Cucurbitaceae FAMILY

Trichosanthes costata

Edibility

1/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

Eaten as a vegetable in Vietnam, the leave are used as a fish poison in Laos[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ]. The fruits are said to be very poisonous, though are also recorded as being used as a condiment and sweetmeat[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. , 999 Title The Gardens' Bulletin Vol. 6 Publication Author Publisher Singapore Botanic Gardens; Singapore Year 1930 ISBN Description A botanical journal - this edition contains a list of the medicinal uses of plants in the region. ].

Botanical Description

Trichosanthes costata is a perennial climbing plant with herbaceous stems up to 5 metres long. The stems scramble over the ground and grow into surrounding vegetation, attaching themselves by means of tendrils[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeE. Asia - China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines

HabitatWaste land, along roads and in secondary forests, usually at low elevations[ 310 Title Plant Resources of Southeast Asia Publication Author Website http://proseanet.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia. ]. Forests and thickets on mountain slopes; at elevations from 400 - 900 metres[ 266 Title Flora of China Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. Year 1994 ISBN Description An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available. ].