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.

[Antinous / Moderator February 18, 2009 2:30 PM]

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

Maybe

[thequickbrownfox February 18, 2009 2:32 PM]

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

A kind of squash that grows on a vine.

[pauldrye February 18, 2009 2:32 PM]

Saba nut?

[Anonymous February 18, 2009 2:32 PM]

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.

[mxjohnson February 18, 2009 2:32 PM]

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.

[wakaman February 18, 2009 2:33 PM]

parasitic alien growth?

[Anonymous February 18, 2009 2:34 PM]

If it starts singing...run.

[Stefan Jones February 18, 2009 2:34 PM]

Juvenile Body Snatcher Pod.

Don't fall asleep near these Mark.

(Assuming you are Mark.)

[Xeni Jardin February 18, 2009 2:34 PM]

Mmmm, actually I don't think that's chayote -- leaves are shaped differently. Got me.

[HappyGlyphs February 18, 2009 2:35 PM]

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

[zuzu February 18, 2009 2:37 PM]

Tomacco!

[mypalmike February 18, 2009 2:39 PM]

It's the delicious scrub mango.

[Anonymous February 18, 2009 2:39 PM]

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

[Anonymous February 18, 2009 2:39 PM]

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 February 18, 2009 2:39 PM]

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

[HonoluluG February 18, 2009 2:40 PM]

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.

[mhulsebu February 18, 2009 2:41 PM]

"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 February 18, 2009 2:42 PM]

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 February 18, 2009 2:43 PM]

You're cradling it's balls.

[Wbb882 February 18, 2009 2:44 PM]

Looks like #1 wins.

[Digilante February 18, 2009 2:46 PM]

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

[ROSSINDETROIT February 18, 2009 2:46 PM]

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 February 18, 2009 2:50 PM]

Madagascar Jasmine is what it looks like.

[Micah February 18, 2009 2:55 PM]

Feed me, Seymour....

[Snig February 18, 2009 3:01 PM]

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

[holtt February 18, 2009 3:10 PM]

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

[Anonymous February 18, 2009 3:13 PM]

MILKWEED VINE.....KILLKILLKILL!!!!!!!!

[intrntnlnois February 18, 2009 3:15 PM]

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

[BaldNick February 18, 2009 3:17 PM]

Mark, It's Milkweed Vine. Kill it NOW!!!

[doug117 February 18, 2009 3:49 PM]

Feijoa -- not only edible but delicious.

[doug117 February 18, 2009 3:49 PM]

Feijoa -- not only edible but delicious.

[gamino February 18, 2009 3:52 PM]

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 February 18, 2009 3:58 PM]

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 February 18, 2009 4:00 PM]

See?

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

[LYNDON February 18, 2009 4:01 PM]

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 February 18, 2009 4:26 PM]

I have a feijoa tree. Search Boing Boing for "feijoas" and see!

[bigdave February 18, 2009 4:29 PM]

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.

[Anonymous February 18, 2009 4:32 PM]

Feed me Seymour!

[fataltourist February 18, 2009 4:34 PM]

I think it's a chamcham.

[Bekah February 18, 2009 5:06 PM]

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

[Leigh February 18, 2009 6:24 PM]

Are there any botanists or Master Gardeners out there? Someone who can key this out? It looks interesting--

[inness February 18, 2009 6:35 PM]

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.

[Bobdotcom February 18, 2009 6:48 PM]

#19 Aldasin FTW!

[Anonymous February 18, 2009 7:13 PM]

AKEBIA QUINATA

[erueti February 18, 2009 8:41 PM]

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

[Anonymous February 18, 2009 10:06 PM]

Choko?

[erindipity February 19, 2009 1:56 AM]

I say, it's the nom nom fruit!

[M.Whittier February 19, 2009 10:12 AM]

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 February 19, 2009 12:21 PM]

Mais yeah, Das a Mirliton cher!

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

[Anonymous April 24, 2009 6:31 AM]

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

[Anonymous April 29, 2009 3:37 PM]

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

[weird fruit September 16, 2009 1:36 PM]

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 September 20, 2009 4:17 AM]

It's poisonous But go ahead ,it tastes good ^^

[Anonymous October 15, 2009 1:38 PM]

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.