WorldFloraDB - Echinocystis lobata

Characteristics

High-climbing annual; lvs long-petioled, orbicular in outline, with (3–)5(–7) sharp, triangular lobes; staminate fls in long erect racemes, the cor 8–10 mm wide, with lanceolate lobes, the pistillate few or solitary, short-peduncled from the same axils; fr ovoid, 3–5 cm, green, weakly prickly; 2n=32. Moist ground and thickets, throughout our range and s. to Fla. and Tex.; often cult. July–Sept. (Micrampelis l.)

More

Leaves: petiole 1–4 cm; blade 2–8(–12) cm, lobe apex acute, sinuses rounded, surfaces glabrous or slightly scabrous, hair bases pustulate. Inflorescences: staminate racemes 8–14 cm; pistillate peduncles 2–5 cm. Flowers lightly fragrant; corolla 8–12(–16) mm diam. Pepos 3–5 cm, spinules 4–6 mm, glabrous or slightly scabrous. Seeds 12–20 mm. 2n = 32.

A creeping herb or vine. It can grow 8 m long. Flowers are separately male or female on the same plant.

Life form

annual

Growth form

herb

Growth support

climber

Foliage retention

deciduous

Sexuality

monoecy

Pollination

entomogamy

Spread

-

Mature width (meter)

-

Mature height (meter)

7.0 - 8.0

Root system

-

Rooting depth (meter)

-

Root diameter (meter)

-

Flower color

Blooming months

Jan	Feb	Mar
Apr	May	Jun
Jul	Aug	Sep
Oct	Nov	Dec

Fruit color

-

Fruiting months

-

Nitrogen fixer

-

Photosynthetic pathway

c3

Environment

Rich soils by streams. Thickets. Bottomland forests and thickets, riparian woods, marshes and marsh edges, thickets in pastures, fencerows, ditches, lake shores, railroad banks, dunes; at elevations up to 2,000 metres.

More

It is a temperate plant. It is damaged by frost. It needs to be in a sunny position.

Light
Soil humidity
Soil texture
Soil acidity
Soil nutriment
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

Uses	environmental use medicinal
Edible	-
Therapeutic use	Analgesic (root), Love Medicine (root), Tonic (root), Panacea (root), Gastrointestinal Aid (root), Abortifacient (unspecified), Antirheumatic (Internal) (unspecified), Febrifuge (unspecified), Kidney Aid (unspecified), Panacea (unspecified), Headache (unspecified), Poultice (unspecified), Philter (unspecified)
Human toxicity	toxic (unknown strength) (root), toxic (unknown strength) (fruit)
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.

Mode	seedlings
Germination duration (days)	5 - 10
Germination temperacture (C°)	18 - 21
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	-
Minimum temperature (C°)	-
Optimum temperature (C°)	-
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-