Gherkin, West Indian gherkin
Cucumis anguria
Family: Cucurbitaceae
What it is like
Cucumis anguria is a ANNUAL CLIMBER growing to 2.4 m (7ft 10in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 2.4
Where it is found
Not known in the wild.
Probably originated in Tropical America but not known in a truly wild condition. Possibly a cultigen
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed.
Countries/locations it is found in
Indigenous to Angola; Botswana; the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Malawi; Mozambique; Namibia; South Africa; Swaziland; Tanzania; Zambia; and Zimbabwe. Naturalized in: Anguilla; Antigua and Barbuda; Australia (Queensland); Barbados; Brazil; Cayman Islands; Costa Rica; Cuba; the Dominican Republic; Ecuador; French Guiana; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Guatemala; Haiti; Honduras; Jamaica; Madagascar; Martinique; Mexico; Netherlands Antilles; Nicaragua; Panama; Peru; Puerto Rico; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and Grenadines; Suriname; the United States - California, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington; Venezuela; and both British and American Virgin Islands.
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Fruit - raw, cooked or pickled. A very agreeable cucumber flavour without any bitterness. It can be used in salads or as part of a savoury dish. The fruit is frequently soaked in vinegar to make a pickle, it absorbs a large quantity of vinegar. The fruit is up to 5cm long and 4cm wide. Seed - raw. Rich in oil with a nutty flavour but very fiddly because it is rather small and covered with a fibrous seedcoat. Young leaves - cooked.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Medicine
Rating: 1
The seeds are vermifuge. They are ground into a fine flour, then made into an emulsion with water and eaten. It is then necessary to take a purge in order to expel the tapeworms or other parasites from the body.
Vermifuge: Expels and kills internal parasites.
Other
Rating: 0
How it is grown
Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a very warm, sunny and sheltered position. A frost-tender annual plant, the gherkin is frequently cultivated for its fruit in warm temperate and tropical areas of the world, but it only really succeeds in Britain when grown under protection. There are many named varieties.
Propagating it: Seed - sow early to mid spring in a greenhouse in a rich soil. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Sow 2 or 3 seeds per pot and thin out to the best plant. Grow them on fast and plant out after the last expected frosts, giving them cloche or frame protection for at least their first few weeks if you are trying them outdoors.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual Climber
Hardiness: 9-11
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo.
This plant can be weedy or invasive.
Its other names
Local names
Gherkin, cackrey, maroon cucumber, West Indian gherkin, West Indian gourd, Bur cucumber, Cassongo, Chikanyanga, Chikopa, Chipokolo, Goareberry gourd, Ingolowe, Jerusalem cucumber, Kasongwe, Muchacha, Muhawa.