Thursday, September 19, 2013

Balsam-Apple Vine -- Momordica charantia



Our front gate Weed has these beautiful green pods hanging all over the fence like ornaments.




the next day they turned orange..



And then...


 and THEN.....


 they BURST open and threw little red seeds all over the ground...


For some reason Bob was not nearly as excited as I was... he said it is making MORE WEEDS... OH GOODY MADSNAPPER SHOUTED

Since so many of you wondered what the vine was yesterday, I searched and found it is Balsam Apple vine and I found it is common in Florida, there is a whole site dedicated to how to remove it..Click Here to find it is here to stay.... it is a member of the cucumber family.

29 comments:

Ann said...

whoa, that is super cool even if Bob isn't thrilled about it. I'm glad he let it go long enough for you to take these pictures.

S. Etole said...

It's a colorful sight and rather mysterious.

Willow said...

I very much liked it before it spit . lol

EG CameraGirl said...

It's attractive but I can see why Bob isn't thrilled. :))

TexWisGirl said...

wow! just full of color in various stages! i like it!

Ginny Hartzler said...

WOW, pretty yellow flowers, pretty orange pods, pretty red seeds!! I guess even if Bob dug it out by the roots, he could still not find and pick up all the seeds, so this plant really makes sure it survives!!! But it is so pretty, I am thinking it is not such a bad visitor, so the problem would really be CONTROL so it does not take over the yard. If it would stay in that one place on the fence it would be nice.

My Mind's Eye said...

I love all the stages of the Balsam Apple vine and its vivid colors.
Hugs C

George said...

The plant is beautiful, even if it is a seed. I do think, however, that I would agree with Bob in this case.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Beautiful! I thought those seed pods looked almost like ones that grow here on a Wild Cucumber vine. The ones here just turn a dull brown and the plant is not all that invasive,because of killing frosts each winter.

photowannabe said...

I think it's fascinating that it has so many stages and colors but it's really making sure it's going to stay around. I guess I can't blame Bob for not getting excited.

Mersad said...

Love the progression. For weeds they sure come in nice colors.

Susannah said...

It really is a beautiful weed....but I sure can understand Bob's feelings about it. Looks like you will be using some good old Round-up on this one. Sorry.

Cranberry Morning said...

Your balsam apple vine is gorgeous! I'd be thrilled with it (you can tell Bob). We have a viny thing called 'wild cucumber,' that must be related to the cucumber but is a pervasive pain in the neck and not at all pretty like your vine!

Your doggy photos cheer me every time I see them:-)

Chatty Crone said...

Question - does it give you privacy from your neighbors it might stay....

Rose said...

And now I love it even more!!! Sort of like trumpet vine...it can just take over stuff, but oh, is it ever pretty. And Roger is half way wanting to bring one home, and I will let him if he finds a little one to dig up.

Anonymous said...

I've never seen/heard of it before but it surely is pretty and unusual. We recently found out a tree we have growing wild here with spring purple blooms is a "bad" tree!!! We had found and relocated several and kept them alive all summer!!!

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

WOW, that is beautiful when it turns orange, its perfect for decorating a Fall table. I did read the link and its not good to eat though. Beautiful capture.

Tammy@Simple Southern Happiness said...

OH, and it look like the ants like it.

Dee said...

Amazing...thanks for getting info on it....hopefully it won't give you a rash or anything.

Muffy's Marks said...

They are really pretty, until they pop that is!!!

LC said...

Truly unusual and a new plant to me. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, influenced mightily if the beholder doesn't have to fight to keep the beauty from invading and squeezing out other treasured flora!

SquirrelQueen said...

Maybe you could enter it in a seed spitting contest!!!

The flowers and pods are so pretty but I'll have to agree with Bob on this one. The way it spreads seeds it could take over in a hurry. Plus sounds like there is a little poison involved with this one.

Marie said...

Gorgeous photos! My neighbor has one of these vines and I make sure it doesn't make it's way to our yard. I don't want the pups getting sick.

Betty Manousos said...

i love this plant! beautiful! i love all the stages of it. thanks for sharing.
gorgeous macro's as usual!

Deb said...

I love that orange... Would love to have it on my back fence line

Linda P said...

It's amazing how quickly your plants grow and develop in your hot climate. The seeds must be quite sticky. I like the orange fruit and very red seeds!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

That is so cool....I've never seen anything like that before! Love the color it turned.

Paula said...

Wow~ that is neat!!!

Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotte said...

Beautiful.
I wonder how plants wete separated into a weed group?
They often look as stunning and are as functional as what we call plants not weeds.