Cyclanthera brachystachya aka Exploding Cucumber

Cyclanthera brachystachya, known as cuchinito, belongs to the cucumber family. This annual climber comes from Central America and northern South America. Kew places its native range south to Venezuela and Ecuador. Useful Tropical Plants also records it north into Mexico. It grows in thickets and in Andean shrubland. Records span heights of about 2,625–11,480 feet [800–3,500 metres]. Kew links it with the seasonally dry tropics.

The plant grows stems about 10 feet [3 metres] long. These trail across the ground or climb through nearby plants. Tendrils help the stems hold onto their supports. Its annual life cycle sets it apart from woody climbers. Garden records give the same size as accounts of wild plants. It grows both wild and in local cultivation. People gather its fruit from wild plants for local food use.

Male and female flowers grow on the same plant. Each flower has just one sex, and insects pollinate them. Plants For A Future lists flowering from August to September. The greenish fruit reaches about 0.13 feet [0.04 metres] long. Ripe fruit splits open and throws out its seeds. People eat the fruit either raw or cooked. They add it to salads, pickle it, or boil it like squash. The sources list no known hazards, but give no detailed safety tests. They record no medicinal uses or other uses.

For garden growth, choose a warm site with sun and shelter. The soil should be rich and drain well while staying moist. Plants For A Future also reports some tolerance of light shade. It lists sandy, loamy, and clay soils as suitable. The plant accepts mildly acid through mildly alkaline soil. Its climbing form and edible crop suit cultivated beds. It tolerates more cold than many other cucumber relatives. Even so, British growers often raise it under glass.

Outdoor crops in Britain can succeed after an early greenhouse start. Plants at Kew have ripened fruit in open, sunny sites. Sow seeds in rich compost under warm cover in mid-spring. Place two or three seeds in each pot. Keep the strongest seedling, then plant out after frost risk ends. Give young plants cover until they establish. Plants For A Future lists USDA zones 9–11. The supplied accounts name no specific pests or diseases.