Common name: Snake Gourd, Chichinda
Botanical name: Trichosanthes cucumerina Family: Cucurbitaceae (pumpkin family)
Snake Gourd is a tropical or subtropical vine, raised for its strikingly long
fruit, used as a vegetable and for medicine. 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. It is a popular vegetable in South India. The white flower is
beautiful and lacy, and open at night.
| Photographed in Konkan region, Maharashtra. |
Identification credit: Navendu Page
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