Plant Index

 
 
 
 

Echinocystis lobata

Echinocystis lobata (Michx.) Torr. & A. Gray

wild balsam-apple, wild cucumber, wild-cucumber

Synonym(s): Micrampelis lobata, Sicyos lobata
Echinocystis lobata (Wild Balsam-apple)
Image ID: 33239
Image by: Patterson, Bruce
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: ECLO
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Echinocystis lobata
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2018-01-19

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: ECHIN5
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Echinocystis
GENUS AUTHORITY: Torr. & A. Gray
GENUS COMMON: Echinocystis
GENUS SUMMARY: A monotypic genus, an annual vine, of e. North America.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Nesom in FNA (2015); Schaefer & Renner in Kubitzki (2011).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: CUCURB
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Cucurbitaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Durande 1782
FAMILY COMMON: Gourd Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 97-120 genera and 800-1000 species, of tropical and subtropical areas, with a few extending to temperate areas.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Schaefer & Renner in Kubitzki (2011); Nesom (2011b); Nesom in FNA (2015).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: A vining annual of bottomland forests and thickets
STEMS: Stems angular, smooth, with 3-forked tendrils arising from leaf axils that entwine surrounding vegetation.
LEAVES: Leaves alternate, long-petiolate, round in overall outline, to 7 in. wide, palmately 3- to 7-lobed, rough on upper surface.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Male and female flowers separate, white to cream, 1/2 in. wide, with 6 long-tapering, fringed petals. Male flowers in 4- to 8-in.-long erect racemes arising opposite the leaves and with a short column of pale-yellow-tipped stamens in the center; 1 to a few short-stalked female flowers sit at the base of the male flower cluster and consist of a short, blunt stigma and bloated, spiny ovary beneath the petals.
FRUITS: Fruit a spiny, oval pod.
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 2-10 ft. (long)
DURATION: Annual
HABIT: Herb, Vine
LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:
FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY: Radial (Actinomorphic)
BLOOM TIME: May-Oct
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
x x x x x x x

BLOOM COLOR: White to cream
White Red Pink Orange Yellow Green Blue Lavender Purple Violet Brown Not Applicable
x

FRUITING PERIOD:
DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Bottomlands
NATIVE RANGE:
HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average, Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: ECLO
USDA Common Name: Wild Cucumber
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Distribution: USA (AR, AZ, CO, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY), CAN (AB, BC, MB, NB, NS, ON, PE, QC, SK)
Duration: Annual
Growth Habit: Vine, Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:AGCPAKAWCBEMPGPHIMWNCNEWMVE
Status: FACW FACU FAC FAC FACW FACW FACU

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

2018 Natural Heritage Program List of Rare Plant Species of North Carolina

NHP IDS RANKROUNDED S RANKG RANKROUNDED G RANKSTATE STATUSFEDERAL STATUS
15362 S1 S1 G5 G5 W7

This information is derived from the 2018 North Carolina Natural Heritage Program List of Rare Plant Species.

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Echinocystis lobata
COMMON NAME: Wild Balsam-apple, Wild-cucumber
SYNONYMY: [= C, F, FNA, G, GW, Il, K, Pa, RAB, Va, W, WV; = Micrampelis lobata (Michaux) Greene - S]
PHENOLOGY: May-Oct.
HABITAT: Bottomland forests and thickets.
COMMENTS: NB west to SK, south to GA (?) and TX.
RANGE MAP: Echinocystis lobata.png

Key to Map Symbols
ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Cucurbitaceae Durande 1782 (Gourd Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 97-120 genera and 800-1000 species, of tropical and subtropical areas, with a few extending to temperate areas.
REFERENCE: Schaefer & Renner in Kubitzki (2011); Nesom (2011b); Nesom in FNA (2015).
ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Echinocystis Torr. & A. Gray (Echinocystis)
SUMMARY: A monotypic genus, an annual vine, of e. North America.
REFERENCE: Nesom in FNA (2015); Schaefer & Renner in Kubitzki (2011).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Echinocystis lobata in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Echinocystis lobata in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Echinocystis lobata in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Echinocystis lobata in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Echinocystis lobata in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Echinocystis lobata

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 33239 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 33239 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 33239 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)

From the Image Gallery


Image ID: 33241

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Image ID: 79451

Image ID: 11099
9 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

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