Trichosanthes cucumerina

Not to be confused with Trichosanthes dioica.

Snake gourd
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Trichosanthes
Species:
T. cucumerina
Binomial name
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Synonyms[1]
  • Anguina cucumerina (L.) Kuntze
  • Cucumis anguinus (L.) L.
  • Involucraria anguina (L.) M.Roem.
  • Trichosanthes ambrozii Domin
  • Trichosanthes anguina L.
  • Trichosanthes brevibracteata Kundu
  • Trichosanthes colubrina J.Jacq.
  • Trichosanthes cucumerina var. anguina (L.) Haines
  • Trichosanthes pachyrrhachis Kundu
  • Trichosanthes pedatifolia Miq.
  • Trichosanthes petala Buch.-Ham. ex Wall.

Trichosanthes cucumerina is a tropical or subtropical vine. Its variety T. cucumerina var. anguina raised for its strikingly long fruit. In Asia, it is eaten immature as a vegetable much like the summer squash and in Africa, the reddish pulp of mature snake gourd is used as an economical substitute for tomato.[2] Common names for the cultivated variety include snake gourd[note 1],[4] serpent gourd,[4] chichinda[4] padwal[4] and Snake Tomato[4].

Trichosanthes cucumerina is found in the wild across much of South and Southeast Asia, including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar(Burma) and southern China (Guangxi and Yunnan).[5] It is also regarded as native in northern Australia.[6][7] and naturalized in Florida,[8] parts of Africa and on various islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.[9]

Formerly, the cultivated form was considered a distinct species, T. anguina, but it is now generally regarded as conspecific with the wild populations, as they freely interbreed:[1]

  • Trichosanthes cucumerina var. anguina (L.) Haines – cultivated variant
  • Trichosanthes cucumerina var. cucumerina – wild variant
  1. ^ a b The Plant List, Trichosanthes cucumerina
  2. ^ Kew Gardens. Snake gourd Trichosanthes cucumerina var. anguina. http://www.kew.org/support-kew/adopt-a-seed/trichosanthes-cucumerina-var-anguina.htm
  3. ^ Robinson RW and DS Decker-Walters. 1997. Appendix: Common Cucurbit Names and their Scientific Equivalents. in: Cucurbits. CAB International, USA.
  4. ^ a b c d e Martins, Chukwuebuka (2023-07-12). "Top 8 Health Benefits Of Snake Gourd (Snake Tomato)". Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  5. ^ Flora of China v 19 p 38, Trichosanthes cucumerina
  6. ^ Florabase, the Western Australia Flora, Trichosanthes cucumerina
  7. ^ Coopper, Wendy E., & Hugo J. DeBoer. 2011. A taxonomic revision of Trichosanthes L. (Cucurbitaceae) in Australia, including one new species from Northern Territory. Austrobaileya 8:364-386.
  8. ^ United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Plants Profile, Trichosanthes cucumerina, snakegourd
  9. ^ Prota 2, Vegetables/Légumes, Trichosanthes cucumerina L.


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