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Star shaped leaves
Round green fruit
Echinocystis lobata
Common Name: Wild
Cucumber
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Leaves: The leaves are up to 6 inches long. They have from 3 to 7 sharp triangular points and are green in color.
Flowers: The flowers are greenish white and have 6 petals. They are often found growing in clusters along the vine.
Seeds: The fruit is green and inflated. It can be up to 2 inches long and is covered in soft prickles.
Stem: The stem divides into forking tendrils used which are used in climbing.
Branching Pattern: Alternate
Height: up to 15 feet long
Conditions/Habitat/Kind of Forest: This vine can be seen growing in waste grounds, thickets, floodplain forest and along stream banks. It requires moist soil to grow.
Known Wildlife Interactions: The flowers are insect pollinated.
Range: It can be found through out U.S.A. proper and in southern Canada.
Conservation Status-US/ World Wide: Not threatened in the U.S. or globally.
Uses (Human): None known
References:
Connecticut Wildflowers. January 20, 2006. Connecticut Botanical Society. Accessed: April 11, 2006. <http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/polygonumsagi.html>
Plants for a Future. June 2004. Accessed: April 11, 2006. <http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Polygonum+sagittatum>
The Pennsylvania Flora Project. Botany Department, Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania. Accessed: January 20, 2006. <http://www.paflora.org>
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species <http://www.iucnredlist.org>
Wisconsin Plant of the Week. October 14, 2002. Accessed April 11, 2006. <http://www.klines.org/joanne/Archive/Plant_Pages/plant_pages_29.html>
Chadde, Steve W. A Great Lakes Wetland Flora. Pocketflora Press. 2002. pg.196
Redington, Charles B. Plants in Wetlands. Redington Field Guides. 1994. pg 356
Peterson, Roger T., MicKenny, Margaret. Wildflowers: Northeast/ North-Central Amercia. Peterson Field Guides.1996. pg 76