Telfairia
(so called after Charles Telfair, 1778-1833, an Irish botanist, who died in the Mauritius). SYNS. Ampelosicyos, Joliffia. ORD. Cucurbitaceae. A small genus (two species) of stove, climbing shrubs, natives of tropical Africa. Male flowers mediocre or rather large, on bracteate pedicels, racemose; calyx tube short, the lobes lanceolate, serrated or crenate; corolla pale purple, rotate, five-parted, the segments fringed with elongated tendrils; stamens three. Female flowers solitary; rudimentary stamens wanting; ovary oblong, tumid and lobed at the base, three to five-celled. Fruit large, orbicular, compressed; seeds edible. Leaflets three or five, oblong, auricled at base, repand-toothed or cut. By pressure, the seeds of T. pedata yield an excellent bland oil, and they are said to be, when fresh, as palatable as almonds. Telfairias produce their handsome flowers in great profusion, but require a large space to grow in, and to be frequently pruned before flowering. Sandy loam and a little peat form a desirable compost for the plants. Cuttings of the flowering shoots should be taken, and inserted in soil or sand, under a glass, in heat, where they will readily root.
T. occidentalis (Western). fl. 1 1/2in. to 2in diameter; corolla white, with a purple eye; stamens five; male racemes 1ft. long, six to ten-flowered. September. fr. yellow-green, 2ft. long, with ten thick wings 1in. deep, and flesh of golden-yellow pulp. l. alternate, petiolate, pedately five-foliolate; leaflets 3in. to 6in. long, shortly petiolulate, elliptic-ovate, obtusely acuminate, sinuate-toothed. Tendrils bifid. West Africa, 1870. (B. M. 6272.) Said to be cultivated for the seeds, which the negroes boil and eat.
T. pedata (pedate-leaved). fl. 1in. or more long; calyx downy, large; corolla purplish; male racemes six to eight-flowered; peduncles 6in. to 8in. long. July. fr. always green, 1 1/2ft. to 3ft. long, often 8in. across, with ten to twelve deep furrows; seeds the size of a very large kidney bean. Zanzibar, 1825. (B. M. 2751-2.) SYNS. Feuillaea pedata (B. M. 2681), Joliffia africana.