Trichosanthes cucumerina

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Trichosanthes cucumerina
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Cucurbitales Family: Cucurbitaceae Genus: Trichosanthes Species: T. cucumerina
Binomial name
Trichosanthes cucumerina L.

Trichosanthes cucumerina is a tropical or subtropical vine, raised for its strikingly long fruit, used as a vegetable and for medicine. Other names include snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinga, and padwal. It is known as pudalankaai in Tamil, paduvalakaayi in Kannada and padavalanga in Malayalam.

The narrow, soft-skinned fruit can reach 150 cm long. Its soft, bland, somewhat mucilaginous flesh is similar to that of the luffa and the calabash. It is most popular in the cuisine of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The shoots, tendrils, and leaves are also eaten as greens.

[edit] See also

• Trichosanthes
• Gourd

The lace-like flower of T. cucumerina opens only after dark. Here, it is shown in the process of unfurling.

A full grown snake gourd.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Snake Gourd

• A recipe for cooking snake gourd (with photo).
• Snake Gourd Raita

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