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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

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Tuesday - July 22, 2014

From: Lorena, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Plant Identification, Vines
Title: Ripe fruit of Melothria pendula (Guadaloupe cucumber)
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I see the pictures of the guadualupe cucumber plant. The fruit is still green. When it matures does it look like a small tomato? I have noticed the vine when the fruit is ripe. This is in McLennan Co. Thanks

ANSWER:

Mr. Smarty Plants is sorry that we don't have a photo of the ripe fruit of Melothria pendula (Guadeloupe cucumber), but here are photos from Eat The Weeds.  I would describe it as looking like a ripe olive rather than a small tomato.  However, there is a vine that also occurs in Mclennan County TX that you may have seen with a ripe fruit that does look like a small tomato —Ibervillea lindheimeri (Lindheimer's globeberry).

 

From the Image Gallery


Guadeloupe cucumber
Melothria pendula

Guadeloupe cucumber
Melothria pendula

Guadeloupe cucumber
Melothria pendula

Balsam gourd
Ibervillea lindheimeri

Balsam gourd
Ibervillea lindheimeri

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