Citrullus colocynthis, Cucurbitaceae
Native and introduced plants of Lanzarote
While on holiday in Lanzarote, in the super interesting area of the world known as Macaronesia, I have had a chance to observe a refreshing variety of subtropical, tropical and xeric vegetation which in Scotland I could only find under glass, if even. I guess whoever really likes plants can only be twice as excited about going on holiday somewhere far and different, as being in a different country can feel like being in a huge and exotic botanical wonderland, or at least that’s how I feel!
To start this series about the plants I have recorded there I have a chosen a wild Mediterranean Cucurbitacea, as I have childhood memories of exploring another island, in Croatia, and finding a squirting cucumber, Ecballium elaterium, which I had only seen in books before. The same happened when I was exploring the southern coast of Lanzarote, with its arid dunes and gullies, and I found this vine known with a variety of names around the Mediterranean and the Middle East, but locally known as cohombrillo melonero, the bitter apple, or desert gourd. Growing on the summit of a sandy and rocky promontory, exposed to strong winds high in salinity and sun radiations year-round, two of these plants alone still managed to thrive thanks to their successful adaptations. The long and fleshy taproot absorbs and stores any accessible ground water resulting from the winter rains, which can be quite scarce in the southern part of the island, while the leaves are reduced in size and more deeply divided if compared to those of the domestic watermelon, Citrullus lanatus.
The fruit, the size of a large walnut, contains a great number of small brown seeds which are edible, and can be ground into flour or pressed for oil. For this reason the plant has been cultivated since historical times on a small scale in countries with suitable conditions and low rainfall, and is still in cultivation today. Both the extremely bitter fruit and the seeds have been used for their laxative, emetic and abortive properties for just as long.
