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Common Name: Cuchinito

General Information

Cyclanthera brachystachya is an annual plant that can grow up to 3.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

C. and S. America - Mexico to Colombia and Ecuador.

Habitat

Shrublands in the Andes at elevations of 1500 - 3500 metres.

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	3.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a warm sunny and sheltered position in a rich well-drained soil.
Plants are not very cold hardy in Britain and so are normally grown in a greenhouse. However, if they are started in a greenhouse in the spring and grown on well it is possible to get reasonable yields in most years outdoors in this country. Plants have been seen outdoors in an open sunny position at Kew on several occasions with ripe fruit[]. Plants tolerate more cold than many cucurbits[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked[]. The fruit is up to 4cm long[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow mid spring in a rich compost in a warm greenhouse. Put 2 or 3 seeds in a pot and thin the seedlings to the strongest plant. Plant out after the last expected frost and give the plants some protection such as a cloche until they are growing away well.