Phenetic analysis of wild populations of Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae) in West Africa and inference of the definition of the new subspecies macroloba Achigan-Dako & Blattner

摘要

Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae) is a paleotropicalspecies used as medicinal plant or vegetable in West Africa.This paper examines the morphological variation within somewild populations of Momordica charantia in the West Africanphytogeographical regions. The results point out that eco-logical conditions affect leaf size in that species, as well asthe size of male and female bracts and peduncle lengths ofthat species. However, characters linked to the fruit size areuniform across regions except for pericarp thickness andtubercle height. The location of the bract on the peduncleis independent of environmental conditions. Multivariateanalyses clarifies also the long-standing ambiguity for theidentification of Momordica charantia observed in Beninby clearly discriminating two taxonomical groups based onthe leaf lobe characters, the common subspecies charantiaand the new subspecies Momordica charantia subsp. macrolobaAchigan-Dako & Blattner endemic to the Dahomey gap andthe Sudano-Guinean phytoregion of Benin and Togo.