Melothria pendula
creeping cucumber
Southeastern North America through Mexico, Central America, and northern South America
Attracts Pollinators
Native to North America
Overview
Melothria pendula is a slender climbing or trailing vine in the gourd family, with thin stems reaching 6-10 feet (1.8-3 m) and clinging by unbranched tendrils. The leaves are palmately 3- to 5-lobed, 1-3 inches (2.5-8 cm) across, rough-textured, and roughly triangular in outline. Small yellow flowers about 0.2 inch (5 mm) wide are borne singly or in small clusters, the plant carrying separate male and female flowers. The fruit is an ellipsoid berry 0.5-1 inch (1.5-2.5 cm) long that resembles a miniature watermelon, green with pale flecks when young and ripening to dark purple-black. Green immature fruits are edible and taste cucumber-like, while fully ripened black fruits act as a strong laxative and are generally not eaten. The plant grows from a tuberous root and behaves as a herbaceous perennial in frost-free areas, dying back and regrowing where winters are mild, and is treated as an annual at the cold edge of its range. It spreads readily by seed and can climb over shrubs and fences, becoming weedy in irrigated gardens and disturbed ground.
Native Range
Native to the southeastern United States, Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. It occurs in moist woodland edges, thickets, fence rows, and disturbed ground, often in partial shade.Suggested Uses
Grown occasionally as a novelty edible for its cucumber-flavored green fruits and on fences or arbors as a fast cover. In much of its range it appears as a volunteer rather than an intentional planting and is more often managed as a weed in vegetable gardens and landscape beds.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height6' - 10'
Width/Spread3' - 6'
Bloom Information
Flowers from late spring through fall, with continuous flowering through summer in warm climates. Male and female flowers appear on the same plant, and fruit follows within a few weeks of pollination. In frost-free regions flowering and fruiting can continue nearly year-round.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 4-8 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight