Common Name: Malabar Gourd

General Information

Cucurbita ficifolia is a short-lived, perennial, climbing plant producing vigorous annual stems from a perennial rootstock. The stems often sprawl across the ground, but can support themselves by means of tendrils. A very vigorous plant, it can produce shoots 25 metres long in 1 year from seed[].
The plant is sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit in warmer areas of the world[, ].

Known Hazards

The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo[].

Botanical References

Range

Northern South America -from Chile northwards through C. America to Mexico.

Habitat

Not known in the wild.

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial Climber
Height	2.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental

Cultivation Details

Cucurbita ficifolia can be cultivated from the tropics to warmer areas of the temperate zone, so long as there is a long enough growing season. In the tropics it can be grown at elevations from 1,000 - 2,800 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 21°c, but can tolerate 6 - 35°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 800 - 1,200mm, but tolerates 300 - 1,700mm[]. This species is said to be the most cold-hardy member of the genus but its fruits are coarse and stringy when grown in cooler parts of the temperate zone and so is usually only grown as an ornamental plant there[].
Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a very warm, sunny and sheltered position[]. Tolerates poor, wet and badly drained soils according to another report[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.4 - 7.5, tolerating 5.3 - 8.3[].
In N. America the plant takes 3 months from seed to first harvest of the fruit and 6 months to obtain mature fruit[]. The average fruit size is 9 kilos and this contains about 2 cups of seed[].
A yield of up to 50 tonnes/ha of mature fruit can be realized under optimal conditions[].
Plants are day-length sensitive, flowering only when there are 13 hours or less daylight[, ].
This species does not hybridize naturally with other members of the genus though crosses have been made under controlled conditions[, ].

Edible Uses

Fruit - cooked[, , , ]. Best used when young, at that stage it can be used like a cucumber. The mature fruits are sometimes boiled and eaten[, ]. A confection is made from the flesh by boiling it with crude sugar[]. So long as it is kept dry, the mature fruit can be stored for 2 years or more and becomes sweeter with storage[, ]. The globular to cylindrical fruit can be 15 - 50cm long[].

Seed - raw[, , ]. Rich in oil with a nutty flavour but very fiddly to use because the seed is small and covered with a fibrous coat[]. The seed is delicious when roasted and eaten like peanuts[, ].

An edible oil is obtained from the seed. It is rich in oleic acid[].

Young leaves and vine tips - cooked and eaten as a green vegetable[].

Medicinal

The seeds are vermifuge[, ]. 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[]. 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[].

Like several other members of this plant family, the consumption of fig-leaf gourd by diabetic patients has a hypoglycaemic effect, making it an appropriate medicine against diabetes mellitus[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is sometimes used as a rootstock for other Cucurbita species[].

Other Uses

The shell of the mature fruit is very hard and it can be used as a container[].

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.