Another common name for Cucumber Weed is Pennsylvania Pellitory
In the middle of our Central Texas winter, one does not normally think of plants emerging from their cold weather slumber. But one plant starts to appears in the cooler days of late fall through early spring, and it is appropriately named Cucumber Weed (Parietaria pensylvanica).
While native throughout much of the US and into Mexico, Cucumber Weed, also called Pennsylvania Pellitory, is generally considered an urban weed. It grows in light shade with moist to slightly dry soil, mostly in disturbed areas along the sides of buildings, in suburban yards and gardens, and in woods and thickets. In fact, its’ genus name is derived from the Latin paries which means ‘wall’, which is where the plant likes to grow, presumably due to its affinity for alkaline soils. It is a member of the nettle family, but lacks the stinging hairs of most nettles and is considered unarmed.
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| The typical upright habit of Cucumber Weed |
Cucumber Weed is 0.5 to 1.5 feet tall, typically erect and unbranched, and has a green, 4-angled, hairy stem. Its alternate, simple, thin green leaves are lance-shaped, up to 3.5 inches long and 0.75 inches wide with smooth margins, although they are smaller on younger plants.
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| The leaves of Cucumber Weed are hairy and have smooth margins |
Small clusters of bracts and flowers appear at the axils of the middle and upper leaves. Each tiny, almost indistinct, greenish-white flower is surrounded by longer green bracts, and the bloom period lasts from April to November. Flowers can be staminate (male), pistillate (female), or perfect (male & female), and these different flowers kinds of flowers can appear together in the same cluster. Cross-pollination occurs by the wind, and the plant reproduces by reseeding itself. It frequently forms colonies and while it is a persistent plant, it is not aggressive like most invasive species.
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| Cucumber Weed's tiny flowers are surrounded by long green bracts |
Often considered a medicinal herb for its diuretic ability reportedly used to help flush out kidney stones, Cucumber Weed is also high in potassium and edible, although caution must be taken as a small percentage of people may be allergic to it. The early leaves of young seedlings offer the strongest cucumber taste, while leaves from older plants seem to lose some of their flavor. Some use the raw leaves in salads or smoothies, or steamed and mixed with pasta. In an online database of indigenous plants of Mexico, Cucumber Weed is called Hierba del Rayo or ‘Lightning Herb’, as it was said that a poultice of this plant applied to your forehead overnight would relieve the chills, fevers, headache, and nosebleed resulting from a nearby lightning strike.
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| Red Admiral |
Care should be taken not to completely remove Cucumber Weed from your yard or garden as it also has value to several types of wildlife. It is a host plant for the Red Admiral Butterfly, whose caterpillars eat the soft leaves and create shelters from predators by tying up leaves at the end of a shoot or by folding over a larger leaf.
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| Lincoln's Sparrow |
Cucumber Weed is a source of seed for Lincoln’s Sparrows during fall migration, and there is evidence that White-tailed Deer like to browse the foliage. Try to stay cool as a cucumber and resist the temptation to pull up Cucumber Weed, as this is one ‘weed’ that is useful to humans and wildlife alike!
