Sicyos angulatus L. (N-Am.) – A rather rare but increasing, usually ephemeral alien. First recorded as an escape from cultivation in 1882 in Ghent, subsequently as an exceptional wool alien in the Vesdre valley near Béthane in 1962 (Lambinon 1995). In the 1990’s seen most years as a grain alien (essentially introduced with soybeans; see also Grenfell 1984, Ouren 1987) in port areas, especially in the port of Ghent (Verloove & Vandenberghe 1994). It was most frequently seen on sandy waste ground in the vicinity of granaries, on grain dumps, etc. At the Rodenhuizedok in the port area of Ghent it was observed in abundance in fences and persisted for several years. In recent years no longer seen until it was rediscovered in an industrial area in Tessenderlo in 2015.
Elsewhere in Europe, especially in the southernmost parts, Sicyos angulatus is a rapidly spreading and aggressive weed, in agricultural fields (e.g. maize fields), as well as in natural habitats (e.g. riparian zones). A recent claim from Bulgaria (Tzonev 2005) is erroneous and referable to Echinocystis lobata (Michx.) Torr. & A. Gray.
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Selected literature:
Ascaso J., Ortiz D., Ortas L. & Year J. (2013) Sicyos angulatus L. y Abutilon theophrasti Medicus en Cantabria (España). Sicyos angulatus L. and Abutilon theophrasti Medicus in the province of Cantabria (Spain). Acta Botanica Malacitana 38: 171-172. [available online at: http://www.biolveg.uma.es/abm/Volumenes/vol38/38_Ascaso.pdf]
Censoni A.L.Z. (1982) Una curiosa avventizia ormai sicuramente affermata nella pianura padana: Sicyos angulatus, L. Nat. Montagna 29(1): 37-40.
Chrtková A. (1983) Poznamy k nekterym adventivnim druhum z celedi Cucurbitaceae v Ceskoslovensku. Zpravy Cesk. Bot. Spol. CSAV 18(1): 15-25.
EPPO (2010) Sicyos angulatus. EPPO data sheet on invasive alien plants. EPPO Bulletin 40(3): 401-406 [available online at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2338.2010.02415.x/pdf]
Fabregas E., Vilar L. & Font J. (1997) Sicyos angulatus L. al Girones. But. Inst. Catalana Hist. Nat. 64: 75-76. [available online at: http://publicacions.iec.cat/repository/pdf/00000023/00000082.pdf]
Follak S. (2010) Zum Vorkommen von Sicyos angulatus L. in Österreich. Stapfia 92: 10-14. [available online at: http://www.landesmuseum.at/pdf_frei_remote/STAPFIA_0092_0010-0014.pdf]
Grenfell A.L. (1984) Cucurbitaceae in Britain. BSBI News 38: 13-18. [available online at: http://archive.bsbi.org.uk/BSBINews38.pdf]
Halvorsen R. (1983) Further notes on Norwegian alien plants at the grain mills (in Norwegian). Blyttia 41(3): 112-114.
Lambinon J. (1995) Notes taxonomiques, nomenclaturales et chorologiques relatives à la quatrième édition de la « Nouvelle Flore » de la Belgique et des régions voisines. 3. Données nouvelles sur des plantes adventices ou subspontanées en Belgique. Dumortiera 60: 1-36. [available online at: http://alienplantsbelgium.be/sites/alienplantsbelgium.be/files/dum60%20COMPLETE.pdf]
Larché J. (2004) Sicyos angulatus, nouvelle adventice du maïs dans le Sud-Ouest de la France. Phytoma 571: 19-22.
Ludwig W. (1955) Unterscheidungsmerkmale von Echinocystis lobata und Sicyos angulatus. Hessische Floristische Briefe 4: 202-203.
Manzini M.L. & Marchetti D.B. (1988): Sicyos angulatus L. aventizia nel Modenese. Atti Soc. Nat. e Mat. di Modena 119: 53-54.
Menghini A. & Mincigrucci G. (1976) Sicyos angulatus L., avventizia nuova per la flora spondicola del Tevere. Ann. Fac. Agrar., Univ. Stud. Perugia 31: 81-89.
Mikeladze I., Bolkvadze G., Metreveli M., Chagalidze R., Davitadze M. (2015) Sicyos angulatus L. new Alien Species in Souhtern Colkheti Flora (Adjara, Georgia). Biological Forum–An International Journal 7(1): 266-268. [available online at: http://researchtrend.net/pdf/41%20IRAKLI%20MIKELADZE.pdf]
Ouren T. (1987) Soybean adventitious weeds in Norway. Blyttia 45(4): 175-185.
Recasens J., Conesa J.A., Millan J. & Taberner A. (2007): Estimación del impacto económico de una mala hierba exótica invasora en un cultivo. El ejemplo de Sicyos angulatus y Abutilon theophrasti en Cataluña. Phytoma España 193: 18-25.
Shimizu N. (1999) The level of damage by the foreign weed Sicyos angulatus. Weed Sci. Soc. Japan 2: 2-3.
Smeda R. & Weller C. (2001) Biology and control of burcucumber. Weed Sci. 49(1): 99-105.
Stešević D. & Jovović Z. (2005): Sicyos angulatus L. – a new nonindigenous species in the flora in Montenegro. Herbologia 6: 17-24.
Terzioglu S. & Ansin R. (1999) A contribution to exotic plants of Turkey: Sicyos angulatus L. Turk. J. Agric. & Forest. 23: 359-362 (in Turkish).
Tzonev R. (2005) Sicyos angulatus (Cucurbitaceae): a new adventive species for the flora of Bulgaria. Phytologia Balcanica 11: 67-68. [available online at: http://www.bio.bas.bg/~phytolbalcan/PDF/11_1/11_1_07_Tzonev.pdf]
Verloove F. & Vandenberghe C. (1994) Nieuwe en interessante graan- en veevoederadventieven voor de Belgische en Noordfranse flora, hoofdzakelijk in 1993. Dumortiera 58-59: 44-59. [available online at: http://alienplantsbelgium.be/sites/alienplantsbelgium.be/files/dum58-59p44.pdf]
Webb F. & Johnston G. (1981) Control of bur cucumber in corn and soybeans. Proc. NorthE. Weed Sci. Soc. 35: 34.