Cucurbita ficifolia
Bouché.
Cucurbitaceae
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Common Name: Malabar Gourd
The cultivar 'Courge de Siam'
Photograph by: Not known
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
General Information
Cucurbita ficifolia is a Perennial Climber
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.
Known Hazards
The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo[
65- Title
- A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J.
- Publisher
- Wolfe
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0723408394
- Description
- Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.
].
Botanical References
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Range
E. Asia? Original habitat is obscure.
Habitat
Not known in the wild.
Properties
Edibility Rating |    |
Medicinal Rating |   |
Habit | Perennial Climber |
Height | 0.00 m |
Growth Rate | Fast |
Pollinators | Insects |
Self-fertile | Yes |
Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a very warm, sunny and sheltered position[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
]. Tolerates poor, wet and badly drained soils according to another report[
160- Title
- Wonder Crops. 1987.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Natural Food Institute,
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.
].
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[
50- Title
- Flora Europaea
- Publication
-
- Author
- ?
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1964
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for Europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
,
86- Title
- Gourds.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Organ. J.
- Publisher
- Faber
- Year
- 1963
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Deals with squashes and their relatives. Interesting and readable, it gives cultivation techniques and some details of plant uses.
]. A very vigorous plant, it can produce shoots 25 metres long in 1 year from seed in Britain[
86- Title
- Gourds.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Organ. J.
- Publisher
- Faber
- Year
- 1963
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Deals with squashes and their relatives. Interesting and readable, it gives cultivation techniques and some details of plant uses.
].
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[
86- Title
- Gourds.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Organ. J.
- Publisher
- Faber
- Year
- 1963
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Deals with squashes and their relatives. Interesting and readable, it gives cultivation techniques and some details of plant uses.
]. Plants are day-length sensitive, flowering only in late summer and autumn[
196- Title
- Lost Crops of the Incas
- Publication
-
- Author
- Popenoe. H. et al
- Publisher
- National Academy Press
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-309-04264-X
- Description
- An excellent book. Very readable, with lots of information and good pictures of some lesser known food plants of S. America.
].
This species does not hybridize naturally with other members of the genus though crosses have been made under controlled conditions[
86- Title
- Gourds.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Organ. J.
- Publisher
- Faber
- Year
- 1963
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Deals with squashes and their relatives. Interesting and readable, it gives cultivation techniques and some details of plant uses.
,
135- Title
- The Plantsman. Vol.8. 1986 - 1987.
- Publication
-
- Author
- ?
- Publisher
- Royal Horticultural Society
- Year
- 1986
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants including some Cucurbitaceae.
].
In America it takes 3 months from seed to first harvest and 6 months to obtain mature fruit[
160- Title
- Wonder Crops. 1987.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Natural Food Institute,
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.
]. The average fruit size is 9 kilos and this contains 2 cups of seed[
160- Title
- Wonder Crops. 1987.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Natural Food Institute,
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.
].
Edible Uses
Fruit - cooked[
22- Title
- Alternative Foods.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Sholto-Douglas. J.
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Not very comprehensive, it seems more or less like a copy of earlier writings with little added.
,
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
61- Title
- A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Usher. G.
- Publisher
- Constable
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
- 0094579202
- Description
- Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
,
97- Title
- The Ethno-Botany of Pre-Columbian Peru.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Towle. M. A.
- Publisher
- Aldine Publishing Co. Chicago.
- Year
- 1961
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A very interesting book covering quite a lot of information on plant uses in S. America although many of the plants are not suitable for temperate areas.
]. Best used when young, at that stage it can be used like a cucumber. The mature fruits are sometimes boiled and eaten[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
,
196- Title
- Lost Crops of the Incas
- Publication
-
- Author
- Popenoe. H. et al
- Publisher
- National Academy Press
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-309-04264-X
- Description
- An excellent book. Very readable, with lots of information and good pictures of some lesser known food plants of S. America.
]. A confection is made from the flesh by boiling it with crude sugar[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
]. The mature fruit can be stored for 2 years or more and becomes sweeter with storage[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. The fruit is up to 35cm in diameter[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Seed - raw[
57- Title
- Plants for Man.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Schery. R. W.
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.
,
86- Title
- Gourds.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Organ. J.
- Publisher
- Faber
- Year
- 1963
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Deals with squashes and their relatives. Interesting and readable, it gives cultivation techniques and some details of plant uses.
,
160- Title
- Wonder Crops. 1987.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Natural Food Institute,
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.
]. Rich in oil with a nutty flavour but very fiddly to use because the seed is small and covered with a fibrous coat[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]. The seed is delicious when roasted and eaten like peanuts[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
,
196- Title
- Lost Crops of the Incas
- Publication
-
- Author
- Popenoe. H. et al
- Publisher
- National Academy Press
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-309-04264-X
- Description
- An excellent book. Very readable, with lots of information and good pictures of some lesser known food plants of S. America.
].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed. It is rich in oleic acid[
196- Title
- Lost Crops of the Incas
- Publication
-
- Author
- Popenoe. H. et al
- Publisher
- National Academy Press
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-309-04264-X
- Description
- An excellent book. Very readable, with lots of information and good pictures of some lesser known food plants of S. America.
].
Medicinal
The seeds are vermifuge[
7- Title
- Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chiej. R.
- Publisher
- MacDonald
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-356-10541-5
- Description
- Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
,
88- Title
- The Garden. Volume 112.
- Publication
-
- Author
- RHS.
- Publisher
- Royal Horticultural Society
- Year
- 1987
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS. In particular, there are articles on plants that are resistant to honey fungus, oriental vegetables, Cimicifuga spp, Passiflora species and Cucurbits.
]. 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[
7- Title
- Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chiej. R.
- Publisher
- MacDonald
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-356-10541-5
- Description
- Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
]. 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[
238- Title
- Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bown. D.
- Publisher
- Dorling Kindersley, London.
- Year
- 1995
- ISBN
- 0-7513-020-31
- Description
- A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
].
Other Uses
The shell of the mature fruit is very hard and it can be used as a container[
86- Title
- Gourds.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Organ. J.
- Publisher
- Faber
- Year
- 1963
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Deals with squashes and their relatives. Interesting and readable, it gives cultivation techniques and some details of plant uses.
].
Propagation
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.
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