Plants

West Indian gherkin

Cucumis anguria L.

Family: Cucurbitaceae · Genus: Cucumis

burr cucumber, maxixe

Placenta I Ground cover No biomass production

West Indian gherkin — Eugenio Hansen, OFS · CC BY-SA · Wikimedia Commons

Annual climbing cucurbit of African origin, popular in northern and northeastern Brazil. Listed in the Embrapa CT-16 Vitrine SAF. Fruit with soft spines and mild flavor; tolerates heat better than common cucumber.

Götsch succession

Götsch stage: Placenta I
Ecological role: Pioneer
Primary stratum: Ground cover
Strata: Ground cover
Biomass class: No biomass production

Environment

Light requirement: Full sun
Water requirement: Moderate
Drought tolerance: High
Waterlogging tolerance: Low
Soil pH range: 6–7.5
Preferred soil texture: Sandy, Loamy
Frost tolerance: 0.0 °C

Morphology

Mature height: 0.2–0.5 m
Recommended spacing: 0.5–1 m
Root system: Taproot
Root depth: Shallow
Growth rate: Very fast
Lifespan: ≤ 1 year
Time to first harvest: 2 months

Biomes & climate

Atlantic Forest Suitable
Cerrado Suitable

Köppen classes

Tropical savanna with dry winter (Aw) Suitable
Subtropical with dry winter (Cwa) Suitable
Humid subtropical (Cfa) Suitable

Where it fits in a guild

West indian gherkin takes the Ground cover stratum in the Placenta I phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time.

Design my guild

Free account — and the catalog stays open, no sign-up needed.

🪴 Cultivation

Annual climber with sprawling stems reaching up to 3 m, attaching by tendrils. Needs a very warm, sunny position; best at 21–28 °C (tolerates 8–32 °C) and cannot tolerate frost. Harvest 40–80 days after sowing. Tolerates heat better than common cucumber.