Trichosanthes pulleana Cogn. ex Harms

Climber, possibly few metres long only, at first with short brown hairs, glabrescent, leafy stem 2-4 mm diam.; dioecious. Probract elliptic, 2-3 mm long, with or without glands. Tendrils 2-branched. Leaves: petiole 2.5-5 cm long; blade green on drying, chartaceous or subcoriaceous, simple, unlobed, in outline (narrowly) ovate or sub-hastate, 12-22 by 8-14 cm, finely scabrous above, glands several, scattered, small, at the leaf base and near the midrib or apex, cystoliths obvious but small, base with deep sinus, margin finely dentate; veins 5, basally, and few curved ones from the midrib. Male raceme densely short brown hairy, hairs 1-2 mm long; peduncle 2-5 cm long, 2-3 mm thick; rachis not thickened but stout, with bract-scars, 8-13 cm long, 3 mm thick, more than 20-flowered; bracts late-caducous ovate or narrowly elliptic, 6-10 by 3-5 mm, entire, glands present. Male flowers in the raceme and usually with one solitary flower at base; pedicel 2-5(-10) mm long (in solitary flower 25-40 mm long and withering into a straw-like appendage), subpersistent or caducous; receptacle-tube 40-55 mm long, at throat 7-8 mm wide; sepals (narrowly) triangular, 4-6 mm long, 2-3 mm wide at base, acute, entire; petals obovate-rhomboid, strongly nerved, c. 13 by 6-10 mm, threads 7-10 mm long; synandrium 7 mm long, filaments glabrous, 1 mm long. Female flowers and fruit not known.

A tropical plant. It occurs in many areas of Papua New Guinea but is probably more common in the highlands. It occurs from sea level up to at least 2200 m altitude. It may occur in the Solomon Islands.

The seeds are eaten cooked.

It grows wild in highland areas but better types are also sown from seed. It is normally allowed to climb up trees.