Zehneria alba

Zehneria alba
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Subfamily:	Cucurbitoideae
Tribe:	Melothrieae
Subtribe:	Cucumerinae
Genus:	Zehneria
Species:	Z. alba
Binomial name
Zehneria alba Ridl.
Synonyms
Melothria mucronata Cogn. Zehneria mucronata Blume

Zehneria alba is a species of flowering plant in the cucumber and gourd family Cucurbitaceae. It is endemic to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the north-eastern Indian Ocean. The specific epithet is from the Latin albus (white), referring to the colour of the flowers.

Description

Zehneria alba is a dioecious vine with stems growing to 3 m in length. The leaves are broadly ovate, cordate at the base, unlobed to shallowly 3-lobed, dentate, acute to acuminate, and 50–80 mm long. The flowers are small and white; the male inflorescence is paniculate or racemose, 30–150 mm long, with a 10–130 mm long peduncle; the female flowers are solitary or clustered. The fruit is ellipsoidal, 20–30 mm long, with seeds about 4 mm long.

Distribution and habitat

Found only on Christmas Island, the vine grows there both within the rainforest and along its shrubbed edges.

Taxonomy

The vine is sometimes considered to be conspecific with Zehneria mucronata Blume.