Native Plants

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A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Wednesday - June 30, 2010

From: Checotah, OK
Region: Southwest
Topic: Vines
Title: Identification of vine with gourd-like fruit
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

We live on a farm, and I have noticed a vine that has leaves like grapes, but produces this flower, and a fruit that is rather large, shaped like a gourd, right now green in color. It is growing over my blackberry or wild brush.

ANSWER:

Here are three possibilities for your vine:

1) Cucurbita foetidissima (Missouri gourd)

2) Ibervillea lindheimeri (Lindheimer's globeberry)

3) Melothria pendula (Guadeloupe cucumber)

If none of these is the vine that you see, please send us photos and we will do our best to identify it for you. Visit Mr. Smarty Plants' Plant Identification page to read the instructions for submitting photos.

Cucurbita foetidissima

Ibervillea lindheimeri