| Synonyms: | 
Cephalandra sessilifolia Sond.  Coccinia schinzii Cogn.  | 
| Common names: | |
| Frequency: | |
| Status: | Native | 
| Description: | 
Perennial creeping or climbing herb with annual hairless stems, growing from tuberous rootstock. Leaves 3–9 × sessile, more or less clasping the stem, broadly ovate in outline, deeply palmately 3–5-lobed, 4–13 cm long, cordate, more or less blue-green, hairless but often sparsely to densely scabrid-punctate; margins entire to coarsely and usually sharply sinuate-dentate or lobed again. Tendrils simple. Male flowers solitary or in clusters or racemes; pedicels 0·8–7·5 cm long, of racemose flowers 1–2 cm. long; female flowers solitary; corollas pale yellow, sometimes with pinkish tinge, green-veined. Fruit ellipsoid-fusiform or ellipsoid-cylindrical, 5·5–10·5 cm long, often shortly beaked, bright red. | 
| Type location: | 
South Africa | 
| Notes: | |
| Derivation of specific name: | sessilifolia: with sessile leaves | 
| Habitat: | In wooded grassland. | 
| Altitude range: (metres) | |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. | 
| FZ divisions: | N,SW,SE | 
| Growth form(s): | |
| Endemic status: | |
| Red data list status: | |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species | 
| Images last updated: | Tuesday 17 March 2020 | 
| Literature: | 
 Jeffrey, C. (1978). Cucurbitaceae Flora Zambesiaca 4 Page 447. Kirby, G. (2013). Wild Flowers of Southeast Botswana Struik Nature, Cape Town South Africa Page 164. (Includes a picture). Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 52.  |