Trichosanthes ovigera
| Trichosanthes ovigera | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 10 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Trichosanthes ovigera (common name: japanese 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 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].
Plants are not hardy in Britain and normally require greenhouse cultivation[2], but it may be possible to grow them as a spring-sown annual in a very warm sheltered bed outdoors[1].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat: Fertile and damp places in mountain wilds in China[3].
Edibility: An edible starch is obtained from the root[4][5][6][7].
The immature fruit is preserves in miso or salt[7]. The mature fruit is about 7cm long[2]. A nutritional analysis is available[8].
We have no record of the seed being edible, though there is no reason to believe that it should not be[K]. Like the edible seeds of many members of this plant family, the seed is eaten in the Orient as a vermifuge[8]. The seed contains 33.8% protein and 56.3% fat[8].
Medicinal: Diuretic[9].
The seed is vermifuge[8].
The root is anodyne, antiphlogistic, blood purifier, depurative, febrifuge and resolvent[3]. It is used as a poultice or made into a decoction to treat abscesses, boils, fevers, sore throats etc[3][8].
The fruit is used to treat coughs, diabetes, jaundice etc[8].
Usage: The dried fruit is a soap substitute[5][6][9].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Late Spring-Mid Fall
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Monoecious
Also Known As: T. cucumeroides. Maxim.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1986.