Trichosanthes Anguina

''Trichosanthes cucumerina'' is a tropical or subtropical vine. Its variety ''T. cucumerina'' var. ''anguina'' raised for its strikingly long fruit. In Asia, it is eaten immature as a vegetable much like the summer squash and in Africa, the reddish pulp of mature snake gourd is used as an economical substitute for tomato. Common names for the cultivated variety include snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinda and padwal.Flowers of India, snake gourd, ''Trichosanthes cucumerina''
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''Trichosanthes cucumerina'' is found in the wild across much of South and Southeast Asia, including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar(Burma) and southern China (Guangxi and Yunnan).Flora of China v 19 p 38, ''Trichosanthes cucumerina''
/ref> It is also regarded as native in northern Australia. and naturalized in Florida, parts of Africa and on various islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.Prota 2, Vegetables/Légumes, ''Trichosanthes cucumerina'' L.
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Formerly, the cultivated form was considered a distinct species, ''T. anguina'', but it is now generally regarded as conspecific with the wild populations, as they freely interbreed:

* ''Trichosanthes cucumerina'' var. ''anguina'' (L.) Haines – cultivated variant
* ''Trichosanthes cucumerina'' var. ''cucumerina'' – wild variant

Description

''Trichosanthes cucumerina'' is a monoecious annual vine climbing by means of tendrils. Leaves are palmately lobed, up to 25 cm long. Flowers are unisexual, white, opening at night, with long branching hairs on the margins of the petals. These hairs are curled up in the daytime when the flower is closed, but unfurl at night to form a delicate lacy display (see photos in gallery below). Fruits can be up to 200 cm long, deep red at maturity, hanging below the vine.

The related Japanese snake gourd ('' Trichosanthes pilosa,'' sometimes called ''T. ovigera'' or ''T. cucumeroides''), very similar in vegetative morphology, but the fruit of ''T. pilosa'' is round to egg-shaped, only about 7 cm long.

Uses

The common name "snake gourd" refers to the narrow, twisted, elongated fruit. The soft-skinned immature fruit can reach up to in length. It is soft, bland, somewhat mucilaginous flesh is similar to that of the luffa and the calabash. It is popular in the cuisines of South Asia and Southeast Asia and is now grown in some home gardens in Africa. With some cultivars, the immature fruit has an unpleasant odor and a slightly bitter taste, both of which disappear in cooking. The fruit becomes too bitter to eat as it reaches maturity, but it does contain a reddish pulp that is used in Africa as a substitute for tomatoes.Kew Gardens Millennium Seed Bank, the weird and wonderful snake gourd

The shoots, tendrils and leaves are also eaten as greens.

Gallery

File:Trichosanthes cucumerina flower.jpg, The lace-like flower of ''T. cucumerina'' opens only after dark. Here, it is shown almost completely unfurled.
File:Trichosanthes cucumerina flower 1.jpg, In the process of unfurling its fimbriate petals.
File:Trichosanthes cucumerina (snake gourd).jpg, An edible immature snake gourd.
File:ヘビウリの実.jpg, It twists and becomes orange-red while elongated and ripened.
File:Thichosanthes cucumerina, the snake gourds, variable fruit shapes and colors as seen in cultivation.jpg, Different maturity stages and shapes as seen in cultivation.
File:The flower of a type of bitter guard in hand.JPG, Flower and flower buds.
File:Snake gourd semilooper anadevidia peponis larvae.JPG, Snake gourd semilooper ''Anadevidia peponis'' larva, a major pest of ''T. cucumerina''
File:Snake gourd freshly harvested.jpg, Freshly harvested snake gourd from India.

See also

* ''Trichosanthes kirilowii'', Chinese snake gourd
* ''Trichosanthes ovigera'', Japanese snake gourd
* ''Lagenaria siceraria'', some of its immature edible cultivars can be found as "snake gourds", not the preferred name.
* ''Trichosanthes dioica'', Pointed gourd or Parwal, also edible when immature.

Notes

References

External links

Trichosanthes cucumerina Linn. improves glucose tolerance and tissue glycogen in non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus induced rats

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1323731

cucumerina
Fruit vegetables
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Flora of the Indian subcontinent
Flora of Myanmar
Flora of Malesia
Flora of China
Flora of Yunnan
Flora of Guangxi
Flora of Africa
Rosids of Western Australia
Flora of the Northern Territory
Edible plants