Trichosanthes cucumerina L.

Climber, 5-8 m long, with sparse (dense) minute hairs, partly glabrescent, leafy stem 1.5-2(-5) mm diam.; monoecious. Probract absent. Tendrils 2-(or 3-)branched. Leaves: petiole 2-12 cm long; blade green on drying, membranous, simple, unlobed, or shallowly or deeply 3-7-angular or-lobed, 2/3 deep, in outline subcircular, or broadly reniform, 5-12(-20) by 9-12(-25) cm, finely hairy, sometimes faintly scabrous, without or with few scattered minute glands, cystoliths not obvious, margin entire or sparsely shallowly dentate-undulate; veins 3(-5). Male raceme sometimes with co-axillary a solitary male flower or a solitary female flower (the female flower developing before the male raceme), hairy or glabrescent; peduncle 5-15 cm long, 1(-2) mm thick; rachis not thickened, 3-10 cm long, 5-10 (or more)-flowered; bracts subpersistent or caducous, elliptic, 0.5-2 mm long, margin (sub)entire, glands absent. Male flowers: pedicel 5-20 mm long, persistent; receptacle-tube 15-20 mm long, at throat 3-4(-5) mm wide; sepals linear, 2-3 mm long, c. 1 mm wide at base, entire; petals (narrowly) ovate, 6-10 mm long, threads c. 10 mm long; synandrium 2-3 mm long, filaments short. Female flowers: pedicel 5-12 mm long or longer; ovary hairy, (narrowly) ellipsoid, 3-10(-30) mm long. Fruit ripening bright orange, paler speckled or striped, ellipsoid or long-cylindrical, 2.5-5(-150) by 1.5-4 cm, apex beaked; exocarp (thinly) leathery, smooth; pericarp ± juicy, dry pericarp 3-5 mm thick; pulp orange, not fibrous, slightly bitter; fruiting pedicel 1-2 cm long, 2 mm thick. Seeds pale or dark brown, compressed, (narrowly) elliptic, 6-18 by 4-9 by 2.5-3.5 mm, margin broad, distinct or faint, edge undulate.

A tropical plant. It is common in the humid tropical lowlands up to 500 m. It does not tolerate dry soil and requires a good moisture reserve in the soil, but is sensitive to water-logging. The optimum temperature for growth is 30-35°C with a minimum of 20°C. It occurs throughout the Philippines at low and medium altitudes up to 1200 m. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In Yunnan.

The long immature fruit are eaten cooked. Sometimes a bitter taste occurs but this disappears with boiling. They can be baked, stuffed or used in curries and stews. Fruit are inedible when ripe. The young leaves are eaten cooked.

Snake gourd is grown from seed. Seed germinate after 10 days. It requires 4-6 kg/ha. Seed can be sown in a nursery and transplanted at the 2 true leaf stage. More commonly plants are sown where they are to grow. A spacing of 60-100 cm is suitable. Plants need supports to climb. Often in home gardens this is a natural support such as a house. Plants respond to fertiliser but excessive nitrogen can produce too much vegetative growth. Pruning can improve the female to male flower ratio.