WILD CUCUMBER
Echinocystis lobata
SKU: 607-005
Description
Echinocystis is an annual, sprawling plant that is native to North America. Vines reach 15-20 feet long, are self supporting, and form masses of beautiful white flowers.
Echinocystis lobata is native to North America, an annual vine that produces stems that can be as long as 8 m (26 ft) and which climb, with the help of coiling, branched tendrils, over shrubs and fences or trail across the ground. The flowers are monoecious, with separate male and female blooms on the same plant. The fruit is a prickly, inflated capsule up to 5 cm (2 in) long with two pores and four seeds. It resembles a tiny spiny water melon, persists all winter and then opens at the bottom, liberating the seeds. The spines can be sharp, caution needed.
The native range is across North America including most Canadian Provinces and forty U.S. states.
This plant and fruit are not edible.
Seeds per pack: 5 Large seeds
Germination: Start these seeds right away to preserve viability, no matter the time of year. Sow the seeds just under the surface of a sterile seed-start mix, and water in. Then cover them with plastic and place in a fridge for 8 weeks. Be sure they stay moist. After the cold-moist stratification period they are then brought back to room temperature (20-22 °C, 68-72 °F) for them to germinate. Germination is generally 30-70 days after the warming period.
Description
Echinocystis is an annual, sprawling plant that is native to North America. Vines reach 15-20 feet long, are self supporting, and form masses of beautiful white flowers.
Echinocystis lobata is native to North America, an annual vine that produces stems that can be as long as 8 m (26 ft) and which climb, with the help of coiling, branched tendrils, over shrubs and fences or trail across the ground. The flowers are monoecious, with separate male and female blooms on the same plant. The fruit is a prickly, inflated capsule up to 5 cm (2 in) long with two pores and four seeds. It resembles a tiny spiny water melon, persists all winter and then opens at the bottom, liberating the seeds. The spines can be sharp, caution needed.
The native range is across North America including most Canadian Provinces and forty U.S. states.
This plant and fruit are not edible.
Seeds per pack: 5 Large seeds
Germination: Start these seeds right away to preserve viability, no matter the time of year. Sow the seeds just under the surface of a sterile seed-start mix, and water in. Then cover them with plastic and place in a fridge for 8 weeks. Be sure they stay moist. After the cold-moist stratification period they are then brought back to room temperature (20-22 °C, 68-72 °F) for them to germinate. Germination is generally 30-70 days after the warming period.
