Cucumis anguria L., Cucurbitaceae

Click on an image for links to BIGGER PICTURES

Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Cucumis longipes Hook. f.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: West Indian gherkin, bur cucumber, bur gherkin, gooseberry gourd, wild cucumber

French: angourie des Antilles, concombre des Antilles, concombre marron, concombre-cornichon, petit concombre

Spanish: anguria, cohombro espinoso, concombro, pepineto, pepino, pepino cimarrón, pepino de sabana, sandia de ratón

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Annual; stems prostrate or scandent, to 3 m., patent-setulose. Leaf-lamina 3-10 x 3.5-12-5 cm., broadly ovate in outline, broadly and shallowly cordate, punctate and setulose becoming scabrid-setose on veins beneath, scabrid-setulose becoming punctate above, margins ± sinuate-denticulate, palmately (3) 5 (7)-lobed, usually deeply, lobes narrowly to broadly elliptic, rhombic, obovate-elliptic or less often ovate-triangular or triangular, obtuse to rounded, apiculate, the central largest, often shortly 3-lobulate. Petiole 2-12 cm. long, patent-setulose. Flowers monoecious. male flowers 2-10 in subsessile fascicles; pedicels 6-30 mm. long. Receptacle-tube 2-4 mm. long, lobes 1.2-3 mm. long. Petals 3-7.5 mm. long, yellow. female flowers solitary, sometimes co-axillary with male; pedicels 18-105 mm. long; ovary 7-9 x 60-9 mm., broadly ellipsoid, shortly rostrate, softly spiny; perianth similar to that of male flower. Fruit 3-4.5 x 2.5-3.5 cm., ellipsoid to sub-globose, softly spiny, at least proximally, green or green striped paler green becoming yellow when ripe; spines 3-11 mm. long; fruit-stalk 2.5-21 cm. long, expanded upwards. Seeds 5-6 x 2.2-2.7 x 1.0-1.3 mm., elliptic in outline, compressed, with rounded margins, smooth" (Flora Zambesiaca online).

Habitat/ecology:  In its native range, "Woodland and wooded grassland, often on Kalahari sand, and on abandoned cultivated land 200-1500 m" (Flora Zambesiaca online).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Eastern and southern Africa, cultivated and naturalized elsewhere in tropics (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Eiao Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced invasive	Lorence, David H./Wagner, Warren L. (2013)
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced invasive	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2013) Naturalisée
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1993) (voucher ID: BISH 633633) Taxon name on voucher: Cucumis anguria L.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced invasive	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 45) Voucher cited: MacKee 28885 Spontané

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Costa Rica (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Guatemala (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Honduras (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Nicaragua (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Central America Central America (Pacific rim)	Panama (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Perú (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced cultivated	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	Invasive Species Specialist Group (2017)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized

Control:  If you know of control methods for Cucumis anguria, please let us know.