Zambian Cucumber

This is a very rare and exciting cucumber relative that has big potential for Florida home gardens. Cucumbers are very challenging to grow organically, being subject to attack from a wide group of pests and diseases. Zambian cucumber is very hardy and largely resistant to these problems.

This obscure cucumber relative is not a variety of true cucumber (Cucumis sativus) but an entirely different species (Cucumis zambianus). This little known vegetable appears to be an old domesticated species from Zambia, which may be the only place it is known. Our friend, Pastor Milner Kasabila, who lives in Zambia says this is a traditional crop often planted in maize fields and can fetch a high price at local markets. According to Milner, typically this indigenous vegetable is grown only by older farmers. Knowledge of this plant is slowly being lost as is happening with traditional crops around the globe. In only recent times has this plant been even noticed by scientists and given a Latin name. There is virtually nothing written about this species on the internet, showing how “off the radar” common important African crops remain, even now in the internet age. There are a host of other cucumber relatives native to Africa, such as Burr Gherkin (Cucumis anguria) or Jelly Melon/Kiwano (Cucumis metuliferus). Zambian cucumber is not the same as these more commonly known species.

Unlike all the other cucumber relatives we have grown, this truly tastes like a high quality cucumber. For my own consumption perspective, I feel satisfied to have discovered a genuine cucumber alternative to eat in salads. The fruits are covered in soft spikes which can be consumed or quickly knocked off with a knife. If the fruits are chopped up small, the spikes are not noticeable to eat. The skin of Zambian cucumbers is thicker than that of typical cucumber. Fruits are picked on the younger side for good tenderness. They are completely non-bitter and even have a gentle sweetness or nuttiness. The fruits are small, eaten at a diameter of perhaps 2-3 inches across.

Our first impressions growing this rare species are very positive. So far, the plants seem at least moderately resistant to all of the major problems of cucumbers such as nematodes, powdery mildew, stem borers and most importantly – pickle worms. In our Fall 2024 crop we had zero incidence of pickle worm punctures in our fruit. With proper cucumbers, we tend to have zero incidence of fruit not destroyed by pickle worms. The plants are early producing and quite productive.

At this time we have strong confidence that Zambian cucumber can thrive as a spring and fall crop in Florida, but don’t know the degree that it will succeed in the height of the summer heat. These are grown during the rainy season in Zambia, which mimics a Florida summer. The plant prefers to sprawl on the ground but next season we will also experiment with trellising. We will update this listing as we learn more from our own gardens and reports from customers.

We received this under the name “African Horned Cucumber”. We have taken the liberty of renaming it to “Zambian Cucumber” to avoid confusion, given that the more common Cucumis metuliferus is often called Horned Cucumber or other similar names. Given the novelty of this crop, now seems like a good time to grant a new name that eliminates confusion and honors the distinct Zambian origin of the crop.

Cucumis zambianus

20 seeds