Cucumis anguria
L.
West Indian Gherkin
(c) J. Fernando Pío León, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Germaine Alexander Parada, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Germaine Alexander Parada
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Seeds, Leaves, Vegetable
The fruit can be eaten raw, cooked, or pickled, and has an agreeable cucumber flavour with no bitterness. It works well in salads or savoury dishes. Pickling in vinegar is popular, and the fruit absorbs a large quantity of vinegar when prepared this way. Fruit size reaches up to 5cm long and 4cm wide. Seeds can be eaten raw; they are rich in oil with a nutty flavour, but are fiddly to use as they are small and covered with a fibrous seedcoat. Young leaves are edible when cooked.
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. An edible variety is cultivated in tropical America. It grows between 200-1,500 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 9-12.
Africa, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Barbados, Botswana, Brazil, Britain, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Caribbean, Cayman Islands, Central Africa, Central America, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Europe, France, Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guianas, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Madagascar, Malawi, Marquesas, Martinique, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Niue, Norfolk Island, North America, Pacific, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, St Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Swaziland, Tanzania, USA, Venezuela, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How to Identify
A pumpkin family plant. It is a trailing or climbing herb. It grows 3 m long. It is rough to touch. The leaves are broadly oval and 4-10 cm long by 5-11 cm wide. They have 3-5 deep lobes. The leaves have fine teeth along the edge. It has separate male and female flowers on the same plant. There are 1-10 male flowers with stalks 4-30 mm long. The female flowers occur singly. The stalks are 1-10 cm long. The fruit are broadly oblong and 4-7 cm long. They are covered with soft curved prickles. They ripen to yellow-green with darker bands along them. The seed are 4-6 mm long. The flesh is firm and white.
Nutrition Score: 26/100
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 93 | 71 | 17 | 1.4 | — | 50 | 0.6 | — |
How to Grow
Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a very warm, sunny and sheltered position. A frost-tender annual plant, the gherkin is frequently cultivated for its fruit in warm temperate and tropical areas of the world, but it only really succeeds in Britain when grown under protection. There are many named varieties.
Propagation: Sow seed in early to mid spring in a greenhouse in rich soil; germination should occur within 2 weeks. Sow 2 or 3 seeds per pot and thin to the strongest plant. Grow on quickly and plant out after the last expected frosts, providing cloche or frame protection for at least the first few weeks if growing outdoors.
Medicinal Uses
The seeds are vermifuge. They are ground into a fine flour, made into an emulsion with water, and eaten. A purge must then be taken to expel tapeworms or other parasites from the body.
Other Uses
No other uses are known.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Cucumis anguria, commonly known as maroon cucumber, West Indian gherkin, maxixe, burr gherkin, cackrey, and West Indian gourd, is a vine that is indigenous to Africa, but has become naturalized in the New World, and is cultivated in many places. It is similar and related to the common cucumber (C. sativus) and its cultivars are known as gherkins.
Other Information
It is a commercially cultivated vegetable.
Notes
There are about 25 Cucumis species. There is an original bitter kind growing wild in Africa.
Names & Synonyms
Bur cucumber, Cassongo, Chikanyanga, Chikopa, Chipokolo, Cocombro, Goareberry gourd, Ingolowe, Jerusalem cucumber, Kasongwe, Konmonm kouli, Muchacha, Muhawa, Pepineto, Pepino de monte, Pepino silvestre, Ti konkonm
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