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Vine Gallery

Gourd Family

        

Cucurbitaceae - Gourd family
Balsam Gourd (Lindheimer's Globeberry) Ibervillea lindheimeri
Missed the flowers - Flower 1/2" wide tube. This is a climbing gourd that uses tendrils, to 10 feet. Fruit has a spiny green covering that sheds as it ripens. It reddens in stripes and is scarlet at maturity, about 1" round.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, August 2004
Photos taken in Coleman County, Texas, September 20056
(Native of Texas - Taylor, Callahan, Coleman, Brown, Coke)

Similar Species

Slimlobe Globeberry (Cutleaf Globeberry) Ibervillea tenuisecta
This speicies is actually more common in Texas then the very similar to Ibervillea lindheimeri, but not in my county. Berries are redder and smaller. Tri-lobular leaves are very narrow. Flowers are tiny and green.
(Native of Texas - Coke)

        

Cucurbitaceae - Gourd family
Buffalo Gourd (Stinking Gourd) Cucurbita foetidissima
Flower about 4" wide, 5" long and very thick. Very large leaves. Striped baseball-sized gourds hide under the leaves, pale green turning to bright yellow when ripe. Plant sprawls for 8-10 feet.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, April-May 2004
(Native of Texas - Taylor, Coleman, Brown, Coke)

                    

Cucurbitaceae - Gourd family
Watermellon Citrullus lanatus
Flower about 1" wide. Plant sprawls for 10 feet.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, July-August 2008
(Cultivated, naturalized but not listed in my area)

                 

Cucurbitaceae - Gourd family
Cantaloupe Cucumis melo
Flower about 1" wide. Plant sprawls for 5 feet.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, July-August 2008
(Cultivated)

           

Cucurbitaceae - Gourd family
Cucumber Cucumis sativus
Flower about 1/4 wide. The drought took all my cucumber plants before they produced more than tiny fruit.
Photos taken in Taylor County, Texas, August 2008
(Cultivated, native of India - not wild in Texas)