Have you been noticing a bright green vine that has been climbing up trees and fencelines this summer? What you are seeing is Wild Cucumber (Echinocystis lobata), a member of the Cucurbitaceae family which includes cucumbers, squash, and melons. Wild cucumber is a native plant of Wisconsin and most of North America. Additional information on wild cucumber.
Wild cucumber vine & fruit
The fruit of wild cucumber is spiny and inedible.
For more information on the biology of wild cucumber, please visit: https://mastergardener.extension.wisc.edu/sites/wimastergardener.org/files/Echinocystis_lobata.pdf or go to http://wimastergardener.org and search “wild cucumber” to find the relevant information.
