Practical
Plants

Coccinia grandis

Ivy Gourd

a perennial member of the Coccinia genus in the family Cucurbitaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
3 m
Fertility
self sterile
Flower type
dioecious

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Young leaves and long slender stem tops - cooked and eaten as a potherb or added to soups[10][11][2][4][5][9]. Young and tender green fruits - raw in salads or cooked and added to curries etc[6][10][11][2][4][5]. Ripe scarlet fruit - raw. Fleshy and sweet[5]. The fruit is up to 5cm long[7].

Plant part
Fruit
Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The juice of the roots and leaves is considered to be a useful treatment for diabetes[8][9]. The juice of the stem is dripped into the eyes to treat cataracts[9]. The leaves are used as a poultice in treating skin eruptions[8]. The plant is laxative[11]. It is used internally in the treatment of gonorrhoea[8]. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the plant have shown hypoglycaemic principles[8].

Product or use
Hypoglycaemic
Product or use
Laxative
Product or use
Miscellany
Product or use
Poultice
Product or use
VD
Product or use
Ophthalmic

Environment

Range
Tropical Asia To Africa.
Habitat
Deciduous bush, savannah, dry evergreen forest and thickets[7]. Moist neglected places, especially on hedges, to elevations of 1400 metres in Nepal[9].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow March in a warm greenhouse in pots of fairly rich soil placing 2 - 3 seeds in each pot. The seed usually germinates within 2 - 4 weeks at 20°c[3]. Thin to the best seedling in each pot and grow them on fast, giving occasional liquid feeds. Plant out after the last expected frosts and give the plants some protection such as a cloche until they are growing away well.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Succeeds in any soil[1] but prefers a sunny sheltered position in a humus-rich open soil[3]. Keep the plant well watered in the growing season[3]. Occasionally cultivated for its edible fruit in tropical and sub-tropical zones[10][11], this plant is not hardy in Britain and normally requires greenhouse protection if it is to fruit here[7]. However, it may succeed outdoors as a tender annual in hot summers if given a suitable position and started off early in the greenhouse. Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed and fruits are required.

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  4. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  5. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  7. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  9. Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-527-6

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  10. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  11. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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