- Trichosanthes cucumerina
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Trichosanthes cucumerina 
var. anguina Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Eudicots (unranked): Rosids Order: Cucurbitales Family: Cucurbitaceae Genus: Trichosanthes Species: T. cucumerina Binomial name Trichosanthes cucumerina
L.Synonyms Trichosanthes anguina L.
Trichosanthes cucumerina is a tropical or subtropical vine, raised for its strikingly long fruit, used as a vegetable, medicine, and, a lesser known use, crafting didgeridoos. Common names include snake gourd (var. anguina), serpent gourd, chichinga, and padwal. It is known as chichinga or chichinge in Bengali, purla in Sambalpuri language, potlakaaya (పొట్లకాయ) in Telugu, pathola(පතෝල) in Sinhala, pudalankaai (புடலங்காய்) in Tamil, dhunduli in Assamese, paduvalakaayi in Kannada and padavalanga (പടവലങ്ങ) in Malayalam.
Formerly, the cultivated form was considered a distinct species, but it is nowadays regarded as a mere variety of the wild ancestor, as they freely interbreed:
- Trichosanthes cucumerina var. anguina (L.) Haines – cultivated variant
- Trichosanthes cucumerina var. cucumerina – wild variant
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.
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The lace-like flower of T. cucumerina opens only after dark. Here, it is shown in the process of unfurling.
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Fully open
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A full grown snake gourd.
See also
External links
Categories:- Cucurbitaceae
- Fruit vegetables
- Cucurbitales stubs
- Vegetable stubs
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