In late summer, you may notice trees or shrubs covered with crowns of white flowers that are not part of the woody plant blooming. Look closely and you’ll notice the leaves and individual flowers look just like that of cucumber–this is wild cucumber. Wild cucumber is a vining annual in the cucumber or gourd family and is often overlooked until it is large. It’s native habitat is along streambeds, swamps, and moist thickets or roadsides. It is not common in home landscapes, but occasionally will spread from adjacent areas. Wild cucumber grows from seed each year, germinating after the last frost. For more information on this vining plant, see the Wild Cucumber bulletin attached.
Wild Cucumber
