Benincasa hispida Cogn.

Plants creeping or scandent. Stem and branches yellow-brown hispid and villous, sulcate-angular. Petiole robust, 5-20 cm, yellow-brown hispid and villous; leaf blade reniform-orbicular, 15-30 cm wide, 5-7-lobed; lobes broadly triangular or ovate, both surfaces scabrous, abaxially densely pubescent, adaxially puberulent, base deeply cordate, sinus almost rounded, margin dentate, apex acute. Male flowers: pedicel 5-15 cm, densely hispid and villous; bract ovate or broadly oblong, 6-10 mm, apex acute; calyx tube 12-15 mm in diam., densely hispid-villous; segments 8-12 mm; corolla yellow; segments 3-6 × 2.5-3.5 cm, both surfaces pubescent; filaments 2-3 mm, base expanded; anthers ca. 5 mm. Female flowers: pedicel less than 5 cm, densely yellow-brown hispid and villous; ovary ovoid or cylindric, 2-4 cm, densely hispid; style 2-3 mm; stigmas 12-15 mm. Fruit 50-60 × 10-25 cm. Seeds white or pale yellow, 10-11 × 5-7 mm, ca. 2 mm thick, marginate. Fl. Jun-Sep, fr. Jul-Nov.

A tropical plant. It is suited to warm, lowland, tropical conditions. It does better in dry areas or drier seasons. They are reasonably drought tolerant. The best temperature for growing is 23-28°C. They need a well-drained soil. They do best with a pH of 6.5. It grows in Nepal up to 1400 m altitude. In Yunnan.

The white flesh is added to stir fried dishes. The seeds are fried and eaten. Young leaves and flower buds can be cooked and eaten. The young fruit are used as a vegetable. The mature fruit are peeled, cut in pieces and candied.

It is grown from seeds. There are about 1800 seeds in a kg. Seed are sown 3-5 cm deep with a spacing of 60-80 cm between plants. If plants are going to be allowed to trail over the ground a spacing of about 3 m is necessary. Seed can be sown in nurseries and transplanted when 15-20 cm tall. They are usually planted in mounds and allowed to grow over a strong trellis. They can be allowed to stay on the ground. Decayed manure or compost is used where available. Plants are responsive to sulphate of ammonia. Flowering normally starts 60-80 days after planting. Flowers are open in the early morning. Hand pollination may assist fruit development. This becomes more important in colder areas. Thinning of fruit gives larger fruit. The growing tips of plants can be pruned out to encourage branching or to restrict growth.