its stems. The melon fruits average 1 kg and are pale green and spiny, with a sweet, aromatic, watery, yellow-orange pulp. The large edible seeds, white to cream in color, are known as butter-nuts or butterpips and are exported for use in baked goods. The Nama people use the melon to make a sweet drink and a traditional medicine for treating colds and flu.
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | botterpit |
| Czech | naras bodlinatý |
| German | narastrauch |
| German | naras |
| Persian | خربزه نارا |
| Japanese | ナラメロン |
| Russian | Акантосициос ощетиненный |
| Slovenian | nara |
| Thai | นารา |
| Ukrainian | Нара |
| Chinese | 刺枝瓜 |
| Chinese | 納米比亞甜瓜 |
| Chinese | 纳米比亚甜瓜 |
| Chinese | 纳米比亚野生甜瓜 |
| Chinese | 納米比瓜 |
| Chinese | 劍羚瓜 |
Germination/Propagation Top
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No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
-
Africa click to expand
-
South Tropical Africa
- Angola
-
Southern Africa
- Cape Provinces
- Namibia
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South Tropical Africa
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000513768 |
| UNII | IW8X7S97TR |
| Tropicos | 9200931 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:291170-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-2615175 |
| PFAF | Acanthosicyos horridus |
| Open Tree Of Life | 736691 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 387122 |
| IPNI | 291170-1 |
| iNaturalist | 84992 |
| GBIF | 3625393 |
| Freebase | /m/028bl5w |
| EPPO | ACWHO |
| EOL | 5736486 |
| US Library of Congress | sh2004007134 |
| USDA GRIN | 1073 |
| Wikipedia | Acanthosicyos_horridus |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
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Phytochemical Profile Top
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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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| Name | PubChem ID | Canonical SMILES | MW | Found in | Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Cucurbitacins | |||||
| (8S,9R,10S,13R,14S)-17-[(2R)-2,6-dihydroxy-6-methyl-3-oxohept-4-en-2-yl]-2,16-dihydroxy-4,4,9,13,14-pentamethyl-2,7,8,10,12,15,16,17-octahydro-1H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthrene-3,11-dione | 138113434 | Click to see CC1(C2=CCC3C4(CC(C(C4(CC(=O)C3(C2CC(C1=O)O)C)C)C(C)(C(=O)C=CC(C)(C)O)O)O)C)C | 516.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)81235-2 |
| Cucurbitacin B | 5281316 | Click to see CC(=O)OC(C)(C)C=CC(=O)C(C)(C1C(CC2(C1(CC(=O)C3(C2CC=C4C3CC(C(=O)C4(C)C)O)C)C)C)O)O | 558.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)81235-2 |
| Cucurbitacin D | 5281318 | Click to see CC1(C2=CCC3C4(CC(C(C4(CC(=O)C3(C2CC(C1=O)O)C)C)C(C)(C(=O)C=CC(C)(C)O)O)O)C)C | 516.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)81235-2 |
| Dihydrocucurbitacin B | 267250 | Click to see CC(=O)OC(C)(C)CCC(=O)C(C)(C1C(CC2(C1(CC(=O)C3(C2CC=C4C3CC(C(=O)C4(C)C)O)C)C)C)O)O | 560.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)81235-2 |
| > Lipids and lipid-like molecules / Steroids and steroid derivatives / Cycloartanols and derivatives | |||||
| (1S,3R,8R,11R,12S,16R)-7,7,12,16-tetramethyl-15-(6-methyl-5-methylideneheptan-2-yl)pentacyclo[9.7.0.01,3.03,8.012,16]octadecan-6-one | 137705113 | Click to see CC(C)C(=C)CCC(C)C1CCC2(C1(CCC34C2CCC5C3(C4)CCC(=O)C5(C)C)C)C | 438.70 | unknown | https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-9422(00)81235-2 |
Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |