Now the scientific name for this oddball, which comes from Greek, means “hairy flower.” And why not? The six, fused petals making up the corolla are white and deeply fringed, sometimes rendering an almost hairy, filmy look to the entire bloom—the effect is quite striking. The flowers tend to be either male or female, that is, producing either pollen or ovules. The male and female flowers are found on the same plant, and of course, this is a basic and characteristic feature of the very large, diverse group to which our mystery planr belongs: the cucumber family. More specifically, our oddity is aligned with gourd-like plants, forming vigorous, high climbing vines, grabbing onto things with their slinky-like tendrils. Gourds have flowers that are generally open “for business” in the evening or night, often featuring white petals and some fragrance, likely attractive to moths, and whose fruits are usually bitter at maturity. Otherwise, many “non-gourd” members of the family are more akin to squashes, pumpkins, and zucchini, which tend to have yellow flowers that open during the daytime, get visited by bees, and whose fruits are tasty and non-bitter when mature.