Flora of North America species comparison

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Cucumis dipsaceus

Cucumis myriocarpus

hedgehog gourd, teasel gourd

gooseberry gourd, paddy melon
Habit Plants: roots thin, without thick, woody rootstock. Plants: rootstock thick, woody.
Leaves

petiole weakly hispidulous to hispid;

blade ovate to broadly ovate, unlobed to 3-lobate, 3–7.5(–12.5) × 2–7(–12) cm, length 1.1–1.5 times width, base cordate, lobes ovate to elliptic, margins serrate or entire.

petiole proximally retrorsely strigose, medially hirsute, distally antrorsely strigose;

blade ovate, palmately 5-lobed, 2.5–9(–16) × 2–8.5(–13) cm, length 0.8–1.2 times width, base cordate to subcordate, lobes elliptic, margins serrate.
Inflorescences

pedicels of pistillate flowers and fruits cylindric; staminate flowers 1 or 2–7, usually in racemoid fascicles, rarely racemes; pistillate flowers: calyx lobes 5–6(–11) mm, petals 6–15 mm, corolla tube 1–1.5 mm, lobes glabrous inside.

pedicels of pistillate flowers and fruits cylindric; staminate flowers 1 or 2–6 in sessile fascicles or panicles; pistillate flowers: calyx lobes 1.5–4.5 mm, petals 2–7 mm, corolla tube 0.3–1.2 mm, puberulent to sparsely puberulent inside.
Tendrils

proximally hispidulous, distally glabrous.

antrorsely strigose.
Pepos

pale yellow, monocolor, ellipsoid to ellipsoid-cylindric or globose, 3.5–7 × 2.5–4 cm, densely echinate at maturity, spinules narrowly cylindric, mostly obscuring fruit surface, flesh light yellow.

orange to yellow with green to yellow stripes, monocolor or bicolor-striped at maturity, short-ellipsoid to globose, 1.5–3(–5) × 1.5–3 cm, obscurely aculeate, flesh yellowish.
2n

= 24.

= 24.

Cucumis dipsaceus

Cucumis myriocarpus
Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering Aug–Nov.
Habitat Open shrublands, thicket edges, riparian corridors, stream banks, sandy and loamy soil Fallow fields, orchards, roadsides, vacant lots, disturbed areas
Elevation 50–100 m (200–300 ft) 50–300 m (200–1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
TX; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, Pacific Islands (Galapagos Islands, Hawaii), Australia]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Australia]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Cucumis dipsaceus is documented as adventive in Texas by collections from Hidalgo and Webb counties. It is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental because of its distinctive fruits.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Cucumis myriocarpus occurs in Fresno, Kings, Santa Barbara, and Tulare counties.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 38. FNA vol. 6, p. 38.
Parent taxa Cucurbitaceae > Cucumis Cucurbitaceae > Cucumis
Sibling taxa
C. anguria, C. melo, C. metuliferus, C. myriocarpus, C. sativus
C. anguria, C. dipsaceus, C. melo, C. metuliferus, C. sativus
Name authority Ehrenberg: in E. Spach, Hist. Nat. Vég. 6: 211. (1838) Naudin: Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 4, 11: 22. (1859)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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