Echinocystis (Echinocystis)
Echinocystis (Echinocystis) is an ornamental foliage plant in the Cucurbitaceae family. It is also known as the wild cucumber or echinocystis.
Description
Echinocystis is a herbaceous annual vine, growing from two and a half to four meters tall. These vines attach to supports with small, tenacious tendrils. And they all have the ability to grow at lightning speed!
The small, monoecious flowers of Echinocystis are white, with both the solitary female flowers and the showy male flowers clustered in clusters located in the same leaf axils. This plant typically blooms in July-August. And its flowers are very fragrant! The “hedgehog” fruits of the prickly fruit (which is where the plant gets its name) are a rich green color, quite large, and covered with soft, sparse spines. Over time, these spines gradually dry out. When the prickly fruit ripens, the “lids” located at their tips open, and the relatively large, dark brown or black seeds spill out. Therefore, prickly fruit is also considered a weed.
Where it grows
North America is considered the prickly fruit”s native land. Only one species of this plant, the prickly fruit (Prickly fruit lobate), can grow in central Russia.
Uses
Prickly fruit is quite undemanding in cultivation, which is perhaps why it is often used for vertical arrangements. It also thrives in horizontal arrangements just as well! A single plant can easily provide a luxurious green “screen” for a plot of six to eight square meters! However, the prickly pear is ideal for decorating not only walls, but also arbors, trellises, or pergolas. This beauty boasts particular decorative appeal during the fruiting stage. And its impressive ease of maintenance allows it to thrive even in areas where no other vines can thrive!
The seeds of the prickly pear are edible, so you can safely use them in cooking if desired: either roast them or use them similarly to pumpkin seeds.
Cultivation and Care
Prickly carp will grow well in both open and shady or semi-shaded areas. At the same time, the soil can be absolutely any, and this plant also does not need careful care at all. The most important thing is to water it from time to time when drought occurs. In this case, there is also absolutely no need for fertilizing, the only thing is that during the period of growing young seedlings, thorough weeding will not be superfluous (so that weeds do not inhibit the growth of the plant).
The propagation of thorny carp occurs by sowing seeds before winter or with the onset of spring, and it is immediately planted in permanent places. By the way, it is best to sow seeds before winter, dropping two or three seeds into each “nest”. And in the spring, when the tiny seedlings grow a little, they begin to replant them, maintaining a distance of at least eighty centimeters between the plants. The thorny plant is also endowed with the ability to produce abundant self-seeding, which often leads to a very aggressive takeover of areas not intended for its cultivation. But the prickly carp is practically not susceptible to any diseases, and pests are not interested in it at all!
Echinocystis lobe, barnacle, spiny cucumber, spiny cucumber — we are harvesting!
