Creeping Cucumber
Melothria pendula L.
Melothria pendula, a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, is commonly known as Creeping Cucumber. It is native to regions such as Colombia, the Amazon, and parts of the United States, including Alabama and Arkansas. The plant is part of the Benincaseae tribe and is especially prominent in the Southeastern U.S. It resembles the cultivated cucumber, with miniature yellow flowers, similar leaf shape and patterns, and comparable growth habits. Its unripe berries resemble small watermelons.
Description
Melothria pendula is a species of the genus Melothria in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. It is found in various regions, including the Cordillera occidental and Cordillera central in Colombia, as well as in the Amazon, Andina, and Llanura del Caribe. The plant is also present in the United States, particularly in the Southeast, and extends into parts of Central and South America, including the Bahamas, Belize, and Argentina. The species was first described in 1753 by L. It is characterized by its creeping growth, yellow flowers, and small, watermelon-like berries when unripe.
Other common names
creeping-cucumberCreeping CucumberGuadeloupe cucumber
Distribution
BR · Subregiones: Cordillera occidental, Cordillera central, Norte, Zona central, Sur, Enclaves subxerofíticos · CO · Parque Nacional Natural Las Orquídeas | Parque Nacional Natural Los Katíos · Distrito Regional de Manejo Integrado (DRMI) Laguna de Sonso, municipio de Guadalajara de Buga, Valle del Cauca, Colombia · TW · Corregimiento de San Antonio de Chamí · La Unión Esperanza María · Barichara | Bucaramanga | Floridablanca | Rionegro · CN · Amazonas, Antioquia, Bolívar, Boyacá, Caldas, Caquetá, Cauca, Chocó, Cundinamarca, La Guajira, Huila, Magdalena, Meta, Nariño, Norte de Santander, Putumayo, Quindío, Risaralda, Santander, Tolima, Valle · JP · Cuenca de Río Claro · Amazonia, Andina, Llanura del Caribe, Pacífico, Valle del Cauca, Valle del Magdalena · Alabama · Argentina Northeast · Argentina Northwest · Arkansas · Bahamas · Belize · Bolivia · Borneo · Brazil Northeast · Brazil North · Brazil Southeast · Brazil South · Brazil West-Central · Cayman Is. · China Southeast · Colombia
Synonyms
Melothria repandaMelothria pervagaMelothria fluminensisMelothria guadalupensisMelothria nigraApodanthera gracilisBryonia convolvulifoliaBryonia filiformisBryonia guadalupensisBryonia melothriaCucumis glaberDiclidostigma melothrioidesMelothria nashiiMelothria pendula var. pendulaMelothria crassifoliaMelothria chlorocarpaMelothria fluminensis var. microphyllaMelothria fluminensis var. ovataMelothria pendula var. chlorocarpaMelothria fluminensis var. hydrocotylifoliaMelothria fluminensis var. triangularisMelothria pendula var. asperaMelothria pendula var. crassifoliaMelothria pendula var. microcarpa
