Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Sicyos australis
Common name
Star Cucumber
Family
Cucurbitaceae
Where found
Forest, shrubland, and near streams. Coast and ranges.
Notes
Annual climber with stems to 10 m long. Fruit fleshy. Stems angular, sticky hairy, becoming hairless, often rough. Leaves alternating up the stems, 4–8 cm long, 40–80 mm wide, 3–5-lobed, surfaces sparsely bristly, margins toothed, bases cordate. Tendrils 2- to 5-branched. Male and female flowers on the same plant. Flowers white to greenish-white, 5-6 mm in diameter, tubular, with 3-5 lobes to 3 mm long. Male flowers in 10–20 flowered clusters. Female flowers single or in 6–8 flowered heads. Flowers Summer to Autumn. Fruit green, oval, 7–12 mm long, covered in soft barbed spines.
Vulnerable Vic.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Sicyos~australis (accessed 7 February, 2021)
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