Ash gourd
Ash gourd, also called wax gourd, is a tropical crop related to the cucumber. The large fuits are eaten as a vegetable.
This page provides some basic information and facts about the Ash gourd together with some Ash gourd photos.
Basic information on Ash gourd
| Scientific name: | Benincasa hispida |
| Family: | Cucurbitaceae |
| Order: | Cucurbitales |
| English: | Ash gourd Wax gourd Winter melon White gourd |
| Dutch: | Waspompoen |
| French: | Courge cireuse Courge à la cire Pastèque de Chine |
| German: | Wachskürbis Wintermelone |
| Origin: | Ash gourd probably originates from India. |
| Distribution: | Southeast Asia, East Asia and South Asia |
| Annual, biennial, or perennial: | Ash gourd is an annual plant. |
| Plant: | Ash gourd is a crawling or climbing vine. The vines can be several meters long. |
| Flowers: | Yellow flowers ar either male or female. |
| Leaves: | Leaves are 10 to 20 centimeters long and have a long hairy stem. |
| Fruits: | Ash gourds have cylindrical or oval fruits which can reach a length of 80 centimeters and sometimes longer. The diameter is upto 30 centimeters. When immature, the fruits have a thick white flesh with a sweet taste. Mature fruits are not hairy but develop a waxy coating. Mature fruits are not sweet; the whitish flesh is rather tasteless The waxy coating provides a long shelf life; ash gourd fruits can often be kept for a year or longer. |
| Climate and weather: | Ash gourd is tropical and requires warm weather. |
| Pollination: | Ash gourd has separate male and female flowers on the same plant. Cross pollination is by insects. |
| Height: | Vines can crawl or climb (e.g. in trees) and reach a length of several meters. |
| Propagation: | Ash gourd is propagated by seeds. |
| Insect pests: | ? |
| Diseases: | ? |
| Harvesting: | Fruits are hand picked, either green or ripe. |
| Uses: | Ash gourd fruits are used as a vegetable. They can be used green, for example in curries, or ripe. Also the tender leaves and twigs of ash gourd are eaten as leafy vegetables. |
Ash gourd photos
Proverbs
Quotes
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Ash gourd recipes
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