Thursday, September 3, 2009

Unknown gourd-like vine

 

 
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I found this growing in a flowering quince at Mother's house. It probably thought it was safe there among the thorns, but I thought it looked like something invasive so I ripped all of it out that I could find and threw it in the trash. I was able to name it with help from the Name That Plant Forum at Garden Web. Go here
The site has a lot of helpful people and you can post a picture of the plant in question. I was told it might be Melothria pendula or creeping cucumber and I looked it up in google images and it seemed correct. One reference said it reseeded slowly but another said it was invasive. Typically, when I see a plant that is unknown to me and making seed to beat the band, I worry that it is invasive and it usually is.
I have seen a little vine similar to this in the Butterfly House at Calloway. But in that case the pods were bumpy and the pods were bright yellow to orange/yellow.I wondered if this seed came out of the birdseed as she feeds the birds on that side of the porch. Whatever, a bird may have brought it there.

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