Cyclanthera explodens
Naudin
Artillery cyclanthera, Exploding cucumber
iNaturalist· cc0
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iNaturalist· cc0
no rights reserved
iNaturalist· cc0
no rights reserved
Description
A pumpkin family plant. The vines are 3-5 m long. The flowers are very small and yellow and in clusters . Male and female clusters are separate on the same plant. The fruit are spiny and 5 cm long. The extensions on the fruit can explode when ripe.
Edible Uses
The fruit can be used raw when small (less than 2 cm) in salads, or cooked when mature (2.5 cm, exploded).
Traditional Uses
The small extensions over the fruit are eaten in salads. They are also pickled or boiled.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
A tropical plant. It cannot tolerate frost.
Where It Grows
Andes, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, South America,
Cultivation
Plants can be grown from seeds.
Production
It grows quickly.
Also Known As
Pepino diablito, X-ch'ima mo'
References (5)
- Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot. ser. 4, 12:160. 1859
- Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 87
- Hermandez Bermejo, J.E., and Leon, J. (Eds.), 1994, Neglected Crops. 1492 from a different perspective. FAO Plant Production and Protection Series No 26. FAO, Rome. p18
- Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 288
- Robinson, R.W., & Decker-Walters, D.S., Cucurbits. CAB International p
