Cucumis zeyheri Seeds - Wild Cucumber Seeds - Indigenous Climber

Cucumis zeyheri Seeds

Bitterappel, Wilde-agurkie or Wildekomkommer; Wild Cucumber

Cucumis zeyheri is a South African indigenous species found in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and North West Provinces. Commonly known as Bitterappel, Wilde-agurkie or Wildekomkommer in Afrikaans and Wild Cucumber in English it is a wild African cucumber bearing small, spiny fruits. The fruits are generally considered inedible as they are quite bitter though some plants may produce less bitter fruits. The species is of main interest as an ornamental. Over time it will produce an interesting caudex base. Fairly fast growing vine to several feet in all directions. It is a perennial, but shoots die back out of season and grow from the woody base the following year. Like common cucumbers, this species has unisex flowers, but both male and female flowers are produced on the same plant. The fruits grow to a couple of inches and are colored green, often with off color spots. Fruits are covered in spines and ripen to a pale yellow.