Peevish Pen

Ruminations on reading, writing, genealogy and family history, rural living, retirement, aging—and sometimes cats.

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Location: Rural Virginia, United States

I'm an elderly retired teacher who writes. Among my books are Ferradiddledumday (Appalachian version of the Rumpelstiltskin story), Stuck (middle grade paranormal novel), Patches on the Same Quilt (novel set in Franklin County, VA), Them That Go (an Appalachian novel), Miracle of the Concrete Jesus & Other Stories, and several Kindle ebooks.

Thursday, September 21, 2017

Mystery Vine

About a month ago, a mysterious vine started growing on a low-lying limb of the pin oak.



The vine grew pretty fast, but it wasn't kudzu. We decided to take a closer look.


It had big leaves and some small flowers on stalks.


A variety of bees seemed to like the flowers.


The vine has  tendrils that attach themselves to branches and leaves of the pin oak.



It also has odd little pods that grow beneath the leaves.




 I asked some friends on Facbook what it might be. Guesses included kudzu, wild grape, fox grape, moonseed vine, and moonflower. A few folks suggested wild cucumber, which seems the most likely possibility, but a wild cucumber has a different flower. Most likely my mystery vine is a bur cucumber—but my vine looks slightly different from pictures I found online.


Whatever it is, its days are numbered on the pin oak.


So—is it a bur cucumber, or what?
~

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2 Comments:

Blogger Tim M said...

Is it a gourd plant?

7:49 AM  
Blogger Becky Mushko said...

No, it's a bur cucumber—a worthless weed.

8:51 AM  

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