Wild Cucumber

Description:

The wild cucumber is an annual plant; that is, it grows from seed each spring and dies in the fall. It produces no woody tissue. It is a climbing vine and has long twisted tendrils which entwine the leaves, stems or branches of other plants. It is usually found sprawling over the low branches of trees or shrubs next to waterways, but can grow as a dense mat on open ground, as well. The leaves, up to 14 cm across, are thin, light green in colour, with 3-7 (usually 3 or 5) large pointed lobes; essentially a "maple- leaf" shape -- as in, on our penny, not our Manitoba maple leaf. Its male flowers (more conspicuous than the small female flowers) are greenish-white with 6 petals. They bloom in late July and into August. The characteristic "cucumbers", up to 6 cm long, green in colour and covered in soft bristles, form by late August or into early September. They are a form of fruit called a "pepo" -- a large fleshy berry with a thick skin.