Zehneria alba

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Zehneria alba is a flowering vine in the cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae) that grows only on Christmas Island in the northeastern Indian Ocean. The name alba means white, referring to its white flowers. It is a dioecious plant, meaning there are separate male and female plants, with stems that can reach up to about 3 meters. The leaves are broad and heart-shaped at the base, usually unlobed or only shallowly lobed, about 5–8 cm long. Flowers are small and white; male flowers appear on long inflorescences, while female flowers are solitary or in small clusters. The fruit is an ellipsoidal berry, about 2–3 cm long, containing seeds around 4 mm. It grows in the rainforest and along shrub edges on Christmas Island. Some scientists consider Zehneria alba to be the same species as Zehneria mucronata.