query: parent_taxon telfairia
supports: Telfairia occidentalis is a tropical vine grown in West Africa as a leaf vegetable and for its edible seeds. Common names for the plant include fluted gourd, fluted pumpkin, and ugu in the Igbo language. "T. occidentalis" is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family and is indigenous to southern Nigeria. The fluted gourd grows in many nations of West Africa, but is mainly cultivated in [Igboland|southeastern Nigeria] and it is used primarily in soups and herbal medicines. Although the fruit is inedible, the seeds produced by the gourd are high in protein and fat, and can, therefore, contribute to a well-balanced diet. The plant is a drought-tolerant, dioecious perennial that is usually grown trellised.
  "T. occidentalis" is traditionally used by an estimated 30 to 35 million people indigenous people in Nigeria, including the Efik, Ibibio, and Urhobo. However, it is predominantly used by the Igbo ethnic group, who continue to cultivate the gourd for food sources and traditional medicines. A recurring subject in the Igbos folklore, the fluted gourd is noted to have healing properties and was used as a blood tonic, to be administered to the weak or ill. It is endemic to southern Nigeria, and was an asset to international food trades of the Igbo ethnic group. Chad ('), officially the Republic of Chad ('), is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest and Niger to the west. It is the fifth largest country in Africa in terms of area. A vine (Latin "vnea" "grapevine", "vineyard", from "vnum" "wine") in the narrowest sense is the grapevine ("Vitis"), but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or (that is, climbing) stems or runners. The word also can refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance when used in wicker work. Niger (or ), officially the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. Niger is bordered by Libya to the northeast, Chad to the east, Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, and Algeria to the northwest. Niger covers a land area of almost 1,270,000 km, making it the largest country in West Africa, with over 80 percent of its land area covered by the Sahara Desert. The country's predominantly Islamic population of about 19 million is mostly clustered in the far south and west of the country. The capital city is Niamey, located in the far-southwest corner of Niger. Wicker is a material made of plant stalks, branches or shoots formed by a kind of weaving into a rigid material, most often used for baskets or furniture. Wicker is traditionally made of material of plant origin, but plastic fibers are now also used. Wicker is light yet sturdy, making it suitable for furniture that will be moved often like porch and patio furniture. A variety of plants are used such as reeds, grasses (including bamboo), creepers (including rattan), and thin tree branches (especially willow). Rushwork and wickerwork are terms used in England. Port Harcourt (Igbo: Ígúcha; Pidgin: "Po-ta-kot") is the capital and largest city of Rivers State, Nigeria. It lies along the Bonny River and is located in the Niger Delta. As of 2016, the Port Harcourt urban area has an estimated population of 1,865,000 inhabitants, up from 1,382,592 as of 2006. Vitis (grapevines) is a genus of 79 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, both for direct consumption of the fruit and for fermentation to produce wine. The study and cultivation of grapevines is called viticulture. Ibadan is the state capital of Oyo State. With a population of over 3 million, it is the most populous city in the state, and the third most populous city in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano; it is the country's largest city by geographical area. At Nigerian independence, Ibadan was the largest and most populous city in the country, and the third in Africa after Cairo and Johannesburg. The Cucurbitaceae, also called cucurbits and the gourd family, are a plant family consisting of ca 965 species in around 95 genera, the most important of which are: The Federal Republic of Nigeria , commonly referred to as Nigeria, is a federal republic in West Africa, bordering Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in the north. Its coast in the south lies on the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean. It comprises 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital, Abuja is located. Its largest cities include: Lagos, Kano, Ibadan, Benin City and Port Harcourt. Nigeria is officially a democratic secular country. Telfairia is a small genus of flowering plants in the squash family which are native to Africa . They include Telfairia occidentalis , the fluted pumpkin , which is an important vegetable in Nigeria and other African nations . It is also known as the oyster nut , a common name it shares with its relative Telfairia pedata . These are woody and herbaceous dioecious vines which bear squashlike fruits that contain large , nutritious oily seeds . The third species is Telfairia batesii which is very rare and not cultivated . These vines grow quickly to lengths of 30 meters or more , using tendrils to scale trees . T. pedata is grown as an ornamental plant for its attractive foliage . The seeds of T. occidentalis and T. pedata are over 25 % protein and 55 % oil , making them a good source of nutrition . They are used as a traditional food source for nursing mothers , the seed flour is fermented to make baby food , the leaves and shoots , especially of T. occidentalis , are eaten as vegetables . One recent concern has been the impact of telfairia mosaic virus , which , along with other problems , is a threat to the already low genetic diversity of plants of this genus . Species : Telfairia batesii Telfairia occidentalis - fluted pumpkin , oyster nut Telfairia pedata ( syn . T. africana , Fevillea pedata , Joliffia africana ) - oyster nut , queen 's nut , Zanzibar oil vine The genus was named for Irish naturalist Charles Telfair ( 1778 -- 1833 ) . Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most-populous continent. At about 30.3 million km² (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area and 20.4 % of its total land area. With 1.1 billion people as of 2013, it accounts for about 15% of the world's human population. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The continent includes Madagascar and various archipelagos. It contains 54 fully recognized sovereign states (countries), nine territories and two "de facto" independent states with limited or no recognition. Benin (or -; ), officially the Republic of Benin and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. A majority of the population live on its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin, part of the Gulf of Guinea in the northernmost tropical portion of the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the country's largest city and economic capital. Benin covers an area of 114,763 square kilometers and its population in 2015 was estimated to be approximately 10.88 million. Benin is a tropical, sub-Saharan nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with substantial employment and income arising from subsistence farming. Kano is the state capital of Kano State in Northern West, Nigeria. It is situated in the Sahelian geographic region, south of the Sahara. Kano is the commercial nerve center of Northern Nigeria and is the second largest city in Nigeria, after Lagos. The Kano metropolis initially covered , and comprised six local government areas (LGAs)  Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nasarawa; However, it now covers two additional LGAs  Ungogo and Kumbotso. The total area of Metropolitan Kano is now , with a population of 2,828,861 as of the 2006 Nigerian census. Lagos initially emerged as a port city which originated on a collection of islands, which are contained in the present day Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Lagos Island, Eti-Osa, Amuwo-Odofin and Apapa; the islands are separated by creeks, fringing the southwest mouth of Lagos Lagoon, while protected from the Atlantic Ocean by barrier islands and long sand spits such as Bar Beach, which stretch up to east and west of the mouth. Due to rapid urbanization, the city expanded to the west of the lagoon to include areas in the present day Lagos Mainland, Ajeromi-Ifelodun and Surulere. This led to the classification of Lagos into two main areas - the Island, which was the initial city of Lagos, before it expanded into the area known as the Mainland. This city area was governed directly by the Federal Government through the "Lagos City Council", until the creation of Lagos State in 1967, which led to the splitting of Lagos city into the present day seven Local Government Areas (LGAs), and an addition of other towns (which now make up 13 LGAs) from the then Western Region, to form the state. Leaf vegetables, also called potherbs, greens, vegetable greens, leafy greens, or salad greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. Although they come from a very wide variety of plants, most share a great deal with other leaf vegetables in nutrition and cooking methods.
candidates: area areas cucurbitaceae delta plant telfairia vitaceae vitis
answer: cucurbitaceae