Japanese Snake Gourd
Trichosanthes ovigera

Family: Cucurbitaceae

What it is like

Trichosanthes ovigera is a PERENNIAL CLIMBER at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 and is frost tender. It is in leaf from May to October, in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 0

Where it is found

Fertile and damp places in mountain wilds in China. Brushwoods along valleys, open forests on mountain slopes at elevations of 700 - 2500 metres.

E. Asia - China, Japan.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 2

An edible starch is obtained from the root. The immature fruit is preserves in miso or salt. The mature fruit is about 7cm long. A nutritional analysis is available. We have no record of the seed being edible, though there is no reason to believe that it should not be. Like the edible seeds of many members of this plant family, the seed is eaten in the Orient as a vermifuge. The seed contains 33.8% protein and 56.3% fat.

Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicine

Rating: 2

Diuretic. The seed is vermifuge. The root is anodyne, antiphlogistic, blood purifier, depurative, febrifuge and resolvent. It is used as a poultice or made into a decoction to treat abscesses, boils, fevers, sore throats etc. The fruit is used to treat coughs, diabetes, jaundice etc.

Anodyne: Relieves pain, it is milder than an analgesic.

Antiphlogistic: Reduces inflammation.

Blood purifier: Purifies the blood.

Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Vermifuge: Expels and kills internal parasites.

Other

Rating:

The dried fruit is a soap substitute.

Soap: Plants used directly as a soap substitute.

How it is grown

Requires a rich well-drained soil and plenty of moisture in the growing season. Plants are not hardy in Britain and normally require greenhouse cultivation, but it may be possible to grow them as a spring-sown annual in a very warm sheltered bed outdoors.

Propagating it: Seed - sow March in pots in a warm greenhouse in a rich soil. Sow 2 - 3 seeds per pot and thin to the strongest plant. Grow them on fast and plant out after the last expected frosts. Give some protection, such as a frame or cloche, until the plants are growing away well.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Perennial Climber

Hardiness: 9-11

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

T. cucumeroides. Maxim.