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Cucumis africanus
Also called Thorn Cucumber, Wild Gherkin
Cucumis africanus is a wild, trailing, perennial relative of the cucumber from southern Africa, grown mainly as a curiosity or for its edible fruits. It thrives in warm, dry conditions with well-drained soil and sparing water.
Cucumis africanus, the wild cucumber or wild gherkin, is a species of cucumber belonging to the genus Cucumis. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus the Younger. The species is native to Southern Africa.
Pea Pumpkin · West Indian gherkin · Snake vine · Rough Cucumber · Hedgehog gourd · Cucumis · Aardvark Cucumber · Cucumis hystrix · Madras Pea Pumpkin · Cantaloupe · Armenian cucumber · Melon
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Cucumis africanus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
