Colocynth ( Citrullus colocynthis )

Citrullus colocynthis. a relative of watermelon, egusi is native to tropical Africa and India and highly drought tolerant is a non hardy, herbaceous annual or perennial vine, branched from the base. colocynth exporter Originally from Tropical Africa and India, it is now widely distributed in the Saharo-Arabian phytogeographic region in Africa and the Mediteranean region. The stems are angular and rough; the leaves are rough, 5–10 cm in length, deeply 3–7 lobed; solitary pale yellow blooms. Each plant produces 15–30 round fruits, about 7–10 cm in diameter, green with undulate yellow stripes, becoming yellow all over when dry.

Seeds are small (~6 mm in length), smooth and brownish when ripe.In recent years there has been much interest in developing new oilseed crops which could be used in food, and for medicinal and industrial purposes. Citrullus colocynthis. Seeds are rich in oil and protein and can be utilized on an industrial scale; such oil composition resembles safflower oil.

Considering Citrullus colocynthis.’s potential as an oilseed feedstock for biodiesel CJP has honor to establish this untapped resource as alternative source for Bio- Diesel industry of future.The Citrullus colocynthis.colocynth supplier and exporter Plant must be regarded as a sure source of 2nd Generation Biodiesel and the foundation around which a profitable Business plan can be built with combination of other nonfood biodiesel crops for its ability to provide large amount of oil and its pure hardiness and stress handling ability. The Citrullus colocynthis. has enough credentials: a higher recovery and quality of oil than other crops, no direct competition with food crops and no direct competition with existing farmland as can be grown for fuel and fodder, both purpose same time About the plant

Annual or perennial (in wild) herbaceous vine; stems angular and rough; leaves rough, are angular 3- to 7-lobed, 5-10 cm long, middle lobe sometimes ovate, sinuses open; The flowers are yellow, long-peduncled, colocynth exporter and solitary in the axils of the leaves. They are monecious, the stamens and pistils being borne in different flowers on the same plant. Each has a yellow campanulate, five-lobed corolla and a five-parted calyx. The female flowers are readily distinguished by a globose, hairy, inferior ovary; fruit a pepo, nearly globular, 4-10 cm in diameter with somewhat elliptical fissures, about size of small orange,

green and yellow variegated becoming yellow when ripe, with hard rind, pulp colocynth supplier light in weight, spongy, easily broken, light yellowish-orange to pale yellow; intensely bitter; seeds numerous, ovoid, compressed, smooth, dark brown to light yellowish-orange, borne on parietal placenta.. It is filled with a soft, white pulp, in which are imbedded numerous seed .This pulp is the article used in medicine,

The colocynth plant is a native of arid soils. It has a large, fleshy perennial root, which sends out slender, tough, angular, scabrid vine-like stems. These usually lie on the ground for want of something to climb over, but which, colocynth supplier exporter if opportunity present, climb over shrubs and herbs by means of axiliary branching tendrils. Distribution

Cultivated and naturalized in North Africa and India. The colocynth plant occupies the vast area extending from the west coast of northern Africa (Senegambia, Morocco and the Cape Verde islands), eastward through the Sahara, Egypt, Arabia, Persia, Beluchistan and through India, as far as the Coromandel coast and Ceylon,

touching northward the Mediterranean and Caspian seas. At the Red sea, near Kosseir, it occurs in immense quantities. It is also found here and there in southern European countries, e. g., Spain and the islands of the Grecian archipelago. Cultivation on a small scale in the island of Cyprus the raising of colocynth has been a source of revenue since the fourteenth century, and still forms an article of export at the present time.