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Trichosanthes ovigera

Common name:	Japanese Snake Gourd	Family:	Cucurbitaceae
Author:	Blume.	Botanical references:	58, 200
Synonyms:	Trichosanthes cucumeroides ((Ser.)Maxim.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat:	Fertile and damp places in mountain wilds in China[147].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Bryonia cucumeroides[G] T. cucumerioides[E] T. himalensis[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Japanese Snake Gourd [E], Karasu-Uri [E],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Violales. Cucumber family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China Japan

Physical Characteristics

Perennial Climber at a fast rate. It is hardy to 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 flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Fruit Root.

An edible starch is obtained from the root[2, 46, 61, 183].
The immature fruit is preserves in miso or salt[183]. The mature fruit is about 7cm long[200]. A nutritional analysis is available[218].
We have no record of the seed being edible, though there is no reason to believe that it should not be[K]. Like the edible seeds of many members of this plant family, the seed is eaten in the Orient as a vermifuge[218]. The seed contains 33.8% protein and 56.3% fat[218].

Composition

Seed (Fresh weight): In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Protein: 33.8 Fat: 56.3
Source: [218]
Notes : The report did not specify if this was the fresh or dry weight.
Fruit (Dry weight): In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Water: 0 Calories: 316 Protein: 15.8 Fat: 0 Carbohydrate: 78.9 Fibre: 8.8 Ash: 5.3
In milligrammes per 100g weight of food:
Calcium: 333 Phosphorus: 596 Iron: 17.5 Potassium: 2159 VitaminA: 14210 Thiamine: 0.7 Riboflavin: 0.9 Niacin: 12.3 VitaminC: 105
Source: [218]

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Anodyne Antiphlogistic Blood purifier Diuretic Febrifuge Poultice Vermifuge.

Diuretic[116].
The seed is vermifuge[218].
The root is anodyne, antiphlogistic, blood purifier, depurative, febrifuge and resolvent[147]. It is used as a poultice or made into a decoction to treat abscesses, boils, fevers, sore throats etc[147, 218].
The fruit is used to treat coughs, diabetes, jaundice etc[218].

Other Uses

Soap.

The dried fruit is a soap substitute[46, 61, 116].

Cultivation details

Requires a rich well-drained soil and plenty of moisture in the growing season[1].
Plants are not hardy in Britain and normally require greenhouse cultivation[200], but it may be possible to grow them as a spring-sown annual in a very warm sheltered bed outdoors[1].

Propagation

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.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Latin and Worldwide Common Names From Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database by M. H. Porcher et. al. 1995 - 2000 Landcare Systems Research Laboratory, Department of Crop Production,Institute of Land and Food Resources, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Trichosanthes cucumerioides (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Trichosanthes cucumeroides (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[116] Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1986
A small booklet packed with information.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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