Creeping is a term that implies malevolence, which concludes with an unpleasant surprise. This activity is usually committed by creeps, another word with negative connotations as applied to the holder.
With Halloween a few days away, there are many creeping creature impersonators preparing to lurk in neighborhoods with faux menace. Their objective is to collect as many sugary treats as possible which will be substitutes for far more healthy dietary options.
One of those healthy choices, not always popular with trick-or-treaters, is cucumbers. The tubular green vegetables are as bland and benign as anything grown in the home garden, but they do have a wild cousin with some interesting habits.
Creeping Cucumber is a native plant which is often overlooked until it has established an obvious presence, usually distinguished by its small yellow bloom sparsely spaced along a spindly vine. It is in the Cucurbitaceae plant family, along with gourds and the more familiar cucumbers seen in supermarkets.
This cousin to the salad bar staple is currently maturing seeds for next year’s crop. Creeping Cucumbers are usually overlooked until they have spread widely and cover multiple square yards. At that point, the tiny cucumbers contain the genesis of future generations.
Melothria pendula, as it is botanically known, is a perennial growing throughout Florida and other coastal southeastern states. This weed species flourishes in the acidic soils common to sandy pinelands, but it has a habit of appearing in flowerbeds receiving filtered sunlight.
The diminutive male blooms have three peddles or lobes and are commonly clustered. The females are slightly larger, with five butter-colored peddles in solitary locations along the vine.
While attractive to pollinators, the blooms offer little to sustain the insects. At least the bugs have the enterprise to visit many of the blooms close by and improve the chances for successful pollination and the next generation of Creeping Cucumbers.
Given panhandle Florida’s relatively mild winters, the Creeping Cucumbers bloom year-round. With successful pollination the vines produce a tiny melon shaped fruit containing miniscule seeds which may germinate years later when the correct conditions occur.
Initially green, the little cucumber turns black as it matures and dries. It is usually less than in inch long, many times smaller than ½ inch.
During the winter, with its reduced meal choices, the creeping cucumber’s fruit is an attractive tidbit for birds and small animals.
While most consumed cucumber seeds are completely digested, a few are deposited in new sites by the consuming animal and germinate in spring.
Some of these plants appear on the borders of swamps and marshes, but not in the wetlands. Their seeds are easily relocated downstream after a washing rain or flood event.
Buoyant and weighing less than a gram, the dried cucumbers act as a lifejacket for the seed. They float on the surface and remain on top the multiple layers of flood debris.
The leaves of this species resemble those of other cucurbits. They have an alternate placing on the vine and have three to five lobes with spine tipped margins.
Roots are very shallow, commonly less than an inch beneath the surface. If appearing in flowerbeds, they are easily removed by pulling.
If given the opportunity, they are capable of climbing most anything in their path. Given their delicate structure, control in a landscape requires minimal effort.
Their creeping nature may surprise the homeowner, but at least (in this case) it is not especially unpleasant.
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