Arabian Cucumber is an annual warm-season vegetable, climbing vine, with yellow flowers and yellow fruit native to tropical Africa. It has been introduced and grown in Texas and Hawaii, but is not generally grown in other states. It scribbles over the ground or uses tendrils to climb trellises or over other plants. As the fruits of the plant mature, they change from green to yellow and contain many seeds.The plant is normally found in the wild, but has been domesticated. In addition to the fruit harvested for consumption, the young shoots and leaves of the plant are traditionally cooked with groundnut paste and coconut milk. The plant grows best in full sun, in well-drained soil, and prefers a dry site. Click here to see a calendar of planting schedules, time-to-harvest, and recommended spacing. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems. Can be weedy and has become problematic in some tropical areas of the world including Mexico and South America. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common cucumis diseases as well as a factsheet on common insect pests and other problems. VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Nuts," a plant identification course developed in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Annual; Edible; Vegetable; Vine; Warm Season Vegetable
Life cycle
Annual
Light
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
High Organic Matter
Soil pH
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
Mature size
Height: 6 ft. 0 in. - 10 ft. 0 in. | Width: 0 ft. 2 in. - 0 ft. 6 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
High
Canopy layer
6 - Vine (vertical)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Climbing; Creeping; Prostrate
Texture
Coarse
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Orbicular
Leaf margin
Dentate
Leaf feel
Prickly
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The heart-shaped leaves are trilobed and notched at the base. The leaves grow 3/4- 3 inches long and 1-3.5 inches wide with hairs covering both sides of the leaf surfaces. The margins are toothed.
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower shape
Tubular
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Flowers are monoecious and unisexual with each plant having separate male and female flowers. The male flowers range from 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch and have three stamens. Female flowers range from 3/4 to 1 inch and have three-lobed stigmas. Blooms September to November.
Bloom time
Fall; Winter
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Gold/Yellow
Fruit type
Berry
Fruit value
Edible
Fruit size
1-3 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Fruit detail
Hairs cover the oblong fruit giving the species the nickname “hedgehog cucumber”. Fruits appear in November to January. They start out green and turn yellow when mature and contain many seeds.
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Stems grow to 6 feet or more with a climbing habit. Quadrangular shaped with hairs and weak.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Central Africa
Distribution
tropical Africa, Texas, Hawaii, Northern Mexico, North Western South America.
Food & Medicine
Edible parts
Fruit; Leaves; Seeds; Shoots
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Berry
Edibility
Fruits, seeds and young leaves and shoots are all edible.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Fruits are used for fodder, medicinally as an analgesic, and human consumption.
Landscape Use
Landscape theme
Edible Garden
Garden tags
#tropical annual #warm season vegetable #non-toxic for cats #non-toxic for horses #non-toxic for dogs #annual vegetable #vine #heat tolerant #edible fruits #high maintenance #aggressive #fast growing #weedy #climber
Problems & Resistance
Insect problems
Insect and Related Pests of Vegetables; Pests of Cucurbits
Disease problems
Cucurbit Downy Mildew; Gummy Stem Blight of Cucurbits; Anthracnose of Cucurbits; Cucurbit Powdery Mildew