These fruit are pear shaped (slightly ribbed on the outside but not segmented internally), about 10 cm long, 8 cm maximum diameter and weigh about 300 grams each. The thin cream-coloured skin is covered in many sharp and firm spines/hairs, about 2 mm long. The raw interior flesh is close to that of a raw potato, in colour, texture and firmness, but VERY slightly sweet and not significantly starchy in taste. There is a narrow central core, containing just one seed, as far as I can see. The plant sprouts directly from this seed, at the broad end of the fruit (my remaining specimen is just doing so, even though the flesh remains very firm (i.e. it does not need to soften and ripen)). Apparently the resulting plant has a trailing character, and should be supported (as in the case of cucumbers etc.). In Bulgaria, where I came across them, these plants and now grown in the south of the country, but are almost certainly not native there. They are called "batat", which might suggest some link to "batata" (batata di tiu) - the South American name for the sweet potato (Ipomaea batatas). However, this is a root vegetable, and its tubers are not at all similar in appearance to the present fruit. None the less the general family to which the sweet potato belongs (Operculina) features a diverse range of trailing plants, including the bindweed (Morning Glory), so the present specimens may fall somewhere within this family. Any suggestions?!
I think it is a Chayote fruit, Sechinum edule. The spines and the general shape of the fruit, plus the way you said it was a vine, first made me think of the cucumber family but the single seed threw me off for awhile. Here is a link that has a picture of a white one. While I was looking this up I was interested to learn that the people of Bulgaria are very proud of their horticultural and fruit growing skills. It will be interesting to see what comes out of that area in the upcoming years. http://www.cucurbit.org/family.html
Thanks Dee, It looks as though the fruit vary in colour, presence/absence of spines etc., but the ones indicated by the red arrow in the attachment look very close to mine! My fruit is now sprouting. Hope I can keep it under control through the winter, and have enough room to grow it next year! Joe
Two metacomments: 1) Joe, we usually remove what appear to be copyrighted images posted as attachments to the forums. However, I'm going to make an exception in this case, as the Cucurbitaceae web site (puzzlingly) does not allow linking directly to species pages. For others, to see the image in the context of the site, go to the main page as suggested by Dee, scroll down in the bottom left frame to click on Sechium, then click on Sechium edule (by doing this, you can click on the individual images for larger versions). 2) I hope Joe doesn't mind me sharing, but I thought I'd mention a blurb he sent along to me: Pat yourself on the back, Dee.
Chayote Yep, it is a chayote. My mom has grown them successfully in Southern California. The plant was so prolific and was an aggressive, fast growing vine with tendrills that grabbed out and made a entire canopy between the house and garage, a span of 20'! They do vary in color, white and green, we have them in the produce section of the grocery store. My favorite way to cook is to peel off the tough outer-layer, saute some onion and garlic, add chayote, once tender, add tomato and cheese - yum! Some people bake them and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. It has a very mild flavor. Enjoy!
Well, it is certainly growing strongly - about 7 cm (2.75 inches) per day and now over 60 cm (2 feet) in height. In general, it looks similar to a cucumber plant at this stage. Given that it has to remain indoors until the frosts are gone, I guess I will eventually have to pinch out the growing point and hope that the small side-shoots at the junctions of the leaves to the stem then start to grow. I'll provide further reports on progress, if anyone expresses an interest. Joe
I had started a plant indoors in our apartment many years ago. It grew so fast that my husband used to tease that it was an "alien" of some sort and he was afraid the tendrills were going to come attack him in his sleep!
Deborah: When you grew one in the house, did you have to pinch out the growing tip? If so, did it then start to grow from the side-shoots? I will have to do this, and am wonering what will happen. Joe
I don't recall every having to pinch off any growing tips. The plant was producing them all on it's own. To tell you the truth, my mom had the best success with her plants - she had a green thumb, and they grew outside in Redondo Beach. The ones I've tried indoors haven't worked and since I have moved to Northern California I have not been successful in growing them. I see the fruits in the market and am tempted to try again . . .
OK. I had to pinch out the growing tip today, since the plant exceeded the 3-foot limit. I warned it what would happen, but it didn't listen! (maybe I should have asked for help from Prince Charles!). The question now is whether it will simply sprout from the highest remaining side shoot, or at various points down the stem (or, indeed, none). We will see.
I thought you might be amused to learn that the British Royal Horticultural Society finally got round to identifying the plant as a chayote (in response to my email of 6th December 2005 - NOT A PATCH ON DEE!). The plant reached the 1 metre height limit for indoors growth (until the frosts pass), so I pinched out the main growth tip. It is now growing from the side shoots, so no problem. Also, there MAY be signs of flower buds (in addition to tendrils and side shoots) at the uppermost junctions of the leaves and the stem. Cheers, Joe
Great Joe! I'm glad plant isn't hampered. Can you post pictures, it almost feels like I have a relationship with someone who just had a baby!
Joe Marshall, I am also growing a chayote vine from a seed I have it in the basment, it has two tendrils aleady and is growing well this winter. Wyatt
Here is the picture for Deborah! You can see one of the secondary growth tendrils at the top, and the fruit just protruding from the soil. Good luck Wyatt! Joe
Fun with your chayote: For those of you who are now growing or thinking of growing these plants, I offer the following observations: If you can get a tendril just when it is ready to start searching for something to hang onto, it can be stimulated to do so by gentle stroking with (e.g.) a pencil. The resulting movement can easily be fast enough watch in real time (>~ 1 cm per minute). Also (like many similar species), when the tendril has obtained a hold, it starts to curl up (more slowly), to pull the plant closer to the gripped point. It does this with 50% of the length curling clockwise, and the other 50% curling anti-clockwise, to avoid any overall twist (see attachment, which also shows one of the new side-shoots). Neat! (Well, at least I think so!). Joe
An update on the chayote: It survived the winter indoors, and is presently taking over my greenhouse! However, although numerous fruit flowers appear, the fruit only grow to a about one inch in length, then wither and fall off. This is presumably because they are not getting polinated. VERY few of the male flowers have appeared so far. When they did, I tried pollinating using a teased-out cotton bud, but obviously without success so far. According to information from the web, these plants are perennial, with best results for fruiting in the second or third years (if I can hold it in check for that long, and work out a way to over-winter it - if it dies back, I guess I can bring it indoors again). Joe
