Trichosanthes cucumerina anguina
| Trichosanthes cucumerina | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 10 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 16' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Trichosanthes cucumerina anguina (common name: snake gourd)
Propagation: Seed - sow March in pots in a warm greenhouse in a rich soil. Sow 2 - 3 seeds per pot and thin to the strongest plant. Grow them on fast and plant out after the last expected frosts. Give them some protection, such as a frame or cloche, until the plants are growing away well.
Cultivation: Requires a rich well-drained soil and plenty of moisture in the growing season[1].
Cultivated in India for its edible fruit it is not hardy in Britain, requiring greenhouse cultivation[2], though it may be possible to grow it as an annual in a very warm sheltered bed outdoors[1]. The plant is very variable in the shape of the fruit, there are some named varieties[3]. Plants grow best with short daylengths and stable temperatures above 25°c[2].
Plants climb by means of tendrils[4] and also have a slightly twining stem[5].
A weight is sometimes attached to the growing fruit to ensure that it grows straight[3].
Range: E. Asia - India.
Edibility: Young fruit - cooked[1][6][7]. It can be used in curries or eaten as a vegetable like green beans[8][9][3]. Mature fruits can be up to 2 metres long and 10cm thick[8][2].
The bright red pulp around the mature seeds is extracted and used in cooking in much the same way that tomatoes are used[3].
Leaves and young shoots - cooked[3].
Medicinal: The fruit is considered to be anthelmintic, emetic and purgative[10].
The seed is said to be cooling[10].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Monoecious
Also Known As: T. anguina
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Grey-Wilson, Christopher and Victoria Matthews. Gardening on Walls. Collins, 1983.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Organ, John. Gourds. Faber, 1963.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.