Sicyos angulatus L.

One Seed Bur Cucumber; Star Cucumber

Vine

Annual

Vascular

One Seed Bur Cucumber is a native annual or perennial vine in the Cucumber family (Cucurbitaceae). It can be found throughout much of Alabama. One Seed Bur Cucumber occurs along major rivers and streams in swamp forests, alluvial woods, and clearings. It is a vine climbing by tendrils. The vines are up to 25 feet in length, green in color, ribbed, and pubescent with long, stiff, glandular hairs. The plant climbs by tendrils produced at the base of the leaves. The tendrils are divided into 4 segments. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, palmately 3-5 lobed, with small teeth along the margins. The leaves are pubescent with stiff hairs, especially below. One Seed Bur Cucumber is monoecious, producing both staminate (male) and pistillate (female) flowers on the same plant. Pistillate flowers are produced in compact cymes and staminate flowers are produced in panicles or racemes. The inflorescences are produced from the axils of the leaves. Each flower has 5 white or greenish petals that are united only at their base. The fruit is a 1-seeded pepo covered in long, brittle, stiff hairs and shorter matted hairs. The fruit is not edible.--A. Diamond

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Native FACW- (NWPL)

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