Creeping Cucumber

Also known as: Creeping cucumber, Guadeloupe cucumber, Wild cucumber

Melothria pendula is a slender, herbaceous perennial climber with twining stems and branched tendrils. The heart-shaped, slightly lobed mid-green leaves make a pleasant backdrop to the small yellow bell flowers produced in summer. These are followed by marble-sized, green-and-white-striped fruits that hang from the stems, resembling miniature watermelons. The fruit is edible and has a mild cucumber flavour with a crisp texture. This vigorous plant can quickly cover fences, trellises or banks and also makes an excellent trailing ground cover.

Creeping Cucumber

Scientific classification

Species: Creeping Cucumber (Melothria pendula)
Genus: Information to be completed
Family: Cucurbitaceae

Non-toxic; the young fruits are edible, though other plant parts are not normally consumed.
Toxicity: Climber · Perennial · Fruit Edible
Plant type: 1.5 - 2.5 metres
Height: 0.5 - 1.5 metres
Spread: Deciduous
Foliage: Climbing · Trailing
Habit: Summer · Autumn
Season of interest: Full sun · Partial shade
Sunlight: Information to be completed
Ideal temperature

Creeping Cucumber pictures

Information to be completed

Distribution of Creeping Cucumber

Distribution map

Eastern and central United States, Mexico, Central America

Information to be completed

Culture

Information to be completed

Toxicity

Non-toxic; the young fruits are edible, though other plant parts are not normally consumed.

Quick identification of Creeping Cucumber

Information to be completed

Creeping Cucumber care guide

Water regularly to keep soil evenly moist
Watering: Full sun · Partial shade
Sunlight: Information to be completed
Ideal temperature

Watering

Water regularly to keep soil evenly moist

Fertilizing

Monthly during the growing season

Pruning

Pinch out growing tips in late spring to encourage a bushy habit. Remove and compost spent stems after frost.

Propagation

Sow seed at 20-25°C (68-77°F) in trays in spring, pricking out into pots after germination. Alternatively, take softwood cuttings in early summer and root them in a humid propagator. Established plants may be divided in spring.

Growing

Grow in a moisture-retentive but well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade, ideally with the roots kept cool in a loose humus-rich soil. Provide a fence, trellis or wigwam support, and pinch out the growing tips when the plant reaches about 30cm to encourage branching. Water regularly throughout the growing season; container-grown plants need extra attention to avoid drying out. Feed every four weeks with a balanced liquid fertiliser. In cold gardens, treat as a half-hardy perennial and move containers under cover in autumn, or grow it as an annual from seed sown in spring.

More growing and care information →