Hairy cucumber’s scientific name is Cucumis Dipsaceus. From a distance they look like rambutans, some people even say they actually look like ruffled hedgehogs.

One of the rare cucumber varieties in South Africa, the hairy cucumber Cucumis Dipsaceus is mainly used for ornamental purposes.

Particularly different from other common cucumbers, the leaves of this special cucumber species are known by housewives in South Africa as a popular green vegetable. When eating their leaves, they taste like eating spinach.

Like other cucumber varieties, hairy cucumbers are also climbing plants, the plant can grow to a length of about 3 meters.

Cucumis Dipsaceus is green when unripe and turns yellow when ripe.

Not only used for ornamental purposes, hairy cucumbers can also be used as food as a vegetable sandwiched on bread or used to marinate pickled cucumbers. Additionally, their juice is applied to hair to prevent hair loss.

This long, hairy fruit is about 3-5cm long and about 2.4cm in diameter.

Warm, humid and sunny climates are suitable for growing hairy cucumbers. Quite “easy-going” when grown in many different types of soil, they are considered a climbing type that is not picky about soil conditions.

When growing Cucumis Dipsaceus cucumbers, you should regularly harvest them when the fruit is ripe so that they can bear fruit many times a year.