Flowers, green fruit, and leaves. Photographer Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Plant. Photographer Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, NSW

Common Name

Desert Cucumber, Mallee Cucumber

Family

Cucurbitaceae

Notes

Annual forb with a perennial rootstock, prostrate with stems to 1m long.  Leaves alternating along the stem, 1.5-6cm long, 10-45mm wide, flat, rough, the edges toothed and usually lobed. Male and female flowers usually mixed in few-flowered clusters. Flowers small, pale yellow or greenish yellow, with 5 petals, in groups of 2-5 at the bases of the leaves.  Ripe fruit green to greenish yellow.  Zehneria micrantha in NSW.  Rare Vic (as Mukia micrantha).

Description and photo of fruiting plant (as Zehneria micrantha) in G.M. Cunningham, WE Mulham, PL Milthorpe and J H Leigh (1981 and later printings) Plants of Western New South Wales page 626

PlantNET description (as Zehneria micrantha):   http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Zehneria~micrantha