1- Introduction to the Species Acanthosiscyos horridus Welw. ex Hook. f. - Nara or Naras
1.1- Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Subfamily: Cucurbitoideae
Tribe: Benincaseae
Subtribe: Benincasinae
Genus: Acanthosicyos Welw. ex Benth. & Hook.f.
Species: Acanthosicyos horridus Welw. ex Hook.f.
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Subfamily: Cucurbitoideae
Tribe: Benincaseae
Subtribe: Benincasinae
Genus: Acanthosicyos Welw. ex Benth. & Hook.f.
Species: Acanthosicyos horridus Welw. ex Hook.f.
1.2- Species Acanthosicyos horridus Welw. ex Benth. & Hook.f. - Nara or Naras melon
+ Overview
Acanthosicyos horridus is an unusual melon in the Genus Acanthosicyos, in the Subtribe Benincasinae, in the Tribe Benincaseae, in the Subfamily Cucurbitoideae, in the Family Cucurbitaceae of the Order Cucurbitales.
Acanthosicyos horridus is an unusual melon that occurs only in Namibia; it is locally called nara or naras. It is a dioecious plant found in sand desert but not stony plains, in areas with access to ground water such as ephemeral rivers and paleochannels, where sand accumulating in the shelter of its stems can form hummocks up to 1000-1500 m2 in area and 4 meters in height.
Nara typically occurs in the absence of other vegetation due to the harshness of the climate, though Eragrostis spinosa and Stipagrostis sabulicola grasses may grow between its hummocks. It is regarded as a keystone species because its nutritious melons, seeds, shoots, and flowers are food sources for beetles, gemsbok, and ostrich, while small mammals such as Rhabdomys pumilio, Desmodillus auricularis, and Thallomys nigricauda take shelter amid the spiny tangle of its stems.
+ Consumption
The melon fruits average 1 kg and are pale green and spiny. Within, a sweet, aromatic, watery, yellow-orange pulp is described as "tasting like an avocado or a cross between cucumber and pineapple". The large edible seeds, white to cream in color, are known locally as butterpips.
The fruit serves as an essential food source for Topnaar people from February to April and August to September. The katydid Acanthoproctus diadematus feeds on the plant, moving between different bushes at night.
+ Overview
Acanthosicyos horridus is an unusual melon in the Genus Acanthosicyos, in the Subtribe Benincasinae, in the Tribe Benincaseae, in the Subfamily Cucurbitoideae, in the Family Cucurbitaceae of the Order Cucurbitales.
Acanthosicyos horridus is an unusual melon that occurs only in Namibia; it is locally called nara or naras. It is a dioecious plant found in sand desert but not stony plains, in areas with access to ground water such as ephemeral rivers and paleochannels, where sand accumulating in the shelter of its stems can form hummocks up to 1000-1500 m2 in area and 4 meters in height.
Nara typically occurs in the absence of other vegetation due to the harshness of the climate, though Eragrostis spinosa and Stipagrostis sabulicola grasses may grow between its hummocks. It is regarded as a keystone species because its nutritious melons, seeds, shoots, and flowers are food sources for beetles, gemsbok, and ostrich, while small mammals such as Rhabdomys pumilio, Desmodillus auricularis, and Thallomys nigricauda take shelter amid the spiny tangle of its stems.
+ Consumption
The melon fruits average 1 kg and are pale green and spiny. Within, a sweet, aromatic, watery, yellow-orange pulp is described as "tasting like an avocado or a cross between cucumber and pineapple". The large edible seeds, white to cream in color, are known locally as butterpips.
The fruit serves as an essential food source for Topnaar people from February to April and August to September. The katydid Acanthoproctus diadematus feeds on the plant, moving between different bushes at night.
2- Characteristics of the Species Acanthosicyos horridus Welw. ex Benth. & Hook.f.
2.1- Description
+ The plant
Acanthosicyos horridus is an unusual melon, perennial, dioecious, strongly branched shrub up to 1 m tall and 15-40 cm in diameter, with a very long, woody taproot; stem is longitudinally grooved, pale yellowish to pale green, spiny; spines in pairs, 2-3 cm long.
Its stems may rise more than a meter above the hummocks, while its system of thick taproots can extend up to 50 m downward.
This species occurs only in Namibia; it is locally called nara or naras.
+ The leaves
The nara plant is leafless, so modified stems and spines 2-3 centimeters long serve as the photosynthetic "organs" of the plant. Leaves reduced to minute scales, apparently absent. The plant can survive many years without water.
+ The flowers
Flowers are unisexual, regular, 5-merous, sessile or shortly stalked in spine axils; calyx campanulate, with ovate lobes, greyish hairy; corolla deeply lobed, lobes broadly ovate, c. 1 cm long, fleshy, pale yellow or pale green; male flowers solitary or fasciculate, with 3-5 stamens; female flowers are solitary, with 5 elongate staminodes and inferior, ovoid ovary densely covered with oblong-conical, 2-2.5 mm long, soft spines, style columnar, with 3-5 two-horned flat or capitate stigmas.
+ The fruits
Nara fruit is a subglobose berry up to 20 cm in diameter, covered with spiny protuberances, ripening from green to pale yellow or pale orange-yellow, many-seeded.
Nara fruits are round and melon-like, weighing mostly around 1 kg but sometimes reaching up to 2.5 kg. They are pale-green even when ripe, and spiny on the outside. The fruit has a mass of watery, orange-yellow pulp, which is sweet and aromatic, tasting like avocado or a cross between cucumber and pineapple.
+ The seeds
Seeds are embedded in yellow to orange-yellow pulp, oblong or ovoid, 12-16 mm × 7-11 mm × 5-7 mm, cream-coloured, hard with a thick testa.
The oil produced from the seeds is bottled or mixed with other ingredients in food products or cosmetics.
+ The plant
Acanthosicyos horridus is an unusual melon, perennial, dioecious, strongly branched shrub up to 1 m tall and 15-40 cm in diameter, with a very long, woody taproot; stem is longitudinally grooved, pale yellowish to pale green, spiny; spines in pairs, 2-3 cm long.
Its stems may rise more than a meter above the hummocks, while its system of thick taproots can extend up to 50 m downward.
This species occurs only in Namibia; it is locally called nara or naras.
+ The leaves
The nara plant is leafless, so modified stems and spines 2-3 centimeters long serve as the photosynthetic "organs" of the plant. Leaves reduced to minute scales, apparently absent. The plant can survive many years without water.
+ The flowers
Flowers are unisexual, regular, 5-merous, sessile or shortly stalked in spine axils; calyx campanulate, with ovate lobes, greyish hairy; corolla deeply lobed, lobes broadly ovate, c. 1 cm long, fleshy, pale yellow or pale green; male flowers solitary or fasciculate, with 3-5 stamens; female flowers are solitary, with 5 elongate staminodes and inferior, ovoid ovary densely covered with oblong-conical, 2-2.5 mm long, soft spines, style columnar, with 3-5 two-horned flat or capitate stigmas.
+ The fruits
Nara fruit is a subglobose berry up to 20 cm in diameter, covered with spiny protuberances, ripening from green to pale yellow or pale orange-yellow, many-seeded.
Nara fruits are round and melon-like, weighing mostly around 1 kg but sometimes reaching up to 2.5 kg. They are pale-green even when ripe, and spiny on the outside. The fruit has a mass of watery, orange-yellow pulp, which is sweet and aromatic, tasting like avocado or a cross between cucumber and pineapple.
+ The seeds
Seeds are embedded in yellow to orange-yellow pulp, oblong or ovoid, 12-16 mm × 7-11 mm × 5-7 mm, cream-coloured, hard with a thick testa.
The oil produced from the seeds is bottled or mixed with other ingredients in food products or cosmetics.
2.2- Origin and Distribution
+ Origin:
Acanthosicyos horridus is native to the Namib Desert of the south-west coast of Africa and occurs from southern Angola, through Namibia to South Africa (north-western Namaqualand).
+ Distribution:
The distribution of nara is limited to the coastal part of the Namib Desert where it grows exclusively in the sand dunes of mostly dry river beds where subsurface water is available. Before the introduction of maize into southern Africa, nara was a traditional staple food. Archeological evidence indicates that it has been a staple food for at least 8000 years, and was transported and perhaps even traded that long ago. It has not been domesticated and attempts to introduce it elsewhere have not been successful.
+ Origin:
Acanthosicyos horridus is native to the Namib Desert of the south-west coast of Africa and occurs from southern Angola, through Namibia to South Africa (north-western Namaqualand).
+ Distribution:
The distribution of nara is limited to the coastal part of the Namib Desert where it grows exclusively in the sand dunes of mostly dry river beds where subsurface water is available. Before the introduction of maize into southern Africa, nara was a traditional staple food. Archeological evidence indicates that it has been a staple food for at least 8000 years, and was transported and perhaps even traded that long ago. It has not been domesticated and attempts to introduce it elsewhere have not been successful.
2.3- Biological Characteristics
+ Nara Plant [Acanthosicyos horridus]
The Namib is a desert landscape that stuns with its awesome scenery and fascinates with its unique geographical features. The sandy habitat, developed by superlative geological processes over millions of years, hosts a myriad of life forms that have evolved and adapted to conditions that may appear to the uninformed as harsh and inhospitable. One of the most striking examples of adaptation to arid conditions is the desert cucurbit, !nara (Acanthosicyos horridus Welw. ex Hook.f.).
The second part of the scientific name says it all - it is easily distinguished by its exceptionally spiny habit - but its rather formidable appearance belies the fact that this plant is a treasured and essential desert element. Not only does this flagship species play a vital support role to other organisms in the desert ecosystem, but is inextricably linked with desert-dwelling people to whom it offers a lifeline of sustenance, deeply entrenched within their cultural heritage. It can thus be considered both a keystone ecological and a keystone cultural species.
+ Nara Plant [Acanthosicyos horridus]
The Namib is a desert landscape that stuns with its awesome scenery and fascinates with its unique geographical features. The sandy habitat, developed by superlative geological processes over millions of years, hosts a myriad of life forms that have evolved and adapted to conditions that may appear to the uninformed as harsh and inhospitable. One of the most striking examples of adaptation to arid conditions is the desert cucurbit, !nara (Acanthosicyos horridus Welw. ex Hook.f.).
The second part of the scientific name says it all - it is easily distinguished by its exceptionally spiny habit - but its rather formidable appearance belies the fact that this plant is a treasured and essential desert element. Not only does this flagship species play a vital support role to other organisms in the desert ecosystem, but is inextricably linked with desert-dwelling people to whom it offers a lifeline of sustenance, deeply entrenched within their cultural heritage. It can thus be considered both a keystone ecological and a keystone cultural species.
+ Description and distribution of !nara
Nara melon is a leafless, thorny, melon-bearing bush that is endemic to the Namib Desert. The plants occur sporadically throughout this coastal desert from Port Nolloth in South Africa (last recorded in 1925) to Namibe in Southern Angola, with the greatest concentrations around the Kuiseb River Delta, and the most eastern distribution from around Sossusvlei. Recent explorative fieldwork has improved understanding of a more widespread occurrence in westward flowing ephemeral rivers of the northern Namib.
Plants are restricted to sand desert, often at the base of dunes, and are mostly associated with rivers ending in or flowing through the Namib, and their palaeochannels. They are absent from stony desert plains.
The plants form hummocks, which may extend over large surface areas, 1500 m2 or more, ever-increasing as the sand continues to accumulate around the plant. The spiny domes of stems may project a centimeter to one meter or higher above the hummocks. !Nara, where it occurs, is usually the dominant feature in the landscape and is not associated with other vegetation, since few other plants can survive the wind-borne sand and rainless climate. The tangled, grey- to yellow-green masses of stems enable it to be easily recognised from a distance. As the plants are leafless, a desert adaptation taken to the extreme, it is these ridged stems and paired spines of 20-30 mm long, making up almost 50% of the total surface area of the plant, which enable the plant to photosynthesise. A thick, robust tap-root system, which may extend more than 50 m below the surface, efficiently draws moisture from deep underground. This, coupled with structural adaptations to limit evaporative water losses from the surface of the plant, enables the !nara to survive for many years without rain.
The plants are dioecious (male and female flowers on separate plants), with male flowers appearing throughout the year, and female flowers mostly during spring. Sex expression in cucurbits is controlled by environmental as well as genetic factors, and may explain discrepancies in the life-cycle events, such as flowering of northern populations, revealed during recent fieldwork.
Nara fruit are round and melon-like, weighing mostly around 1 kg but sometimes reaching up to 2.5 kg. They are pale-green even when ripe, and spiny on the outside. The fruit has a mass of watery, orange-yellow pulp, which is sweet and aromatic, tasting like avocado or a cross between cucumber and pineapple. Toxic and potentially therapeutic compounds called cucurbitacins, which cause bitterness in the fruit, are currently under investigation in !nara. Further study of these compounds could elucidate taxonomic relationships; provide evidence to support the hypothesis of pre-selection as a husbandry practice; as well as present opportunities for novel pharmaceutical product development due to their professed anticancer properties. The large seeds are white to cream in colour with buttery kernels.
Nara melon is a leafless, thorny, melon-bearing bush that is endemic to the Namib Desert. The plants occur sporadically throughout this coastal desert from Port Nolloth in South Africa (last recorded in 1925) to Namibe in Southern Angola, with the greatest concentrations around the Kuiseb River Delta, and the most eastern distribution from around Sossusvlei. Recent explorative fieldwork has improved understanding of a more widespread occurrence in westward flowing ephemeral rivers of the northern Namib.
Plants are restricted to sand desert, often at the base of dunes, and are mostly associated with rivers ending in or flowing through the Namib, and their palaeochannels. They are absent from stony desert plains.
The plants form hummocks, which may extend over large surface areas, 1500 m2 or more, ever-increasing as the sand continues to accumulate around the plant. The spiny domes of stems may project a centimeter to one meter or higher above the hummocks. !Nara, where it occurs, is usually the dominant feature in the landscape and is not associated with other vegetation, since few other plants can survive the wind-borne sand and rainless climate. The tangled, grey- to yellow-green masses of stems enable it to be easily recognised from a distance. As the plants are leafless, a desert adaptation taken to the extreme, it is these ridged stems and paired spines of 20-30 mm long, making up almost 50% of the total surface area of the plant, which enable the plant to photosynthesise. A thick, robust tap-root system, which may extend more than 50 m below the surface, efficiently draws moisture from deep underground. This, coupled with structural adaptations to limit evaporative water losses from the surface of the plant, enables the !nara to survive for many years without rain.
The plants are dioecious (male and female flowers on separate plants), with male flowers appearing throughout the year, and female flowers mostly during spring. Sex expression in cucurbits is controlled by environmental as well as genetic factors, and may explain discrepancies in the life-cycle events, such as flowering of northern populations, revealed during recent fieldwork.
Nara fruit are round and melon-like, weighing mostly around 1 kg but sometimes reaching up to 2.5 kg. They are pale-green even when ripe, and spiny on the outside. The fruit has a mass of watery, orange-yellow pulp, which is sweet and aromatic, tasting like avocado or a cross between cucumber and pineapple. Toxic and potentially therapeutic compounds called cucurbitacins, which cause bitterness in the fruit, are currently under investigation in !nara. Further study of these compounds could elucidate taxonomic relationships; provide evidence to support the hypothesis of pre-selection as a husbandry practice; as well as present opportunities for novel pharmaceutical product development due to their professed anticancer properties. The large seeds are white to cream in colour with buttery kernels.
+ Origin and geographic distribution
It is a dioecious plant found in sand desert but not stony plains, in areas with access to ground water such as ephemeral rivers and paleochannels, where sand accumulating in the shelter of its stems can form hummocks up to 1000-1500 m2 in area and 4 meters in height. Its stems may rise more than a meter above the hummocks, while its system of thick taproots can extend up to 50 m downward. The nara plant is leafless, so modified stems and spines 2-3 centimeters long serve as the photosynthetic "organs" of the plant. The plant can survive many years without water.
Nara typically occurs in the absence of other vegetation due to the harshness of the climate, though Eragrostis spinosa and Stipagrostis sabulicola grasses may grow between its hummocks. It is regarded as a keystone species because its nutritious melons, seeds, shoots, and flowers are food sources for beetles, gemsbok, and ostrich, while small mammals such as Rhabdomys pumilio, Desmodillus auricularis, and Thallomys nigricauda take shelter amid the spiny tangle of its stems.
It is a dioecious plant found in sand desert but not stony plains, in areas with access to ground water such as ephemeral rivers and paleochannels, where sand accumulating in the shelter of its stems can form hummocks up to 1000-1500 m2 in area and 4 meters in height. Its stems may rise more than a meter above the hummocks, while its system of thick taproots can extend up to 50 m downward. The nara plant is leafless, so modified stems and spines 2-3 centimeters long serve as the photosynthetic "organs" of the plant. The plant can survive many years without water.
Nara typically occurs in the absence of other vegetation due to the harshness of the climate, though Eragrostis spinosa and Stipagrostis sabulicola grasses may grow between its hummocks. It is regarded as a keystone species because its nutritious melons, seeds, shoots, and flowers are food sources for beetles, gemsbok, and ostrich, while small mammals such as Rhabdomys pumilio, Desmodillus auricularis, and Thallomys nigricauda take shelter amid the spiny tangle of its stems.
+ Ecology
The coastal Namib Desert where nara is found receives extremely low and variable amounts of rainfall, the annual average not exceeding 100 mm, and in some years there is no rain at all. Precipitation is augmented by the frequent occurrence of fog. The distribution of nara roughly approximates the inland limits of the fog belt. Temperatures along the coast are fairly constant, the minimum averaging 16°C and the maximum 21°C. Due to the constantly shifting dunes, soil formation does not occur, thus presenting a nutrient-poor plant environment. The mineral composition of the dune sands is quartz, feldspar and garnet. Sands underneath nara plants are exceptionally low in nitrogen and phosphorus content.
Other plants sometimes found growing in association with nara are the dune grass Stipagrostis sabulicola (Pilg.) De Winter, and the leaf succulent Trianthema hereroensis Schinz. Nara plays an important ecological role in the Namib Desert, providing shelter, food and water for many species of invertebrates, reptiles, mammals and birds, some of which are endemic and depend entirely on nara for their survival.
The coastal Namib Desert where nara is found receives extremely low and variable amounts of rainfall, the annual average not exceeding 100 mm, and in some years there is no rain at all. Precipitation is augmented by the frequent occurrence of fog. The distribution of nara roughly approximates the inland limits of the fog belt. Temperatures along the coast are fairly constant, the minimum averaging 16°C and the maximum 21°C. Due to the constantly shifting dunes, soil formation does not occur, thus presenting a nutrient-poor plant environment. The mineral composition of the dune sands is quartz, feldspar and garnet. Sands underneath nara plants are exceptionally low in nitrogen and phosphorus content.
Other plants sometimes found growing in association with nara are the dune grass Stipagrostis sabulicola (Pilg.) De Winter, and the leaf succulent Trianthema hereroensis Schinz. Nara plays an important ecological role in the Namib Desert, providing shelter, food and water for many species of invertebrates, reptiles, mammals and birds, some of which are endemic and depend entirely on nara for their survival.
+ Chemistry properties
The ripe fruits are aromatic and the pulp is rich in sugars. The fruit pulp and plant sap contain a non-volatile enzyme which curdles milk. A high percentage of the seed-oil is made up of polyunsaturated fatty acids, with a linoleic acid content of 53%.
Green unripe fruits contain varying amounts of highly oxygenated tetracyclic triterpenoids, called cucurbitacins. Cucurbitacins B and D have been identified as the primary source of bitterness, together with traces of cucurbitacins G and H. These compounds cause a burning sensation in the mouth. As the fruits ripen they rapidly lose their bitterness under the influence of the enzyme elaterase. The same four cucurbitacins are found in higher concentrations in the dried root. The bitter principles occur as aglycones in the fruits, but as glycosides in the roots. The LD50 of cucurbitacin B administered intraperitoneally to mice is 1 mg/kg, and this dose produces pulmonary oedema. The fruit juice contains germination inhibitors, which act to a large extent by an osmotic stress factor. The starches are of an unusually small size, which renders them suitable in the production of biodegradable plastics.
The ripe fruits are aromatic and the pulp is rich in sugars. The fruit pulp and plant sap contain a non-volatile enzyme which curdles milk. A high percentage of the seed-oil is made up of polyunsaturated fatty acids, with a linoleic acid content of 53%.
Green unripe fruits contain varying amounts of highly oxygenated tetracyclic triterpenoids, called cucurbitacins. Cucurbitacins B and D have been identified as the primary source of bitterness, together with traces of cucurbitacins G and H. These compounds cause a burning sensation in the mouth. As the fruits ripen they rapidly lose their bitterness under the influence of the enzyme elaterase. The same four cucurbitacins are found in higher concentrations in the dried root. The bitter principles occur as aglycones in the fruits, but as glycosides in the roots. The LD50 of cucurbitacin B administered intraperitoneally to mice is 1 mg/kg, and this dose produces pulmonary oedema. The fruit juice contains germination inhibitors, which act to a large extent by an osmotic stress factor. The starches are of an unusually small size, which renders them suitable in the production of biodegradable plastics.
+ Genetic resources
Over the past 20 years there has been a reduction of possibly as much as one third in the size of the nara populations being harvested by the Topnaar along the Kuiseb River. The construction of a flood-retaining dam coupled with dune encroachment has stopped the flow of surface water. However, there are uninhabited areas along the coastal Namib Desert where nara still occurs abundantly. Germplasm of Acanthosicyos horridus is held at the National Plant Genetic Resources Centre, Windhoek, Namibia.
Over the past 20 years there has been a reduction of possibly as much as one third in the size of the nara populations being harvested by the Topnaar along the Kuiseb River. The construction of a flood-retaining dam coupled with dune encroachment has stopped the flow of surface water. However, there are uninhabited areas along the coastal Namib Desert where nara still occurs abundantly. Germplasm of Acanthosicyos horridus is held at the National Plant Genetic Resources Centre, Windhoek, Namibia.
+ Prospects
Although today nara does not play as intrinsic a role in the lives of the Topnaar people as it did before, it remains an important part of their tradition and culture. Its protection should be a high priority to ensure human survival in the Namib Desert and for combating desert encroachment. Research is being undertaken in Namibia on the germination and possible cultivation of Acanthosicyos horridus to explore its cost-effectiveness as a crop. Namibian scientists are currently working with the Topnaar to sustain and improve the existing nara fields. There may be further potential in the seed trade, and marketing skills and techniques could enable the Topnaar to see a better income from the sale of nara seeds.
Although today nara does not play as intrinsic a role in the lives of the Topnaar people as it did before, it remains an important part of their tradition and culture. Its protection should be a high priority to ensure human survival in the Namib Desert and for combating desert encroachment. Research is being undertaken in Namibia on the germination and possible cultivation of Acanthosicyos horridus to explore its cost-effectiveness as a crop. Namibian scientists are currently working with the Topnaar to sustain and improve the existing nara fields. There may be further potential in the seed trade, and marketing skills and techniques could enable the Topnaar to see a better income from the sale of nara seeds.
2.4- Nutrition of Acanthosicyos horridus fruits and seeds
+ Properties
The ripe fruits are aromatic and the pulp is rich in sugars. The fruit pulp and plant sap contain a non-volatile enzyme which curdles milk. A high percentage of the seed-oil is made up of polyunsaturated fatty acids, with a linoleic acid content of 53%.
Green unripe fruits contain varying amounts of highly oxygenated tetracyclic triterpenoids, called cucurbitacins. Cucurbitacins B and D have been identified as the primary source of bitterness, together with traces of cucurbitacins G and H. These compounds cause a burning sensation in the mouth. As the fruits ripen they rapidly lose their bitterness under the influence of the enzyme elaterase. The same four cucurbitacins are found in higher concentrations in the dried root. The bitter principles occur as aglycones in the fruits, but as glycosides in the roots. The LD50 of cucurbitacin B administered intraperitoneally to mice is 1 mg/kg, and this dose produces pulmonary oedema.
The fruit juice contains germination inhibitors, which act to a large extent by an osmotic stress factor. The starches are of an unusually small size, which renders them suitable in the production of biodegradable plastics.
+ The composition of fresh fruits and the seed per 100 g edible portion is:
+ Properties
The ripe fruits are aromatic and the pulp is rich in sugars. The fruit pulp and plant sap contain a non-volatile enzyme which curdles milk. A high percentage of the seed-oil is made up of polyunsaturated fatty acids, with a linoleic acid content of 53%.
Green unripe fruits contain varying amounts of highly oxygenated tetracyclic triterpenoids, called cucurbitacins. Cucurbitacins B and D have been identified as the primary source of bitterness, together with traces of cucurbitacins G and H. These compounds cause a burning sensation in the mouth. As the fruits ripen they rapidly lose their bitterness under the influence of the enzyme elaterase. The same four cucurbitacins are found in higher concentrations in the dried root. The bitter principles occur as aglycones in the fruits, but as glycosides in the roots. The LD50 of cucurbitacin B administered intraperitoneally to mice is 1 mg/kg, and this dose produces pulmonary oedema.
The fruit juice contains germination inhibitors, which act to a large extent by an osmotic stress factor. The starches are of an unusually small size, which renders them suitable in the production of biodegradable plastics.
+ The composition of fresh fruits and the seed per 100 g edible portion is:
|
Fresh fruit
Water: 84 g, Energy: 231 kJ (55 kcal), Protein: 1.4 g, Fat: 0.3 g, Carbohydrate: 11.7 g, Fibre: 1.0 g, Ca: 21.4 mg, Mg: 19.0 mg, P: 22.4 mg, Fe: 0.5 mg, Zn: 0.6 mg, Carotene: 0.12 mg, Thiamin: 0.01 mg, Riboflavin: 0.02 mg, Niacin: 0.75 mg. |
The seeds
Water: 5.3 g, Energy: 2709 kJ (647 kcal), Protein: 30.7 g, Fat: 57.0 g, Carbohydrate: 2.3 g, Crude fibre:1.3 g, Ca: 100 mg, Mg: 363 mg, P: Fe: 4.0 mg, Zn: 5.5 mg Carotene: Thiamin: Riboflavin: Niacin: 2.2 mg. |
Depending on: (Van den Eynden, V., Vernemmen, P. & Van Damme, P., 1992).
3- The Uses of Acanthosicyos horridus Fruits - Nara or Naras melon
3.1- Food Uses
+ Nara Melons
The Nara plant's spiky green (and hence photosynthesising) stems have allowed them to dispense with leaves completely. This is an advantage given the propensity of leaves to lose water. Naras are perhaps not truly desert plants for their roots go down many metres to reach underground water, which they need in order to survive. From February to April and August to September the local Topnaar people harvest nara melons here.
+ Fruits of the Nara Plant
The fruit may not be spaced apart and may occur in clusters of several touching each other. The fruits are spiny. Maturation of the fruits occurs between February and April. The fruits do not change color and remain green on the outside but the flesh surrounding the seeds dissociates from the skin, turns orange in color, extremely sweet in taste and strongly aromatic. Maturational changes are easily detected by the bushmen living in the area without breaking the fruit in any way. The fruits are used by the bushmen for two main purposes.
The melon fruits average 1 kg and are pale green and spiny. Within, a sweet, aromatic, watery, yellow-orange pulp is described as "tasting like an avocado or a cross between cucumber and pineapple". The large edible seeds, white to cream in color, are known locally as butterpips.
The fruit serves as an essential food source for Topnaar people from February to April and August to September. The katydid Acanthoproctus diadematus feeds on the plant, moving between different bushes at night.
+ Nara Melons
The Nara plant's spiky green (and hence photosynthesising) stems have allowed them to dispense with leaves completely. This is an advantage given the propensity of leaves to lose water. Naras are perhaps not truly desert plants for their roots go down many metres to reach underground water, which they need in order to survive. From February to April and August to September the local Topnaar people harvest nara melons here.
+ Fruits of the Nara Plant
The fruit may not be spaced apart and may occur in clusters of several touching each other. The fruits are spiny. Maturation of the fruits occurs between February and April. The fruits do not change color and remain green on the outside but the flesh surrounding the seeds dissociates from the skin, turns orange in color, extremely sweet in taste and strongly aromatic. Maturational changes are easily detected by the bushmen living in the area without breaking the fruit in any way. The fruits are used by the bushmen for two main purposes.
The melon fruits average 1 kg and are pale green and spiny. Within, a sweet, aromatic, watery, yellow-orange pulp is described as "tasting like an avocado or a cross between cucumber and pineapple". The large edible seeds, white to cream in color, are known locally as butterpips.
The fruit serves as an essential food source for Topnaar people from February to April and August to September. The katydid Acanthoproctus diadematus feeds on the plant, moving between different bushes at night.
+ Purposes of Fruits
The first is for the extraction of the seed which are consumed as pips by splitting in the mouth and the second is for pulp processing where the flesh is boiled and poured to form a fruit leather. This fruit leather is eaten throughout the year and is considerably less flavorful than the pulp. The plant thus forms an important food resource because of the easy storage of both the seeds and the dried pulp (leather). The fruits are eaten also when immature by animals including jackals and rodents who do not seem to be bothered by the bitter taste of the fruits caused by cucurbitacins.
+ The Seeds
The mature pulp has a flavor which is aromatic and maybe due in part to sulphur components as in some types of Cucumis melo L. No trace can be tasted of cucurbitacins in the mature pulp. The pulp could be commercialized and used to make ice-cream, and could be freeze dried and chocolate coated. The seeds which are already sold to an European population in Walvis Bay can have their market expanded by selling the seeds either whole or dehusked in packaging developed for nuts.Their rarity should provide a premium price and help the economic existence of the bushmen in this area. Ice-cream manufacture and freeze drying facilities are only within 30 km of the bushmen. Partnerships with firms interested in commericalizing the unique, aromatic pulp of Acanthosicyos horridus could be fostered to further improve the economic existence of the native people in the area.
The seeds of nara, known as butter-nuts or butterpips, are eaten either fresh or roasted as a snack food, or ground into flour for cooking with other dishes. They are a good substitute for almonds, and have been exported to bakeries in Cape Town for use in confectionery. In Namibia ripe fruits, which are sweet and juicy and about 900 g in weight, are either eaten raw and relished for their high water content, or made into a traditional preserve, the dried fruit pulp being made into flat cakes. Nara is also eaten as a famine food.
The first is for the extraction of the seed which are consumed as pips by splitting in the mouth and the second is for pulp processing where the flesh is boiled and poured to form a fruit leather. This fruit leather is eaten throughout the year and is considerably less flavorful than the pulp. The plant thus forms an important food resource because of the easy storage of both the seeds and the dried pulp (leather). The fruits are eaten also when immature by animals including jackals and rodents who do not seem to be bothered by the bitter taste of the fruits caused by cucurbitacins.
+ The Seeds
The mature pulp has a flavor which is aromatic and maybe due in part to sulphur components as in some types of Cucumis melo L. No trace can be tasted of cucurbitacins in the mature pulp. The pulp could be commercialized and used to make ice-cream, and could be freeze dried and chocolate coated. The seeds which are already sold to an European population in Walvis Bay can have their market expanded by selling the seeds either whole or dehusked in packaging developed for nuts.Their rarity should provide a premium price and help the economic existence of the bushmen in this area. Ice-cream manufacture and freeze drying facilities are only within 30 km of the bushmen. Partnerships with firms interested in commericalizing the unique, aromatic pulp of Acanthosicyos horridus could be fostered to further improve the economic existence of the native people in the area.
The seeds of nara, known as butter-nuts or butterpips, are eaten either fresh or roasted as a snack food, or ground into flour for cooking with other dishes. They are a good substitute for almonds, and have been exported to bakeries in Cape Town for use in confectionery. In Namibia ripe fruits, which are sweet and juicy and about 900 g in weight, are either eaten raw and relished for their high water content, or made into a traditional preserve, the dried fruit pulp being made into flat cakes. Nara is also eaten as a famine food.
3.2- Medicinal Uses
Young stem tips are browsed by livestock. The bitter roots have medicinal value. Either chewed or made into a decoction, they are used to treat nausea, stomach-ache, venereal diseases, kidney problems, arteriosclerosis and chest pains. The crushed root mixed with fat is used to heal wounds.
Oil from the raw or boiled seeds is used as a skin moisturizer and to protect the skin from sunburn.
3.3- Other Uses
-
Young stem tips are browsed by livestock. The bitter roots have medicinal value. Either chewed or made into a decoction, they are used to treat nausea, stomach-ache, venereal diseases, kidney problems, arteriosclerosis and chest pains. The crushed root mixed with fat is used to heal wounds.
Oil from the raw or boiled seeds is used as a skin moisturizer and to protect the skin from sunburn.
3.3- Other Uses
-
4- Growing Acanthosicyos horridus plant - Nara or Naras
4.1- History of use
Significant data exist that intimate a long history of use. Fossilised plant roots occurring in Tsondab Sandstone suggest that Nara melon may have existed for as long as the Namib dunes. The earliest evidence of human use was documented through the identification of seed coat fragments from an archaeological site at Mirabib Hill shelter near Gobabeb, dated at approximately 8,000 years old. Several millennia after the initial introduction of pottery to Namib inhabitants, the appearance of wide-mouthed, soot-covered clay pots at 800-year-old archaeological sites indicates local innovation of cooking !nara fruit.
As evidenced by special praise songs that extol its virtue, !nara has a long association with and is central to the culture of the Aonin/Topnaar people who have lived along the ephemeral Kuiseb River for more than 600 years.
Significant data exist that intimate a long history of use. Fossilised plant roots occurring in Tsondab Sandstone suggest that Nara melon may have existed for as long as the Namib dunes. The earliest evidence of human use was documented through the identification of seed coat fragments from an archaeological site at Mirabib Hill shelter near Gobabeb, dated at approximately 8,000 years old. Several millennia after the initial introduction of pottery to Namib inhabitants, the appearance of wide-mouthed, soot-covered clay pots at 800-year-old archaeological sites indicates local innovation of cooking !nara fruit.
As evidenced by special praise songs that extol its virtue, !nara has a long association with and is central to the culture of the Aonin/Topnaar people who have lived along the ephemeral Kuiseb River for more than 600 years.
4.4- Production of Acanthosicyos horridus fruits
+ Products from the Nara plant
The oil produced from the seeds is bottled or mixed with other ingredients in food products or cosmetics. These products are available at the on-site Desert Hills outlet, as well as selected retailers in Namibia. International specialty cosmetic companies, such as The Body Shop, have previously expressed interest in the oil, but have been deterred by concerns regarding guaranteed supply of raw material.
+ Production and international trade
There is no commercial production of nara fruits. Trade in seeds between Namibia and South Africa has been reported, but no statistics are available.
+ Future of a nascent !nara industry
Given the obvious promise of !nara, it is somewhat surprising that the plant has not been prioritised in re-levant INP programmes in Namibia. This reluctance has been ascribed to a plethora of complex and sensitive ecological, economic and social issues. During the early 2000s, a concerted effort to initiate multidisciplinary investigations into the biology and economics of this species was spearheaded by the Gobabeb Research and Training Centre and endorsed by the Topnaar Traditional Authority. The INP sector in Namibia has since matured and is gaining international credibility with the development and marketing of several successful plant derivatives, coupled with fair and effective benefit-sharing arrangements. A current resurgence of interest in the species, from a scientific as well as a development perspective, coupled with appropriate investment and a shared vision for its development, may elevate the !nara to its rightful place on the INP platform.
+ Products from the Nara plant
The oil produced from the seeds is bottled or mixed with other ingredients in food products or cosmetics. These products are available at the on-site Desert Hills outlet, as well as selected retailers in Namibia. International specialty cosmetic companies, such as The Body Shop, have previously expressed interest in the oil, but have been deterred by concerns regarding guaranteed supply of raw material.
+ Production and international trade
There is no commercial production of nara fruits. Trade in seeds between Namibia and South Africa has been reported, but no statistics are available.
+ Future of a nascent !nara industry
Given the obvious promise of !nara, it is somewhat surprising that the plant has not been prioritised in re-levant INP programmes in Namibia. This reluctance has been ascribed to a plethora of complex and sensitive ecological, economic and social issues. During the early 2000s, a concerted effort to initiate multidisciplinary investigations into the biology and economics of this species was spearheaded by the Gobabeb Research and Training Centre and endorsed by the Topnaar Traditional Authority. The INP sector in Namibia has since matured and is gaining international credibility with the development and marketing of several successful plant derivatives, coupled with fair and effective benefit-sharing arrangements. A current resurgence of interest in the species, from a scientific as well as a development perspective, coupled with appropriate investment and a shared vision for its development, may elevate the !nara to its rightful place on the INP platform.
Edited by Ho Dinh Hai
Long An - Vietnam
References
1- http://www.worldwidefruits.com
2- http://www.worldwidefruits.com/orders-of-plants.html
3- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbitales
4- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbitaceae
5- http://www.theplantlist.org/browse/A/Cucurbitaceae
6- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbitoideae
7- https://www.worldwidefruits.com/subfamily-cucurbitoideae.html
8- http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/cucurbit.htm
9- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gourds_and_squashes
10- https://www.worldwidefruits.com/tribe-benincaseae.html
11- https://www.worldwidefruits.com/subtribe-benincasinae.html
12- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acanthosicyos
Long An - Vietnam
References
1- http://www.worldwidefruits.com
2- http://www.worldwidefruits.com/orders-of-plants.html
3- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbitales
4- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbitaceae
5- http://www.theplantlist.org/browse/A/Cucurbitaceae
6- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbitoideae
7- https://www.worldwidefruits.com/subfamily-cucurbitoideae.html
8- http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/cucurbit.htm
9- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gourds_and_squashes
10- https://www.worldwidefruits.com/tribe-benincaseae.html
11- https://www.worldwidefruits.com/subtribe-benincasinae.html
12- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acanthosicyos
See Video about: The Nara plant
See Video about: Growing A Nara Melon