Cyclanthera brachystachya

Cyclanthera brachystachya, the exploding cucumber (but not to be confused with Ecballium elaterium), in the cucurbit or gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), is a herbaceous vine usually grown for its curiosity value, but the fruit is also edible.^[1]

Exploding cucumber
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Cucurbitales
Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Genus:	Cyclanthera
Species:	C. brachystachya
Binomial name
Cyclanthera brachystachya (DC.) Cogn.
Synonyms
Cyclanthera explodens Naudin

Exploding cucumber fruiting body

The unusual fruit are bilaterally symmetrical, bulbous and spiny. They explode when ripe as a means of seed dispersal.

Exploding cucumber (Cyclanthera explodens) in slow motion

Origin and distribution

The plant is endemic from Southern Mexico through Colombia and Ecuador.^[1]

Food uses

The fruit can be used raw when small (less than 2 cm) in salads, or cooked when mature (2.5 cm, exploded).^[2]

Cultivation

It is propagated by its puzzle piece -shaped seed, and grown in conditions similar to other cucurbits like cucumbers and melons. It prefers warm, hot climates with regular watering. Once established the vine can grow quickly up to 10–15 feet. Although preferably grown over some kind of support, it can also be grown along the ground. The plant produces both male and female flowers on the same plant in mid-summer.^[3]

Photos

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  Plant
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  Fruit
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  exploded fruit
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  Shoot
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  Tendril
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  Seeds