Snake Gourd / Wild Snake Gourd
Trichosanthes cucumerina
Also known as Malabar Patola
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat & more
- Flowering
- June-May
How to identify Snake Gourd
Identify Snake Gourd by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a climber habit.
- Confirm leaf margin: Lobed.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: June-May.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Cucurbitaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Snake Gourd.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Trichosanthes cucumerina
- Genus
- Trichosanthes
- Family
- Cucurbitaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Habitat
- Margins of semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, also in the plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Sri Lanka, Tropical Himalayas, Malaysia, Polynesia, Australia, Bangladesh, Myanmar
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana
- Flowering & fruiting
- June-May
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf margin
- LobedrecordedThe edge is divided into rounded or pointed sections that don't reach the midrib.“Leaves are palmately lobed, up to 25 cm long.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Snake Gourd itself; the rest are typical of the Cucurbitaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Solitary
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Snake Gourd itself; the rest are typical of the Cucurbitaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- चिचिड़ा
- Nepali
- चिचिण्डो
- Bengali
- চিচিঙ্গা, কইডা
- Tamil
- புடோல், புடலங்காய், புடலை
- Telugu
- పొట్ల కాయ, పొట్ల, పొట్లకాయ
- Kannada
- ಪಡುವಲಕಾಯಿ
- Malayalam
- പടവലങ്ങ, Snake gourd, പടവലം
- Marathi
- पडवळ, ट्रायकोसँथेस अँग्विना
About Snake Gourd
Wild Snake Gourd (Trichosanthes cucumerina) belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, where it grows as a climber. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat and 19 other states. It grows in margins of semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, also in the plains. Flowering and fruiting run from June to May.
Uses
Locally it is grown for parts that are eaten.
Cucurbitaceae
Cucumber/Gourd family
Snake Gourd belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Cucurbitaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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