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Common Names: Fluted pumpkin, Fluted gourd, Ugu
Local Names: Ugu (Igbo, Nigeria), Eweroko (Yoruba, Nigeria),
Ikong-ubong (Efik/Ibibio, Nigeria), Okwukwo-wiri (Ikwerre, Nigeria), Akwukwor
ri (Etche, Nigeria), Ubong (Ibibio, Nigeria), Umeke (Edo, Nigeria)
Species ID: NMP-246 | wfo-0000408984
Scientific
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Telfairia
Species: T. occidentalis
Synonym: Telfairia africana Hook.f.
Morphological Description
- Stems: Robust, twining vines with long tendrils; hairy
when young, becoming woody with age (Akoroda, 1990).
- Leaves: Palmately compound, with 3-5 leaflets sized 8–15
cm × 5–10 cm, dark glossy green, nutrient-rich (Okoli & Mgbeogu,
1983).
- Flowers: Creamy-white with dark red/purple centres, 3–5 cm
diameter, male flowers larger & multiple, female solitary (Fern,
2024).
- Fruit: Large, inedible gourds 30–90 cm long, weight up
to ~9 kg, green with pale stripes; internal oil-rich edible seeds
(Burkill, 1995).
- Geographic Range: Native to southern Nigeria; cultivated widely in
Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, DR Congo; also present in Benin
& Uganda (Kew Science, n.d.).
- Habitat: Lowland rainforest, secondary forest edges,
farmland; fertile well-drained loamy soils (pH 5.5-7.0); rainfall
1,200-2,000 mm; elevation to approx. 1,200 m (Akoroda, 1990).
- Ecological Role: Supports soil fertility in agroforestry, offers
shade, attracts pollinators such as bees (Burkill, 1995).
- Antisickling: In vitro ethanol leaf extract (4 mg/mL) showed
78.84% inhibition of sickling and 95.4% reversal of sickling of HbSS blood
cells surpassing a reference product (Osukoya et al., 2018).
- Antidiabetic: Ethanol leaf extract at 250 mg/kg in
alloxan-induced diabetic rats lowered blood glucose by ~40%, comparable to
glibenclamide; mechanism includes α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition
(Eseyin et al., 2010).
- Antioxidant: Methanolic leaf extract exhibited strong DPPH
scavenging (147.3% at 0.2 mg/mL), with phenolic content 82.14 mg GAE/g and
flavonoid 24.78 mg QE/g (Osukoya et al., 2016).
- Anti-inflammatory / Analgesic: Hydroethanolic leaf extract at 400 mg/kg reduced
acetic-acid-induced writhing in mice by ~80.78%, comparable to aspirin
(Akindele et al., 2015).
- Antimalarial: Ethanol root extract showed blood schizontocidal
activity comparable to chloroquine in vivo (Okokon et al., 2007).
- Anxiolytic / Sedative: Hydroethanolic leaf extract in mice (50-100
mg/kg) increased open-arm entries (anxiolytic effect); higher doses
(200-400 mg/kg) showed sedation (Ajao & Akindele, 2013).
- Hepatoprotective: Aqueous leaf extract reduced elevated ALT and AST
in rats with induced liver damage (Nwanna et al., 2008).
⚠ Toxicity Profile: Acute toxicity studies show no mortality in rats
up to an aqueous leaf extract dose of 3,000 mg/kg. Sub-chronic dosing (2,000
mg/kg for 60 days) produced a reversible reduction in testicular weight and
mild histological testicular changes but no significant effects on
hematological or biochemical indices. High doses (>1,000 mg/kg) may lead to
a mild elevation (~10%) in ALT after 30 days. Use in pregnancy or childhood
remains un-evaluated; heavy-metal contamination in wild-harvested plants may
pose risk (Akindele et al., 2018).
- Culinary: Young shoots and leaves are key ingredients in
Nigerian soups (egusi, ogbono). Seeds roasted or ground into condiments
(Akoroda, 1990).
- Nutritional: Seeds: ~27% crude protein, ~53% fats, ~30% oil.
Leaves: high in iron (~700 ppm), potassium, vitamins A & C (Okoli
& Mgbeogu, 1983).
- Agricultural: Intercropped with maize to suppress weeds;
supports agroforestry by providing shade (Fern, 2024).
- Cultural: In Igbo culture, leaves used in rituals for
health and fertility; seeds symbolise abundance (Burkill, 1995).
- Ajao, M. Y., &
Akindele, A. J. (2013). Anxiolytic and sedative properties of hydroethanolic
extract of Telfairia occidentalis leaves in mice. Brazilian Journal of
Pharmacognosy, 23(5), 801-809.
- Akindele, A. J.,
Oladimeji-Salami, J. A., & Usuwah, B. A. (2015). Antinociceptive and
anti-inflammatory activities of Telfairia occidentalis hydroethanolic leaf
extract (Cucurbitaceae). Journal of Medicinal Food, 18(10), 1157-1163.
- Akindele, A. J.,
Oladimeji-Salami, J. A., Oyetola, R. A., & Osiagwu, D. D. (2018).
Sub-chronic toxicity of the hydroethanolic leaf extract of Telfairia
occidentalis Hook. f. (Cucurbitaceae) in male rats. Medicines, 5(1), 4.
- Akoroda, M. O. (1990).
Ethnobotany of Telfairia occidentalis (Cucurbitaceae) among Igbos of
Nigeria. Economic Botany, 44(1), 29-39.
- Aworunse, O. S., Bello,
O. A., Popoola, J. O., & Obembe, O. O. (2018). Pharmacotherapeutic
properties of Telfairia occidentalis Hook F.: A systematic review. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 12(24), 287-296.
- Burkill, H. M.
(1995). The useful plants of West Tropical Africa (Vol. 3). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
- Eseyin, O. A., Daniel,
A., Paul, T. S., Attih, E., Emmanuel, E., Ekarika, J., … Akpan, U. (2018).
Phytochemical analysis and antioxidant activity of the seed of Telfairia
occidentalis Hook (Cucurbitaceae). Natural Product Research, 32(4), 444-447.
- Eseyin, O. A., Oforah,
E., & Dooka, B. D. (2000). Preliminary study of the hypoglycemic action of
the extract of leaf of Telfairia occidentalis in normoglycemic guinea
pigs. Global Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, 6(4), 639-641.
- Fern, K. (2024).
Telfairia occidentalis. Useful Tropical Plants Database. Retrieved from https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Telfairia+occidentalis
- Kew Science. (n.d.).
Telfairia occidentalis Hook.f. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved from
https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:294054-1
- Okoli, B. E., &
Mgbeogu, C. M. (1983). Fluted pumpkin, Telfairia occidentalis: West African
vegetable crop. Economic Botany, 37(2), 145-149.
- Okokon, J. E., Ekpe, O.
O., & Eseyin, O. A. (2007). Evaluation of in vivo antiplasmodial activity
of ethanolic leaf and root extracts of Telfairia occidentalis. Journal of Medicinal
Plants Research, 1(4), 79-83.
- Osukoya, O. A.,
Oladimeji-Salami, J. A., & Adegbenro, D. (2018). Studies on the effect of a
nutritious vegetable, Telfairia occidentalis, on HbSS blood. Journal of Traditional
and Complementary Medicine,
8(3), 369-373.
- Osukoya, O. A.,
Adegbenro, D., Onikanni, S. A., Ojo, O. A., & Onasanya, A. (2016).
Antinociceptive and antioxidant activities of the methanolic extract of
Telfairia occidentalis seeds. Ancient Science of Life, 36(2), 98-103.
- Nwanna, E. E., Oboh, G.,
& Ekperigin, M. M. (2008). Antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties of
Telfairia occidentalis leaf (Fluted Pumpkin). African Journal of Food
Science, 2(8), 131-135.
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