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Flower


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Apodanthera undulata - melon-loco

Other Common Names: melon loco
Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Cucurbitaceae


   
 
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Leaves
Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Plant
Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Perennial   Similar Species: Apodanthera aspera
General Desc: Foul-smelling, grayish, hairy plant; long, coarse, prostrate stems bear tendrils; round to kidney-shaped leaves; yellow funnel-shaped flowers; melons have raised, longitudinal ridges; massive taproot, diameter to 8 inches. Male and female on same plant.
Identification notes: Prostrate or trailing vine distinguished by grayish-green yellowish-green round, shallowly lobed leaves with rough, stiff hairs that feel like sandpaper to the touch, wavy leaf margins; large yellow male or female flowers; fruits hard-shelled.
Height: 1 to 6 inches


Habitat

Habitat Description: Found in dry soils, sometimes on limestone soils, sand dunes, gravelly flats, grasslands and roadsides.
Plant Communities: Desert Scrub, Semidesert Grasslands, Disturbed Areas
Elevation: 2500 - 5500 feet


Flower Characteristics

Color: Yellow     Shape: Regular in elongated clusters     Tubular: N     Flowering Period: Jun - Sep
Description: Staminate flowers clustered in lower axils; stamens 3, the anthers sessile, 1 anther 1-celled and the others 2-celled; pistillate flowers solitary in upper axils; the ovary has 3 placentae (seed chambers); the stigma 3-lobed.


Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Grayish-green     Leaf Type: Simple     Leaf Shape: Round or oval     Leaf Margin: Lobed     Leaf Attachment: Basal and alternate     Leaves Clasp: N
Hairs: Leaves and stems     Spines: N
Leaf Description: Round to kidney-shaped, finely toothed at the tip of the lobes, margins wavy, sparsely hairy, often sharply roughened above, whitish and densely hairy below; studded with fine rough points between veins above, coarse points below.


Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Color: Grayish-green, yellowish-green   
Fruit Type: Berry-like
Fruit Notes: Egg-shaped pepo (fleshy, splits open when ripe, many-seeded fruit with a tough rind), longitudinally ribbed, 1-1/2 to 2 inches wide, hairy, on stems 1-1/2 to 2-3/4 inches long. Fruit can grow up to 4 inches.


  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
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