Melothria

...A creeping annual plant of the Cucurbitaceae family found in fields and on the edges of forests at the foot of mountains (illustration). The stems are very thin and long, with tendrils that grow from the nodes and twine around the plant. The leaves are triangular-cordate, 3-6 cm long, thin and membranous, with a slightly rough surface. Flowers open in August and September, with one flower at the end of a long, slender stalk for each sex. The corolla is white, has 5 lobes, and is about 7 mm in diameter. Female flowers have a swollen green ovary at the bottom. The fruit is a grayish-white globule, 1.3-2 cm in diameter, and hangs from the end of a slender stalk. The seeds are 5-6 mm long and smooth and flat. ...

*Some of the terminology that mentions "Melothria" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…野原や山麓の林の縁などに見られるウリ科のつる性一年草（イラスト）。茎はごく細くて長く伸び，節から巻きひげを出してからみつく。葉は三角状心形で長さ3～6cm，薄い膜質で表面はややざらつく。花は8～9月ころに開き，雌雄別々に細長い柄の先に1個ずつつく。花冠は白色で5裂し，直径約7mm。雌花では下にふくれた緑色の子房がある。果実は灰白色球形で，直径1.3～2cm，細い柄の先にぶら下がる。種子は長さ5～6mm，なめらかで扁平である。…

※「Melothria」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報