Mystery Plant

Vanity | 08/21/2011 | Self

[Twotone]

My aunt has an unusual plant that came up in her garden & needs some help identifying it. It looks like a variety of squash, & I've done a search for images. But nothing I found matches it identically. I thought I'd ask for some FReeper assistance...

[Immerito]

Perhaps someone on your gardening list can identify this plant.

[BuffaloJack]

Looks like one of my wife’s bitter melons.

[nightmarewhileawake]

I’m not sure but my pioneer and native American ancestors
used to batter and fried squash blossoms just like these.
We haven’t had to fry squash blossoms since the great Depression — life was so good, but now we all may hope that we have some blossoms to fry pretty soon. I’ll look for through my old recipes. May have to start eating “shuck beans” again too if things keep getting worse. So much for hope and change.

[mrreaganaut]

I vote pumpkin, too. The fruit should be the same color as the blossoms.

[jjotto]

Might be a volunteer seed from some hybrid squash that’s reverted to its components. In that case, neither the plant nor the fruit will be exactly recognizable, and the fruit will look and taste like exactly what it is, a random cross between several members of the squash family. And it probably won’t taste very good.

[Georgia Girl 2]

I’m guessing pumpkin

[Red_Devil 232]

Pinging the Gardeners - Leaves and flower look like a squash of some sort.

Weekly Gardening Thread

This Weeks Gardening Thread

[Cvengr]

[Daffynition]

Looks like a squash. You can eat the blossoms, which is counterproductive.

In our garden by my front steps a vine started and I didn't know what it was, but now it looks like a watermelon. Musta self-seeded when the kids were sitting on the front steps having a watermelon seed spitting contest, is my guess.

I'm afraid our growing season isn't going to be long enough for us to have *fruit* of any size.

Gardening is *like a box of chocolates....*

[razorback-bert]

Nothing to fear, the SWAT team will tell you what it is, when you appear in court.

[al baby]

That would be my guess as well

[ApplegateRanch]

We get volunteer “squashkins all the time, and they turn out quite tasty. Most end up as winter types, but we also get some really good summer squash types out of them.

They’re free crosses between pie pumpkins, zucchinni, pattypan, acorn, kubocha, butternut, and cocozelle. They may even have a bit of the neighbor’s hubbard in them by now.

[ApplegateRanch]

Pinging the Gardeners - Leaves and flower look like a squash of some sort.

You left the list members off the ping.

[shotdog]

I agree. It might be left over from last year in which case it likely will not come true to form. Most seeds today are hybrids which rarely come true in the following years. They are interesting to watch if they don’t take up precious room. sd

[rockinqsranch]

The petals are too round to be Zuchinni, and as well Pumpkin.

Without seeing any other evidence my best guess by memory, which is dubious would be a Summer Squash.

[Red_Devil 232]

So I Did! Just Darn! Here we go one more try!

Pinging the Garden Thread FReepers

[Vendome]

Eat some and get back to me.....

[fanfan]

LOL, good catch ApplegateRanch.

Thanks for the ping Red.

It looks a lot like the male flowers on my spaghetti squash. I'll see if I can get a picture.

[BIGLOOK]

The flower and leaves indicate it's from the cucurbitaceae family, a squash, pumpkin or even a wild cucumber. It also is showing some powdery mildew on the leaves, a common pest to that family.

Since it's a mystery, not deliberately planted, it may have come from compost, a bird feeder or some animal.....take your pick. Wait for the fruit to develop then you'll know which it is. My guess is squash due to it's compact appearance.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

Got another good one: Take the flowers buds off squash or pumpkins before they open. Make a slit with sharp knife and add some cream cheese and jalapeno pepper. Dredge in egg/milk mixture, shake in seasoned flour and deep fry. Man ... that is some great eating!