Cayaponia quinqueloba (Raf.) Shinners

Five Lobe Cucumber; Five Lobe Melonleaf

Vine

Perennial

Vascular

Five Lobe Cucumber is a native perennial herbaceous vine in the Cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae). It can be found in scattered locations throughout Alabama. Five Lobe Cucumber occurs in bottomland hardwood forests, in low woods, and on the banks of streams and rivers. It is an herbaceous vine climbing by unbranched tendrils. The vines are up to 10-15 feet in length. Stems are green in color and pubescent. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, ovate to palmately 3-5 lobed in outline, with serrate margins. The petioles are pubescent and stipitate glandular. The leaves are sparsely short pubescent. Flowers are 3-5 in the axils of the leaves. The flowers are either pistillate or staminate. The corolla is bell shaped with 5 white petals that are joined for ½-2/3 of their length. The fruit is a scarlet cylindrical pepo (a fleshy berry like fruit with a harden outer rind).—A. Diamond

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Native FACW- (NWPL)

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