Chum-thang, Cauqua trai-trang
Zehneria japonica

Family: Cucurbitaceae

What it is like

A pumpkin family plant. It is a fine climbing plant. It has fleshy thickened roots. There are fine hairs underneath the stems. The stems are much branched and 1-2 m long. The tendrils are not branched. The leaves are oval or triangle shaped and 3-8 cm long. They taper to the tip and have lobes at the base. They are irregularly rounded or scalloped along the edge. The flowers are white and of one sex but with both sexes on the same plant. They are 5 mm across. The fruit are oval and 1-2 cm long. The fruit are whitish berries.

There are about 30 Zehneria species. They grow in the tropics and subtropics. Check name Neoachmandra indica (Lour.) W. J. de Wilde & Duyfjes;

Where it is found

A tropical plant.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, India, Indochina, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, SE Asia, Tibet, Vietnam

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten raw. The fruit are purgative. They are recorded as eaten. The root is boiled with chicken and eaten.

Edible parts

Leaves, fruit, roots

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Chum-thang, Cauqua trai-trang, Dudur, Golka-kri, Indian zehneria, Ka-gyi, Ma die er, Mao bao er, Ye shao gua

Synonyms

Melothria argyi H. Lev.; Melothria formosana Hayata; Melothria indica Loureiro; Melothria leucocarpa (Blume) Cogn.; Zehneria indica (Lour.) Keraudren; Zehneria omeiensis Z. Y. Zhu; and others