Trichosanthes multiloba
| Trichosanthes multiloba | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Trichosanthes multiloba
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 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][2].
This species is not winter hardy in Britain and usually requires greenhouse cultivation. However, it may be possible to grow it as a spring-sown annual in a very warm sheltered bed outdoors[1].
Closely related to T. palmata, and possibly no more than a form of that species, it differs only in its fruit.
Range: E. Asia - China, central and southern Japan and the eastern Himalayas.
Habitat: Found at elevations between 600 and 1,800 metres in the Himalayas
Edibility: An edible starch is obtained from the root[3]. It requires leeching[4]. The root is harvested in the autumn, cut into thick slices, soaked for 4 - 5 days in water, changing the water daily until the root disintegrates and can be mashed into a fine pulp. It is then steamed into cakes or used for making dumplings[5][6][4]. The starch is mixed with wheat or rice flour and made into crackers, dumplings, noodles etc.
Medicinal: Antitussive, astringent, diuretic, febrifuge, tonic[6].
Usage: An oil from the seed is used for lighting[6].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Monoecious
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.