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Common Name: Ivy Gourd

General Information

Coccinia grandis is a perennial climbing plant producing stems up to 20 metres long from a tuberous rootstock. It clambers over other plants, supporting itself by means of tendrils. Young stems are annual and herbaceous, but can become perennial and woody with time[].
The plant is occasionally cultivated for its edible fruit and also its medicinal uses in tropical and sub-tropical zones, especially in India, Malaysia and Indonesia[, , , ]. The plant is sold in local markets, and is also sometimes exported to speciality markets[]. There are some named varieties[, ].
The plant has escaped from cultivation and become naturalized in several areas. A noxious vine, it smothers vegetation and other objects forming a dense canopy. It acts as a host for melon fly and is a reservoir for other crop pests possibly including ring spot virus. It has become invasive in Guam, Saipan and Hawaii, where it is a severe pest in gardens, on utility poles, roadsides, and in natural areas[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Drier parts of tropical Africa from Senegal to Somalia; Arabian Peninsula to India, Sri Lanka, China, Indo-China to Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia.

Habitat

Deciduous bush, savannah, dry evergreen forest and thickets[]. Moist neglected places, especially on hedges, to elevations of 1,400 metres in Nepal[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	15.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Coccinia grandis is native to tropical and sub-tropical zones. It is not very cold-hardy, only tolerating light frosts, and so generally does not succeed outdoors in the temperate zone[, ]. However, it may succeed and fruit if grown as an annual outdoors in areas that have hot summers if given a suitable position and preferably started off early in the greenhouse[].
Succeeds in any soil[] but prefers a sunny sheltered position in a humus-rich open soil[]. Keep the plant well watered in the growing season[].
Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed and fruits are required.

Edible Uses

Young leaves and long slender stem tops - cooked and eaten as a potherb or added to soups[, , , , , ].

Young and tender green fruits - raw in salads or cooked and added to curries etc[, , , , , ].
Ripe scarlet fruit - raw. Fleshy and sweet[]. The pulp of fully ripe fruits is creamy with an agreeable slightly acid flavour[]. The fruit is up to 5cm long[]. The smooth and thin-skinned fruit turns red when fully ripe, It is egg shaped, up to 6cm long and 3.5cm wide[].

Medicinal

The juice of the roots and leaves is considered to be a useful treatment for diabetes[, ].

The juice of the stem is dripped into the eyes to treat cataracts[].
The fruit has sometimes been used as an eye-medicine[].

An infusion of the leaves is given to women to drink when a birth is overdue[]. A decoction is drunk in the treatment of gonorrhoea[].
The leaves are used externally as a poultice in treating skin eruptions[, ].

The plant is laxative[]. It is used internally in the treatment of gonorrhoea[]. A decoction of the plant is used to treat chest colds[].
The plant is crushed and applied externally to affected areas in order to relieve the pain of headache and rheumatism[].


Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the plant have shown hypoglycaemic principles[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a warm greenhouse in pots of fairly rich soil placing 2 - 3 seeds in each pot. The seed usually germinates within 2 - 4 weeks at 20°c[]. Thin to the best seedling in each pot and grow them on fast, giving occasional liquid feeds. Plant out after the last expected frosts and give the plants some protection such as a cloche until they are growing away well.