Right, I’m sure I should know what this is, but I can’t pin it down. It’s in my veggie patch. Might be a veggie that I can’t recall planting. Might be something that came up from the sheep poo. My money is on the second.

Anyone want to guess? That’s a teaspoon for size.

buffy said:

Right, I’m sure I should know what this is, but I can’t pin it down. It’s in my veggie patch. Might be a veggie that I can’t recall planting. Might be something that came up from the sheep poo. My money is on the second.

Anyone want to guess? That’s a teaspoon for size.

Looks like a Paddy or Paddock Melon.

PermeateFree said:

buffy said:

Right, I’m sure I should know what this is, but I can’t pin it down. It’s in my veggie patch. Might be a veggie that I can’t recall planting. Might be something that came up from the sheep poo. My money is on the second.

Anyone want to guess? That’s a teaspoon for size.

Looks like a Paddy or Paddock Melon.

But not a pademelon.

OCDC said:

PermeateFree said:

buffy said:

Right, I’m sure I should know what this is, but I can’t pin it down. It’s in my veggie patch. Might be a veggie that I can’t recall planting. Might be something that came up from the sheep poo. My money is on the second.

Anyone want to guess? That’s a teaspoon for size.

Looks like a Paddy or Paddock Melon.

But not a pademelon.

where are the legs? there’re NO LEGS!

Arts said:

OCDC said:

PermeateFree said:

Looks like a Paddy or Paddock Melon.

But not a pademelon.

where are the legs? there’re NO LEGS!

Only pademelons have legs, the others have runners.

OCDC said:

PermeateFree said:

buffy said:

Right, I’m sure I should know what this is, but I can’t pin it down. It’s in my veggie patch. Might be a veggie that I can’t recall planting. Might be something that came up from the sheep poo. My money is on the second.

Anyone want to guess? That’s a teaspoon for size.

Looks like a Paddy or Paddock Melon.

But not a pademelon.

TWIWGTS

dv said:

OCDC said:

PermeateFree said:

Looks like a Paddy or Paddock Melon.

But not a pademelon.

TWIWGTS

IKYWGTST

PermeateFree said:

Arts said:

OCDC said:

But not a pademelon.

where are the legs? there’re NO LEGS!

Only pademelons have legs, the others have runners.

Hahahahahahaha!

:)

PermeateFree said:

Arts said:

OCDC said:

But not a pademelon.

where are the legs? there’re NO LEGS!

Only pademelons have legs, the others have runners.

oh golf clap

OCDC said:

dv said:

OCDC said:

But not a pademelon.

TWIWGTS

IKYWGTST

IHNIWYTATA

Michael V said:

OCDC said:

dv said:

TWIWGTS

IKYWGTST

IHNIWYTATA

YYD

dv said:

Michael V said:

OCDC said:

IKYWGTST

IHNIWYTATA

YYD

DH?

dv said:

Michael V said:

OCDC said:

IKYWGTST

IHNIWYTATA

YYD

NFI

OCDC said:

dv said:

Michael V said:

IHNIWYTATA

YYD

DH?

SNFI

Michael V said:

OCDC said:

dv said:

YYD

DH?

SNFI

WIANGTGYAH

dv said:

Michael V said:

OCDC said:

DH?

SNFI

WIANGTGYAH

NAI

OCDC said:

dv said:

Michael V said:

SNFI

WIANGTGYAH

NAI

LLYASOOLMV

is it geranium? or pelargonium (which may be the same thing, I forget)

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pelargonium_zonale_rooted_cutting_2005-12-15.jpg

Pretty sure it’s not a geranium purps, as I grow quite a few of them. Thanks, I’ll look up the paddy melon thing. Must have come in with the sheep poo. Although that is local poo, and I didn’t know we had the melon thingies here. Unlikely to be watermelon, I’ve never been able to grow them!

buffy said:

Pretty sure it’s not a geranium purps, as I grow quite a few of them. Thanks, I’ll look up the paddy melon thing. Must have come in with the sheep poo. Although that is local poo, and I didn’t know we had the melon thingies here. Unlikely to be watermelon, I’ve never been able to grow them!

Cucumis myriocarpus

And that is not listed as a weed for this region. So I’ll give it a bit longer to be sure, and then I had better destroy it.

buffy said:

And that is not listed as a weed for this region. So I’ll give it a bit longer to be sure, and then I had better destroy it.

Pinch the leaves and smell your fingers. If they stink, it is a paddy melon.

No stink. The Pug and I went outside, with a torch to look for snakes, and I pinched a leaf and sniffed.

Aha! Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus (camel melon, wild melon, bitter melon, pie melon) is, however, more “widespread throughout mainland Australia”. (Auld and Medd). So I’m probably going with this. I’ll let it grow a bit more and watch it.

buffy said:

Aha! Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus (camel melon, wild melon, bitter melon, pie melon) is, however, more “widespread throughout mainland Australia”. (Auld and Medd). So I’m probably going with this. I’ll let it grow a bit more and watch it.

I don’t think so Buffy. As far as distribution, Citrullus lanatus is in the NW Mallee (Murray River region) and a very long way from coastal regions. Cucumis myriocarpus on the other hand is very widespread and was recorded from all locations around where you are over 40 years ago, and with such a weed for it to move into your territory over this period is more than likely.

The leaves are different too, C. lanatus has pinnate foliage, whereas C. myriocarpus has palmate, as does your photograph.

I am not aware of C. myriocarpus having any unusual smell to their leaves when crushed.

Below is a good link to C. myriocarpus.

http://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/03030800-0b07-490a-8d04-0605030c0f01/media/Html/Cucumis_myriocarpus.htm

PermeateFree said:

buffy said:

Aha! Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus (camel melon, wild melon, bitter melon, pie melon) is, however, more “widespread throughout mainland Australia”. (Auld and Medd). So I’m probably going with this. I’ll let it grow a bit more and watch it.

I don’t think so Buffy. As far as distribution, Citrullus lanatus is in the NW Mallee (Murray River region) and a very long way from coastal regions. Cucumis myriocarpus on the other hand is very widespread and was recorded from all locations around where you are over 40 years ago, and with such a weed for it to move into your territory over this period is more than likely.

The leaves are different too, C. lanatus has pinnate foliage, whereas C. myriocarpus has palmate, as does your photograph.

I am not aware of C. myriocarpus having any unusual smell to their leaves when crushed.

Below is a good link to C. myriocarpus.

http://keyserver.lucidcentral.org/weeds/data/03030800-0b07-490a-8d04-0605030c0f01/media/Html/Cucumis_myriocarpus.htm

It is actually Citrullus lanatus which has the foetid odour when leaves are crushed.

Thanks Permeate. I was going to say no prickles, but when I look more closely it actually has some. Whichever (and it has no smell, I just checked again and as it is now near 30 degrees outside the smell should have come out by now), both are either noxious or environmental weeds, so into the compost bin it goes now. Before it can have babies.

buffy said:

Thanks Permeate. I was going to say no prickles, but when I look more closely it actually has some. Whichever (and it has no smell, I just checked again and as it is now near 30 degrees outside the smell should have come out by now), both are either noxious or environmental weeds, so into the compost bin it goes now. Before it can have babies.

It is the camel melon that smells

roughbarked said:

It is the camel melon that smells

That’s a relief. I thought it was one of the Forumites.

captain_spalding said:

roughbarked said:

It is the camel melon that smells

That’s a relief. I thought it was one of the Forumites.

Examines soles of shoes.