Plant notes…
African horned cucumber
A prickly sort of vegetable
Story and photos: © Russ Grayson
Common name: African horned cucumber
Family: Cucurbitaceae (cucumber and melon family)
Genus: Cucumis
Species: metuliferus
Centre of diversity
Southern Africa.
Natural habitat
Drylands of southern Africa on sandy, rocky soils in open scrublands and savanna.
Growth form
- an annual trailing or climbing vine with angular, hairy stems to around three metres in length that climb and sprawl across the ground
- leaves are large and lobed to around 15cm wide with a rough, textured surface that conserves moisture in its arid, warm African homeland habitat
- flowers are yellow, with male and female inflorescence appearing on the same plant
- the fruit can reach 20cm in length and 10cm in width and has a hard skin
- the fruit is characterised by sharp spines covering a bright orange-yellow skin; the spines gives the vegetable its name and provide botanical defence against herbivores that would otherwise eat the nutritious fruit; the spines make the fruit difficult to swallow
- the soft, watery, lime-green and jelly-like flesh is filled with large, flat seeds and has a refreshing, cucumber-like texture and a slightly bitter and astringent taste.
Reproduction
- insect pollinated
- seed spread by animals and birds.
Useful part
- the watery flesh of the fruit
- leaves and seeds traditionally used in Africa.
Uses
Food:
- can be eaten at any stage of ripening (Wikipedia)
- small amount of salt or sugar can increase the flavour
- high seed content
- add to salads, pickles
- in Africa, the seeds are sometimes roasted and eaten or pressed for their oil; leaves are cooked and consumed as a vegetable.
Wikipedia reports the nutritional value per 100g as:
- energy: 183kJ
- carbohydrates: 7.56g
- fat: 1.26g
- protein: 1.78g.
Vitamins: vitamin A (beta-carotene), thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), vitamin B6, folate (B9), vitamin C.
Minerals: calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc.
Water content: 88.9g.
Seeds and flesh are said to have diuretic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Reproduction
From seed.
Indigenous uses, names
- Kiwano
- traditional, drought resistant food plant in arid Africa
- a source of water during the dry season in the Kalahari Desert.
Value in garden
Nutritional value in comparison to other vegetables, and the space requirement in small home gardens or community garden plots makes African horned cucumber a low priority domestic crop.
Notes
The cucumbers in the photos were grown in coastal southeast Tasmania, a cool temperate maritime climatic zone. I have also seen it grown in warm temperate Sydney.
Reports say the flavour is a passionfruit/banana/cucumber, however I found the Tasmanian-grown fruit somewhat bitter. It tasted better blended into a salad than by itself.
Read on…
