Pod found in Massachusetts Please let me know if you recognize this pod. It was growing on a vine in a wetlands area in Massachusetts. As it is fall here there are no leaves to assist in the ID. I have attached a photo of one pod and one of the vine which was climbing up a tree. The pod is a little larger than my thumb. It is extremely light- like a piece of paper- and it has 2 large 'compartments' inside.
This is Echinocystis lobata, known commonly as wild cucumber or bur cucumber. A close look at the second photograph shows tendrils which often suggest the cucumber family in temperate North America. Echinocystis lobata from the USDA Plants site. Echinocystis lobata from the University of Wisconsin, Madison Department of Botany site.
