Practical
Plants

Cucurbita ficifolia

Malabar Gourd

a perennial woody member of the Cucurbita genus in the family Cucurbitaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
vigorous
Fertility
Self fertile, Insects
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

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

The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo[13].

Edible uses

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

Fruit - cooked[7][9][12][17]. Best used when young, at that stage it can be used like a cucumber. The mature fruits are sometimes boiled and eaten[4][5]. A confection is made from the flesh by boiling it with crude sugar[4]. The mature fruit can be stored for 2 years or more and becomes sweeter with storage[6]. The fruit is up to 35cm in diameter[6]. Seed - raw[11][15][3]. Rich in oil with a nutty flavour but very fiddly to use because the seed is small and covered with a fibrous coat[K]. The seed is delicious when roasted and eaten like peanuts[4][5]. An edible oil is obtained from the seed. It is rich in oleic acid[5].

Plant part
Fruit
Product or use
Oil
Plant part
Seed

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 seeds are vermifuge[14][16]. The complete seed, together with the husk, is used. This is ground into a fine flour, then made into an emulsion with water and eaten. It is then necessary to take a purgative afterwards in order to expel the tapeworms or other parasites from the body[14]. As a remedy for internal parasites, the seeds are less potent than the root of Dryopteris felix-mas, but they are safer for pregnant women, debilitated patients and children[8].

Product or use
Vermifuge

Material uses

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

The shell of the mature fruit is very hard and it can be used as a container[15].

Product or use
Containers

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Climber

Environment

Range
E. Asia? Original habitat is obscure.
Habitat
Not known in the wild.
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 10+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - sow early to mid spring in a greenhouse in a rich soil. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. Sow 2 or 3 seeds per pot and thin out to the best plant. Grow them on fast and plant out after the last expected frosts, giving them cloche or frame protection for at least their first few weeks if you are trying them outdoors.

Cultivation

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

Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a very warm, sunny and sheltered position[1]. Tolerates poor, wet and badly drained soils according to another report[3]. Plants are not very frost-tolerant, they can be grown as an annual in temperate climates, and are sometimes cultivated for their edible fruit in warmer areas of the world[10][15]. A very vigorous plant, it can produce shoots 25 metres long in 1 year from seed in Britain[15]. This is the hardiest member of the genus but its fruits are coarse and stringy when grown in Britain so it is usually grown as an ornamental plant only[15]. Plants are day-length sensitive, flowering only in late summer and autumn[5]. This species does not hybridize naturally with other members of the genus though crosses have been made under controlled conditions[15][2]. In America it takes 3 months from seed to first harvest and 6 months to obtain mature fruit[3]. The average fruit size is 9 kilos and this contains 2 cups of seed[3].

References

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

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  2. ? The Plantsman. Vol.8. 1986 - 1987. Royal Horticultural Society 1986-00-00

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  3. Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Popenoe. H. et al Lost Crops of the Incas National Academy Press 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-309-04264-X

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

    ↩1↩2

  7. Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.

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  8. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

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

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  10. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

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  11. Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.

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

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  13. Frohne. D. and Pf�nder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984-00-00 ISBN 0723408394

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  14. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩1↩2

  15. Organ. J. Gourds. Faber 1963-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  16. RHS. The Garden. Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society 1987-00-00

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  17. Towle. M. A. The Ethno-Botany of Pre-Columbian Peru.

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