Cyclanthera brachystachya
| Cyclanthera brachystachya | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 10 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 10' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Cyclanthera brachystachya
Propagation: Seed - sow mid spring in a rich compost in a warm greenhouse. Put 2 or 3 seeds in a pot and thin the seedlings to the strongest plant. Plant out after the last expected frost and give the plants some protection such as a cloche until they are growing away well.
Cultivation: Requires a warm sunny and sheltered position in a rich well-drained soil.
Plants are not very cold hardy in Britain and so are normally grown in a greenhouse. However, if they are started in a greenhouse in the spring and grown on well it is possible to get reasonable yields in most years outdoors in this country. Plants have been seen outdoors in an open sunny position at Kew on several occasions with ripe fruit[K]. Plants tolerate more cold than many cucurbits[1].
Range: C. and S. America - Mexico to Colombia and Ecuador.
Edibility: Fruit - raw or cooked[1]. The fruit is up to 4cm long[2].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Monoecious
Also Known As: C. explodens. Naudin.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Popenoe, Hugh. Lost Crops of the Incas. National Academy Press, 1990.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.