WorldFloraDB - Trichosanthes dioica

Characteristics

A pumpkin family plant. It is a climber. It is a herb. The stems are slender and angled. They have soft hairs. The tendrils are divided 2-4 times. The leaves have stalks. The leaves are 5-10 cm long. They are oval or heart shaped. There are teeth along the edge. Leaves are rigid and rough on both surfaces. Flowers are of one sex and white. The fruit are oblong or pointed on both sides. They are orange-red when ripe. They are 10 cm long and 5 cm wide. Seeds are slightly compressed.

Life form	perennial
Growth form	herb
Growth support	climber
Foliage retention	-
Sexuality	dioecy
Pollination	entomogamy
Spread	-
Mature width (meter)	-
Mature height (meter)	-
Root system	-
Rooting depth (meter)	-
Root diameter (meter)	-
Flower color	-
Blooming months	-
Fruit color
Fruiting months	-
Nitrogen fixer	-
Photosynthetic pathway	-

Environment

A tropical plant. It grows in tropical India. It suits a warm humid climate. It is common in NE India. In Nepal it grows to 600 m altitude. The soil needs to be well drained.

More

Not known

Light	-
Soil humidity	-
Soil texture	-
Soil acidity	-
Soil nutriment	-
Hardiness (USDA)

Usage

The young fruit are cooked as a vegetable. They are used in curries. They are also fried, pickled and used in stews. They are also used in confectionary and pickled. The leaves are eaten as a vegetable. They are used in soups and stews.

Uses	food medicinal oil
Edible	fruits leaves shoots stems
Therapeutic use	Hypoglycemia (aerial part), Anti-obesity agents (fruit), Diabetes mellitus (fruit), Diarrhea (fruit), Edema (fruit), Disorder of ejaculation (fruit), Gastritis (fruit), Hypoglycemic agents (fruit), Laxatives (fruit), Cooling effect on body (fruit), Hair loss (leaf), Antipyretics (leaf), Erysipelas (leaf), Fistula (leaf), Hepatomegaly (leaf), Jaundice (leaf), Laxatives (leaf), Leprosy (leaf), General tonic for rejuvenation (leaf), Splenic diseases (leaf), Splenomegaly (leaf), Antipyretics (root), Ascites (root), Cathartics (root), Edema (root), Jaundice (root), General tonic for rejuvenation (root), Bilious (unspecified), Circulation (unspecified), Diuretic (unspecified), Purgative (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Cancer (unspecified), Fever (unspecified), Hemagglutinant (unspecified), Laxative (unspecified), Tumor(Abdomen) (unspecified), Diabetes mellitus (unspecified), Disorder of ejaculation (unspecified), Fistula (unspecified), Hemorrhoids (unspecified)
Human toxicity	-
Animal toxicity	-

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed. It is often grown by stem cuttings. Pieces 60 cm long are taken from male and female plants. They are planted out of the nursery after 90 days.

Mode	cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days)	14 - 30
Germination temperacture (C°)	18 - 23
Germination luminosity	-
Germination treatment	-
Minimum temperature (C°)	-
Optimum temperature (C°)	-
Size	-
Vigor	-
Productivity	-