Cucurbitaceae
Sicyos

Sicyos edulis Jacq.

First published in Enum. Syst. Pl.: 32 (1760)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Mexico to Belize. It is a liana and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome. It is used as animal food and a medicine, has environmental uses and for food.

Distribution

Native to:

Belize, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest

Introduced into:

Argentina Northwest, Ascension, Assam, Azores, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cameroon, Canary Is., Cayman Is., China South-Central, China Southeast, Colombia, Cook Is., Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Himalaya, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Gulf of Guinea Is., Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Jawa, Leeward Is., Madeira, Marianas, Mauritius, Nepal, New Caledonia, Peru, Puerto Rico, Rodrigues, Réunion, St.Helena, Thailand, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Vietnam, West Himalaya, Windward Is.

Synonyms

Homotypic Synonyms

Heterotypic Synonyms

Classification

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Publications

POWO follows these authorities in accepting this name:

  • Mao, A.A. & Dash, S.S. (2020). Flowering Plants of India an Annotated Checklist (Dicotyledons) 1: 1-970. Botanical Survey of India.
  • Renner, S.S. & Pandey, A.K. (2013). The Cucurbitaceae of India: Accepted names, synonyms, geographic distribution, and information on images and DNA sequences. PhytoKeys 20: 53-118.
  • Schäfer, H. (2021). Flora of the Azores a field guide: 1-445. Margraf Publishers GmbH.
  • Zuloaga, F.O. & Belgrano, M.J. (eds.) (2017). Flora Argentina. Flora vascular de la República Argentina 17: 1-434. INTA, IMBIV & IBODA.

An alternative taxonomy had been proposed by the following authorities:

  • De Wilde, W.J.J.O. & Duyfjes, B.E.E. (2008). The edible Cucurbitaceae of Thailand and Malesia and the wild forms of the cultivated ones. Sandakania 17: 43-91. [Cited as Sechium edule.]

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.
  • Balick, M. J., M. H. Nee & D.E. Atha (2000). Checklist of the vascular plants of Belize. Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden 85: 1-246.
  • Bosser, J. & al. (eds.) (1990). Flore des Mascareignes 90-106: 1. IRD Éditions, MSIRI, RBG-Kew, Paris.
  • Choudhary, R.K., Srivastava, R.C., Das, A.K. & Lee, J. (2012). Floristic diversity assessment and vegetation analysis of Upper Siang district of eastern Himalaya in North East India. Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy 42: 222-246.
  • Dobignard, A. & Chatelain, C. (2013). Index synonymique de la flore d'Afrique du nord 5: 1-451. Éditions des conservatoire et jardin botaniques, Genève.
  • Fairhurst, W. (2004). Flowering Plants of Ascension island: 1-300. Higham Press, Shirland, Alfreton, England.
  • Figueiredo, E., Paiva, J., Stévart, T., Oliveira, F. & Smith, G.F. (2011). Annotated catalogue of the flowering plants of São Tomé and Príncipe. Bothalia, A Journal of Botanical Research 41: 41-82.
  • Fosberg, F.R., Sachet, M.-H., Oliver, R. (1979). A geographical checklist of the Micronesian Dicotyledonae. Micronesica; Journal of the College of Guam 15: 41-295.
  • GBIF (2008-2020). Global Biodiversity Information Facility http://www.gbif.org/.
  • Garcia-Mendoza, A.J. & Meave, J.A. (eds.) (2012). Diversidad florística de Oaxaca: de musgos a angiospermas (colecciones y listas de especies), ed. 2: 1-351. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
  • Hammel, B.E., Grayum, M.H., Herrera & C. & Zamora, N. (eds.) (2010). Manual de plantas de Costa Rica volumen V. Dicotiledóneas (Clusiaceae-Gunneraceae). Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 119: 1-970. Missouri Botanical Garden.
  • Hara, H., Stearn, W.T. & Williams, H.J. (1979). An Enumeration of the Flowering Plants of Nepal 2: 1-220. Trustees of British Museum, London.
  • Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.
  • Ibarra-Manríquez, G. & al. (2015). Lianas of Mexico. Botanical Sciences 93: 365-417.
  • Idárraga-Piedrahita, A., Ortiz, R.D.C., Callejas Posada, R. & Merello, M. (eds.) (2011). Flora de Antioquia: Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares 2: 1-939. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín.
  • Jørgensen, P.M., Nee, M.H. & Beck., S.G. (eds.) (2013). Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de Bolivia. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 127: 1-1741. Missouri Botanical Garden.
  • Lambdon, P. (2012). Flowering plants & ferns of St Helena: 1-624. Pisces publications for St Helena nature conservation group.
  • Lê, T.C. (2003). Danh lục các loài thực vật Việt Nam 2: 1-1203. Hà Nội : Nhà xuất bản Nông nghiệp.
  • López Patiño, E.J., Szeszko, D.R., Rascala Pérez, J. & Beltrán Retis, A.S. (2012). The flora of the Tenacingo-Malinalco-Zumpahuacán protected natural area, state of Mexico, Mexico. Harvard Papers in Botany 17: 65-167.
  • MacKee, H.S. (1994). Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie, ed. 2: 1-164. Museum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris.
  • Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
  • Onana, J.M. (2011). The vascular plants of Cameroon a taxonomic checklist with IUCN assessments: 1-195. National herbarium of Cameroon, Yaoundé.
  • Pasha, M.K. & Uddin, S.B. (2013). Dictionary of plant names of Bangladesh, Vasc. Pl.: 1-434. Janokalyan Prokashani, Chittagong, Bangladesh.
  • Renner, S.S. & Pandey, A.K. (2013). The Cucurbitaceae of India: Accepted names, synonyms, geographic distribution, and information on images and DNA sequences. PhytoKeys 20: 53-118.
  • Schäfer, H. (2021). Flora of the Azores a field guide: 1-445. Margraf Publishers GmbH.
  • Sykes, W.R. (2016). Flora of the Cook Islands: 1-973. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Hawaii.
  • Verloove, Fl. & Reyes-Betancort, J.A. (2011). Additions to the flora of Tenerife (Canary islands, Spain). Collectanea Botanica 30: 63-78.
  • Villaseñor, J.L. (2016). Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 87: 559-902.
  • Wagner, W.L., Herbst, D.R. & Sohmer, S.H. (1999). Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai'i, rev. ed., 1: 1-988. University of Hawai'i Press, Bishop Museum Press.
  • Wu, Z. & Raven, P.H. (eds.) (2011). Flora of China 19: 1-884. Science Press (Beijing) & Missouri Botanical Garden Press (St. Louis).
  • Zuloaga, F.O. & Belgrano, M.J. (eds.) (2017). Flora Argentina. Flora vascular de la República Argentina 17: 1-434. INTA, IMBIV & IBODA.
  • de Wilde, W.J.J.O. & Duyfjes, B.B.E. (2010). Flora Malesiana 19: 1-342. Noordhoff-Kolff N.V., Djakarta.
  • de Wilde, W.J.J.O. & Duyfjes, B.E.E. (2008). Flora of Thailand 9(4): 411-546. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department.

Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

  • Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R., & Celis, M. (eds.). (2020). Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia. v1.1. Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Dataset/Checklist. https://doi.org/10.15472/7avdhn
  • Cámara-Leret, R., & Dennehy, Z. (2019). Information gaps in indigenous and local knowledge for science-policy assessments. Nature Sustainability 2:736-741.
  • Diazgranados et al. (2021). Catalogue of plants of Colombia. Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia project. In prep.
  • Diazgranados, M., Allkin, B., Black N., Cámara-Leret, R., Canteiro C., Carretero J., Eastwood R., Hargreaves S., Hudson A., Milliken W., Nesbitt, M., Ondo, I., Patmore, K., Pironon, S., Turner, R., Ulian, T. (2020). World Checklist of Useful Plant Species. Produced by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Knowledge Network for Biocomplexity.
  • FPI (2021). Food Plants International. https://fms.cmsvr.com/fmi/webd/Food_Plants_World?homeurl=https://foodplantsinternational.com/plants/
  • GRIN (2021). Germplasm Resources Information Network from the United States Department of Agriculture. https://www.ars-grin.gov/
  • Medicinal Plant Names Services (MPNS) v.10 (2021); http://mpns.kew.org/
  • Willis, K.J. (ed.) (2017). State of the World’s Plants 2017. Report. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Other Data

Other Kew resources that provide information on this taxon:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Jan 1, 1996 Spruce, R. [s.n.] Peru Sechium edule K000006256 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422043 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] India Sechium edule K004421859 Yes
Christensen, H.; Apu, F.L. [786] Malaysia Sechium edule K004421861 Yes
Balick, M.J.; Arvigo, R.; Shropshire, G.; Matola, S. [2379] Belize Sechium edule K004421881 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422024 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Puerto Rico Sechium edule K004421886 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004421848 Yes
Palmer, E. [349] Mexico Sechium edule K004422000 Yes
Matthew, K.M. [RHT53082] India Sechium edule K004421858 Yes
Conklin, H.C.; Buwaya [I-1110] Philippines Sechium edule K004421862 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422059 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422026 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Cameroon Sechium edule K004421867 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422047 Yes
Milliken, W. [1310] Indonesia Sechium edule K004421863 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422029 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422056 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422052 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Martinique Sechium edule K004421884 Yes
Mtui [168] Tanzania Sechium edule K004421872 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422046 Yes
Nuñez, P.; Walshe, S. [6377] Peru Sechium edule K004422012 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004421847 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422048 Yes
Brummitt, R.K. [11733] Malawi Sechium edule K004421876 Yes
Guile, D.P.M. [6562] Hong Kong Sechium edule K004421856 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Mexico Sechium edule K004421882 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004421849 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422020 Yes
Hatschbach, G. [35562] Brazil Sechium edule K004421888 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422053 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422049 Yes
Hu, S.Y. [8126] Hong Kong Sechium edule K004421854 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422025 Yes
{Aymard, G.; Francisco oriega; Rivero, R.} [4229] Venezuela Sechium edule K004422016 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Jamaica Sechium edule K004422010 Yes
André, É. [3409] Ecuador Sechium edule K004422014 Yes
Bourgeau, M. [626] Sechium edule K004422002 Yes
Bristol, M.L. [2062] Samoa Sechium edule K004422060 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422023 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422041 Yes
Solomon, J.C. [13112] Bolivia Sechium edule K004422017 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422038 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422058 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422034 Yes
Nee, M.; Miller, J. [27673] Nicaragua Sechium edule K004422005 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422037 Yes
Zardini, E.M. [1169] Argentina Sechium edule K004422019 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422045 Yes
Greenway, P.J. [5935] Tanzania Sechium edule K004421875 Yes
Italy Sechium edule K:SPC-70000.324 No
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422050 Yes
Stevens, W.D.; Krukoff, B.A.; Hahn, W. [18938] Nicaragua Sechium edule K004422004 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Cameroon Sechium edule K004421868 Yes
Gentry, A.; Smith, D.; Jaramillo, N. [41499] Peru Sechium edule K004422013 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Brazil Sechium edule K004421887 Yes
Hu, S.Y. [8126] Hong Kong Sechium edule K004421857 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Puerto Rico Sechium edule K004421885 Yes
Broteri [572] Mexico Sechium edule K004422001 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422035 Yes
Goméz, L.D. [22000] Costa Rica Sechium edule K004422007 Yes
Caribbean Sechium edule K:SPC-65803.000 No
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422042 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422027 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sri Lanka Sechium edule K004422036 Yes
Moreno, P. [1077] Nicaragua Sechium edule K004422006 Yes
{Bunting, G.S.; Liesner, R.L.; A.J. Rosario T. Romer León} [12343] Venezuela Sechium edule K004422015 Yes
Ball, J. [s.n.] Brazil Sechium edule K001137226 Yes
Mtui, E.M. [38] Tanzania Sechium edule K004421871 Yes
Peter, G.A. [56864] Tanzania Sechium edule K004421873 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422032 Yes
Andres, T.C.; Nee, M.; Wyland, J.J. [107] Mexico Sechium edule K004421998 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422033 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422044 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422021 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422057 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422028 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422030 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004421850 Yes
Guile, D.P.M. [6561] Hong Kong Sechium edule K004421855 Yes
Kerber, E. [113] Sechium edule K004422003 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422055 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] India Sechium edule K004421860 Yes
Portugal Sechium edule K:SPC-70000.382 No
s.coll. [s.n.] Tanzania Sechium edule K004421874 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Cameroon Sechium edule K004421866 Yes
Mogg, A.O.D. [17613] Mexico Sechium edule K004421880 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422051 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422039 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422022 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422054 Yes
Mtui [168] Tanzania Sechium edule K004421870 Yes
Bourgeau, M. [1698] Mexico Sechium edule K004421999 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sri Lanka Sechium edule K004422031 Yes
Seibert, R.J. [418] Panama Sechium edule K004422008 Yes
Distin [s.n.] Jamaica Sechium edule K004422011 Yes
Faden, R.B. [67/786] Kenya Sechium edule K004421869 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] Sechium edule K004422040 Yes
Brummitt, R.K. [11733] Malawi Sechium edule K004421877 Yes
Glaziou [10867] Brazil Sechium edule K001137225 Yes

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of the Cayman Islands

    • Flora of the Cayman Islands
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0