Weird vine fruit

(Click for big.)

I was at my sister-in-law's house in Los Angeles when I spotted this fruit growing on a vine on a fence. It was the only fruit I could find. Anyone know what it is? I've never seen anything like it.

UPDATE: I think its a Jasmine (Stephanotis) fruit. Windell and Lenore (our Evil Mad Scientist friends) dissected one.

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

More at Boing Boing

Ants and Stars: Bruce Sterling and Jasmina Tesanovic visit the Sardinia Radio Telescope in Italy

The Snowden Principle

Leigh

Are there any botanists or Master Gardeners out there? Someone who can key this out? It looks interesting–
Antinous / Moderator

http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/cps/rde/dpi/hs.xsl/4790_7390_ENA_HTML.htm

Maybe
thequickbrownfox

Looks like Chayote, or what we in Australia call a Choko.

A kind of squash that grows on a vine.
pauldrye

Saba nut?
Anonymous

It is Stephanotis. That is a seed pod not an edible fruit. The plant produces small trumpet shaped, very fragrant white flowers that are used for leis here in Hawaii.
inness

Judging from the pictures, my review of the plant on several botanical sites, and the clincher, my experience as a native Eastern Kentuckian, I can tell you definitively that it’s a pawpaw (Asimina) . . . er, tree. But out of it’s geographical locale, it appears to be less woodsy and thus confusing to the eye. Many plants do the same thing when removed from their preferred ecosystems. They will grow, but sometimes not in the manner anticipated. One example: the Mimosa. In the Deep South it’s a tall, slender tree. But back home in our Appalachians it never reaches that level of growth, becoming instead a thick, multi-stemmed bush. Here’s a link to compare your fruiting plant to a healthy pawpaw tree:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawpaw
The fruit is identical, and the woody stem is recognizable as the more developed form of your ‘vine’.
It appears you may have mango-ey, banana-ey, custard-ey goodness on your hands! Wait till soft, but not too late. Many a future pawpaw fan has been averted due to excessive mushiness.
- Anonymous
  
  I am also from Eastern Kentucky I can tell you that this plant is not a Pawpaw. The leaves of Pawpaw tree are much larger. I don’t think they would even grow in CA.
mxjohnson

It’s a milkweed vine, Morrenia odorata. It’s a terrible awful invasive weed. Those seed pods are full of fluffy seeds that will blow everywhere. The vines will wrap tightly around their support, killing it. You can cut the vines to save your plants, but wear cheap gloves — the sap of the milkweed is a glue-like latex goop.
- Anonymous
  
  Correct! It is a very invasive vine here in citrus country (Florida).
wakaman

parasitic alien growth?
Anonymous

If it starts singing…run.
Stefan Jones

Juvenile Body Snatcher Pod.

Don’t fall asleep near these Mark.

(Assuming you are Mark.)
Xeni Jardin

Mmmm, actually I don’t think that’s chayote — leaves are shaped differently. Got me.
Plant Addict

To all who claim otherwise: Most definitely, this is a stephanotis vine fruit. I have three such fruits on my vine currently, it is of the milkweed family and poisonous. It is a decorative vine and its flowers are commonly used in bridal bouquets. All the people who claim it is a feijoa or pawpaw are dangerously wrong, and are obviously not/not botanically astute. As indicated, allow the fruit to ripen till at least yellow before collecting seeds. It’s best to wait until the fruit is starting to dry before collecting it. When it bursts, it will produce dandelion-like puffs with seeds attached. If you plant them, they will take 4-6 weeks to germinate. Be aware it will be several years before the plant blooms!
HappyGlyphs

Looks like a chayote to me… you’ll have to open it up and see what’s inside for sure.
zuzu

Tomacco!
Bobdotcom

#19 Aldasin FTW!
mypalmike

It’s the delicious scrub mango.
Anonymous

That is definetly the seed pod of a stephanotis vine. The plant produces beautiful white waxy looking star flower. It is used in flower shops for bridal bouquets. The flower is also called the hawaiian wedding flower. The scent is amazing.

Hoped this helped.
Anonymous

Looks like a feijoa to me (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feijoa).
Anonymous

It might be a Paw Paw, which is a north american relative of the mango. It usually grows on the east coast/eastern midwest. I’ve had them in Ohio and Maryland. Maybe one made it out to LA? They are custardy and delicious!
Ryan Davidson

That looks a lot like a pawpaw, but I have no idea what one is doing in Los Angeles.
HonoluluG

It is Stephanotis and that is it’s seed pod. Small fragrant white trumpet shaped flowers used in leis in Hawaii. Sometimes called Madagascar Jasmine.
Anonymous

The leaves look like the leaves of my “Jamaican passion fruit.” I put that in quotes because I am not sure what it really is. The flowers of my vine resemble the flowers of my passion fruit vine, but the leaves are different. My sister-in-law has this same vine and her fruit looks like your picture. It turns yellow and the inside is like a passion fruit but it is sweeter. Hope this helps.
Anonymous

Madagascar Jasmine. I have one in my house and that’s a seed pod.
mhulsebu

“It’s a milkweed vine, Morrenia odorata.” I thought it looked like this too, the pod does but the leaves are wrong. Milkweed has more heart shaped leaves.
dragonfrog

The fruit doesn’t look a lot like the chayotes I’ve seen.

The Chayote plants I’ve seen also look very different indeed, but now doing a google image search, I see things much more like the vine in the photo, so apparently there are different kinds.
aldasin

You’re cradling it’s balls.
Wbb882

Looks like #1 wins.
Digilante

Cool, but is it edible? (The linked articles do not mention anything about the fruit.)
Anonymous

It is NOT Morrenia odorata, the strangler milkweed. Morrenia odorata is a vine, that is tree or shrub. Incidentally, young Morrenia odorata pods are edible cooked.

http://www.eattheweeds.com/www.EatTheWeeds.Com/EatTheWeeds.com/Entries/1942/3/7_Milkweed_Vine,_Latexplant,_Strangler_Vine.html
ROSSINDETROIT

Not a PawPaw. Wrong leaves. I think 1 & 4 are right and if so, look out. The stuff is a menace in its native environment.
Anonymous

AKEBIA QUINATA
Anonymous

Mais yeah, Das a Mirliton cher!

http://hsny.blogspot.com/2008/02/mirliton-in-southern-colorado.html
Anonymous

Madagascar Jasmine is what it looks like.
Micah

Feed me, Seymour….
Snig

We need to know what it tastes like for definitive identification.
holtt

It’s scary how much diversity matched with certainty there is in the answers.
Anonymous

Madagascar jasmine fruit
Anonymous

MILKWEED VINE…..KILLKILLKILL!!!!!!!!
intrntnlnois

It does look like a pawpaw, but papaws grow on trees not on vines.
BaldNick

Mark, It’s Milkweed Vine. Kill it NOW!!!
Anonymous

If the pod is fairly “spongy” and contains a beautiful collection of seeds with white hairy tails, AKA the “coma” (as in comet) it is probably a milkweed vine. The leaves, as pictured, do not indicate milkweed vine.
M.Whittier

Hmm. It looks like an unripe akebia to me; but then so does the ‘jasmine fruit.’ Two names, same plant?

Here’s my (over)ripe akebia fruit:

http://mwittier.livejournal.com/20496.html
Anonymous

Milkweed vine, a very invasive plant in citrus groves.

http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu/News%20columns/Milkweed.vine.htm
nonchee

The seed pod is definitely from a Madagascar Jasmine. I have one in my yard and have just noticed the pod. The plant still has the name tag on it. Apparently, I must let it dry on the vine and then open it to get the seeds, then I will plant them and see what happens!
- Anonymous
  
  http://www.evilmadscientist.com/article.php/jasmine
  This is certainly a Madagascar Jasmine. This article (with photos) will remove all doubt. The leaves are exactly the same.
  The fruit is inedible and forms on a mature plant. One commenter suggested the fruit caused her vine trauma and recommended removal of the fruit. Her vine began to die and it did not flower again for 1.5 years.
erueti

Not a Banana Passion fruit is it? Even though they are considered a weed here in NZ I think they’re delicious!
doug117

Feijoa — not only edible but delicious.
doug117

Feijoa — not only edible but delicious.
gamino

There was something very similar growing abundantly on the south coast of Jamaica, though the Caribbean version looks almost identical to a brain.
Mr_Orion

I am having some extreme Deja Vu of this exact article and me reading it on the incorrect resolution on my laptop. Also, being in a dorm. Weird.
gamino

See?

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2348/241/30/507112731/n507112731_1408461_7709.jpg
LYNDON

To echo intrntnlnois: it looks like a feijoa, but feijoas grow on bushes not on vines. Plus, the leaves are wrong.

I agree the feijoas are delicious.
Mark Frauenfelder

I have a feijoa tree. Search Boing Boing for “feijoas” and see!
bigdave

Stephanotis floribunda, http://www.gflora.com/index.php?cmd=genus_body&genus_id=63. The flowers are cute little white gems with an amazing aroma. They’re quite common here in Hawaii.
weird fruit

I think I have the same fruit growing on a vine in my back yard. While trying identify it I found my way to this website. I also live in Los Angeles and the vine is very large, growing over a conifer. The vine has a large white trumpet shaped fragrant flowers. The leaves are broad and the stem thick and woody. The fruit I have on my vine is about 8″ long and still growing. I am sure it is not a paw paw, choko, feijoa, stephanotis, milkweed vine, madagascar jasmine or any of the other suggestions. The pod may look similar but the leaves are not the same. I think it may be a Beaumontia grandiflora. But who knows? This is the closest match I could find to what I have growing.
Anonymous

Feed me Seymour!
Anonymous

Choko?
fataltourist

I think it’s a chamcham.
Bekah

Ignore the fruiting body – look at the leaves, stem and growth habit. I’m voting for Stephanotis floribunda :)
Anonymous

It’s poisonous But go ahead ,it tastes good ^^
erindipity

I say, it’s the nom nom fruit!