Assuming true variety seeds, it's an old heirloom climbing vine.

Lots of info about it on Google.

Dave

Thanks Dave, I did Google it and some places say "prolific vines" but I was wondering if that was a term for any thin stem that can't stand upright over a certain height (like tomato vines). Haven't actually found a picture of the plant, or any information about climbing/trellising.

Have you grown this variety? Do they get the grabbing tendrils like other cukes (climbers)? One of mine just got so big (about 6" tall) it's flopping over but not a tendril in sight. They're also much smaller and lighter-colored than the Little Leaf I started at the same time, planted in the same bed. But they do have flowers and a couple of tiny fruit the blossoms haven't fallen off of yet.

Cucumbers grow differently depending upon climate, latitude, daylength, etc. While a cultivar may be bush-type (not a true bush, but short internodes) for one person, it may be a long rambling vine for another. And vice versa.

If de Bourbonne Cornichon is the same cultivar as Cornichon Ameliore de Bourbonne, but with a shortened name, then yes, it is vining, at least for me, but the tendrils are few and far between. Most cucumbers prefer to ramble along the ground, and the lack of tendrils may indicate that it was selected specifically for this purpose, and not for trellising.

Thanks lwn. It is getting longer (biggest one over a foot), lots of blossoms (though lots have dropped off), the biggest plant in the hill has flopped over but still see no tendrils. I might have to contact Fedco.

It is a very light green - much lighter than the Little Leaf right next to it. Is that normal? I've got a couple (out of 3) LL plants that have over 2 ft vines and have multiple vines, and the de B. only has 1 vine per plant.

They also have "curly" clusters of flowers(calyxes where flowers have dropped?), but I don't see any fruit yet (I don't think - I looked this morning and now I'm not sure about the "swellings"). Think I have a pollination problem (LL hasn't got any fruit yet either, though Bush Champion has some ready to pick!)? Or are the baby ones so tiny I'm just not seeing them yet (same with LL)?