Wild Cucumber
Cucumis prophetarum
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- August-September
How to identify Wild Cucumber
Identify Wild Cucumber by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a climber habit.
- Confirm leaf shape: Ovate.
- Confirm leaf margin: Toothed.
- Confirm flower colour: Yellow.
- Confirm flower arrangement: Solitary.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: August-September.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and nearby regions.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Cucumis prophetarum
- Genus
- Cucumis
- Family
- Cucurbitaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Habitat
- Waste places
- Habitat type
- Wasteland
- Distribution
- Paleotropics
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
- Flowering & fruiting
- August-September
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf shape
- OvaterecordedEgg-shaped, broader near the base.“Its stems and leaves are hairy and the leaves are ovate to round in shape and cordate at the base and measure 2–4 centimeters in length.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- ToothedrecordedA saw-like or jagged edge (serrate or dentate).“They have 3–5 blunt-toothed, obtuse or subacute lobes, and the petioles measure 6–87 millimeters (0.24–3.43 inches) in length.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- PubescentrecordedCovered in short, soft hairs.“Its stems and leaves are hairy and the leaves are ovate to round in shape and cordate at the base and measure 2–4 centimeters in length.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Wild Cucumber itself; the rest are typical of the Cucurbitaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Yellowrecorded
- Flower arrangement
- SolitaryrecordedA single flower borne alone, not in a cluster.“Male flowers occur in clusters of 2–3 on pedicels measuring 3–25 millimeters (0.12–0.98 inches) in length, and are rarely solitary.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Solitary
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Wild Cucumber itself; the rest are typical of the Cucurbitaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Malayalam
- പീരപ്പെട്ടിക്ക
About Wild Cucumber
Wild Cucumber (Cucumis prophetarum) belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, where it grows as a climber. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and 2 other states. It grows in waste places. Flowering and fruiting run from August to September.
Cucurbitaceae
Cucumber/Gourd family
Wild Cucumber belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Cucurbitaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Wild Cucumber or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides