Hi all, please help me identify this vine. It suddenly appears this summer and has crawled all over one of my burning bushes. I don't know whether to keep it (relocate it, of course) - or destroy it.
Definitely a member of the Cucurbitaceae (or cucumber family) -- so I'll suggest Echinocystis lobata, or wild cucumber (is where it is growing near a ditch or stream or moist wood?) If that is indeed what it is, it is native to the area (and an annual, so if undesirable in that location, just be sure to remove it before the fruit are ripe -- or perhaps let a few fruit grow to that point and spread the seed nearby in a more desirable locale). More photos from Connecticut Botanical Society and CalPhotos
It doesn't grow near anything moist. It just started under the burning bush in the mulch surrounding the base - which the squirrels love to dig in and I'm sure helped propagate this vine. It gets full sun pretty much all day. Weird flowers for a "cucumber" type plant. Thanks for the post!
