Cyclantera (Peruvian Cucumber)

Cyclanter: description

In the scientific community, the Peruvian cucumber is better known as Cyclanthera. This genus of plants belongs to the Pumpkin family and includes 75 species native to Central and South America.

Origin

The area of ​​ubiquitous growth of the Peruvian cucumber is in Peru, Brazil and Ecuador, where cyclantera has been known since ancient times and was grown by the inhabitants of the Inca state. It is this fact that explains the second name of edible cyclantera, which is most widespread in the culture of the Indians of Central and South America. After the civilizations of Central and South America ceased to exist, knowledge about the edible cyclanter was also lost for several centuries. Scientists-breeders remembered about this pumpkin plant only in the middle of the 20th century, after a book was published in the USA on the forgotten agricultural skills of the Incas. Among other plants cultivated by them, the cyclantera was also mentioned. From that moment on, her return to agriculture begins not only in the American continent, but also in the whole world.

External characteristics

In appearance, the edible cyclanter is a herbaceous vine, whose curly, edged, powerful stems can grow up to 5-6 m in length and branch into numerous strong shoots. The juicy foliage of the Peruvian cucumber has a bright green color and is distinguished by a high degree of decorativeness due to the unusual shape of the leaf plates. Each of them is divided into 5 or 7 lobed plates. Peruvian cucumber is often used for vertical landscaping of recreational areas in garden areas: climbing up supporting structures like trellises, it forms a solid green carpet that can serve as a shelter from wind, dust, noise and bright rays of the sun.

Flowering and fruiting

The flowering period of the Peruvian cucumber begins in the middle of summer and is distinguished by its long duration and splendor. At this moment, white, yellow or green flowers bloom on the shoots - their color depends on the type of plant. Due to the absence of nectaries, the mechanism of their pollination is determined by the influence of the wind. The Peruvian cucumber belongs to the Pumpkin family is expressed in the presence of flowers of both sexes on the same plant. Male flowers are modest in size, painted white and form cluster-shaped inflorescences. The female flowers are characterized by a larger diameter and a pleasant creamy yellow shade of the petals.

Fruit ovaries of edible cyclantera appear as a result of pollination: there are up to 5 fruits for each leaf sinus, but all in all, an impressive harvest of more than 250 "cucumbers" can form on a liana, on average. The shape of the fruit, as a rule, is oblong, the maximum length is about 7 cm. The Peruvian cucumber is capable of bearing fruit even with a rather short daylight hours, which makes it suitable for growing in central Russia. Its fruits are characterized by spontaneous opening upon reaching maturity: the shell of the fruit consists of two valves, which at the moment of opening are sharply bent back, throwing out the seeds at a rather large distance. Thus, the seeds of the Peruvian cucumber can spread naturally over an area of ​​several square meters.

Cyclantera: beneficial properties

Edible cyclantera: video

The taste of the edible cyclantera fruits most of all resembles the cucumber familiar to domestic gardeners, however, it is characterized by the presence of notes reminiscent of sweet pepper, as well as green asparagus beans. They are often eaten fresh, such as in seasonal salads. It is important to harvest the fruits of the Peruvian cucumber before they are overripe - otherwise they are likely to lose their juicy and fresh taste.

The taste of fried Peruvian cucumber changes towards the prevalence of shades of green asparagus beans. At the same time, connoisseurs note that in terms of taste, the latter is inferior to the Peruvian cucumber. Cyclantera fruits are stewed together with other vegetables, as well as with meat, and can serve as a side dish for hot dishes. Also, this plant is suitable for canning: its fruits can be salted, pickled, fermented.

The composition of the fruits of the Peruvian cucumber includes a fairly large amount of substances useful for the human body. Thanks to this, they can act not only as food products, but also as medicines. Thus, it was found that the Peruvian cucumber can be used to combat diseases such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, anemia. In addition, its fruits of the Peruvian cucumber or cyclanters promote choleretic and diuretic processes in the human body, and also improve the action of the secretory and motor functions of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract. Eating the fruits of the Peruvian cucumber in food has a beneficial effect on the condition of the kidneys, cardiovascular system, liver, and also has a beneficial effect on combating such a common problem as edema of the lower extremities.

Cyclantera (Peruvian cucumber): growing

Edible cyclantera: photo

The technology of growing cyclantera or Peruvian cucumber is not much different from those procedures that are carried out during the cultivation of ordinary cucumbers. Since traditionally this plant has been cultivated in the mountainous regions of South and Central America, it is resistant to rather low temperatures and does not require as much heat as a regular cucumber. Too hot weather in summer not only does not benefit this plant, but can also make significant and not always favorable changes in the process of its development. So, hot July can slow down the ripening of the ovaries and postpone the ripening of the fruits of the Peruvian cucumber to the last month of summer. At the same time, the Peruvian cucumber needs a certain level of humidity in the air and soil.

Instructions for growing seedlings of Peruvian cucumber from seeds

Since the Peruvian cucumber is resistant to low temperatures, sowing the seeds of this crop can be carried out both in open ground and in seedling containers.

It is recommended to start preparing seedlings of Peruvian cucumbers or cyclanters about 6 weeks before the expected date of planting seedlings in open ground. To this end, in the first days of April, you need to place the seed in small containers, for example, in ordinary plastic cups filled with a substrate. You can also use the bottoms of small plastic bottles cut in half. You can prepare a nutritious soil mixture yourself: just mix the garden soil and humus in equal parts. It is also recommended to add coarse sand to the substrate in the same amount as other components. To increase the nutritional value of the soil, half of the mixture of charcoal and superphosphate should be added to it. The substrate should be well moistened, it is best to start preparing it in the fall - thus, the nutrients will have time to be evenly distributed over the entire volume of the earth.

Sowing seeds in cups with warm soil is carried out as follows: sowing material is placed at the rate of 2 cyclanter seeds per 1 container, then sprinkled with a layer of earth about 2 cm thick and watered with a warm solution of potassium permanganate of low concentration. After that, containers with future seedlings should be placed in a warm room and left there until the first shoots appear. This usually happens 3-4 weeks after sowing the seeds. With the appearance of sprouts, the cups need to be stirred into a well-lit room with colder air - under these conditions, future seedlings will not stretch too much and will acquire a neat shape. When the seedlings grow up, you should carefully examine and choose the strongest specimen in each pair. It is left, and the weak sprout is cut off at the very surface of the soil.

Transplanting seedlings into open ground

You can start planting seedlings of Peruvian cucumber in open ground after 5 to 6 leaves have formed on each of them. On average, this period occurs in the last two weeks of spring.

In the area chosen for growing Peruvian cucumber, you need to dig planting holes at an interval of at least 150 cm and fill them with garden soil and humus, and then pour warm water. In order to carefully remove the seedlings, it is recommended to cut the cups - this reduces the risk of damage to the still fragile root system of young bushes. The transplant is carried out while maintaining the earthen coma that surrounds and protects the roots of the plant. The entire space of the hole should be filled with well-compacted earth. Then planting Peruvian cucumber should be thoroughly watered with warm water. Also, do not neglect the supporting structures, which are best placed in advance near each landing hole. They will protect young vines from the wind and allow them to climb up.

Seed sowing of Peruvian cucumber in open ground is also carried out in the second half of May.

Since the Peruvian cucumber is a self-pollinated crop, at least one pair of plants must be present in one area.

Peruvian Cucumber Care

7 days after transplanting Peruvian cucumber seedlings into open ground, they need to be fed with an organic-based solution. At the same time, the concentration of fertilizer should be very low in order to exclude the threat of scalding the root system of a young plant. At the same time, you can start forming bushes of Peruvian cucumber, directing their antennae along the supporting structure.

Caring for an adult plant of a Peruvian cucumber or cyclantera comes down to the usual agrotechnical measures - watering, loosening the soil and removing weeds in the area with Peruvian cucumber. Watering is done as the top layer of the soil dries up. It is recommended to periodically feed the plants, depending on their needs at a particular stage of growth and development.

Cyclantera edible: harvesting

Harvesting the fruit of the edible cyclantera or Peruvian cucumber should be at the moment when their surface becomes yellow. You can leave a couple of fruits in the garden to get seeds: their final ripening will occur in the second half of September. In order to prevent their premature opening, the fruits must be placed in paper bags or wrapped in strips of thin cloth. Thus, the seeds of cyclantera will not scatter in the event of a sudden opening of the fruit. They are removed from the site with the arrival of the first autumn frosts. An indicator that the seeds of cyclantera are fully ripe and capable of sprouting is the black color of their shells.