Trichosanthes cucumerina L.

 
  • Family : CUCURBITACEAE
    (Gourd Or Melon Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : KHARBOOZA FAMILY (खरबूजा फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Cucurbitaceae
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Trichosanthes cucumerina L.
  • Common name : Wild Snake Gourd, Malabar Patola
  • Vernacular name :
    • Parval, Jangli Chachinda (Hindi)
    • Padavala kai, Kahi padavala (Kannada)
    • Cheti potla (Telugu)
    • Ban potol (Oria)
    • Janglichachinda, Kattupadavalam, Kayappanpadavalam, Patolam, Padavalam (Malayalam)
    • Peppadal (Tamil)
  • Habit : Climber
  • Habitat : Margins of Tropical semi-evergreen forests, Tropical moist deciduous forests, also in the plains
  • Comments / notes : Cultivated for its edible fruits. The cultivated form of this species T. Cucumarina var. anguina
  • Key identification features : Annual climber; Tendrils 3-fid; Flowers white.
  • Flower, Fruit : June-May
  • Distribution :
    • Andhra Pradesh : East Godavari district, Kurnool district, Srikakulam district, West Godavari district, Krishna district
    • Karnataka : Chikkamagaluru district, Hassan district, Kodagu (Coorg) district, Shivamogga district
    • Kerala : All districts of Kerala
    • Maharashtra : Thane district
    • Uttarakhand : Uttarakhand
    • Sikkim : Sikkim
    • West Bengal : West Bengal
    • Himachal Pradesh : Kinnaur district, Shimla district
    • Arunachal Pradesh : Arunachal Pradesh
    • Meghalaya : Meghalaya
    • Assam : Assam
    • Nagaland : Nagaland
    • Delhi : Delhi
    • Punjab : Punjab
    • Rajasthan : Karauli districtI,Sawai Madhopur districtR
    • Mizoram : Mizoram
    • Manipur : Manipur
    • Tripura : Tripura
    • Lakshadweep : Lakshadweep
  • Native : Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Jawa, Lakshadweep Islands, Lesser Sunda Islands, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Thailand, Vietnam
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Jawa, Lakshadweep Islands, Lesser Sunda Islands, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Thailand, Vietnam, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Benin, Cameroon, Caroline Islands, Comoros, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Leeward Islands, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, Senegal, Solomon Islands, Trinidad-Tobago, Vanuatu, Windward Islands
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2007 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 3
    • J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1995- Flora of Orissa Vol. 2
    • R. S. Rao and S. H. Sreeramulu, 1986 - Flora of Srikakulam District
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
    • Keshava Murthy & Yoganarasimhan, 1990 - Flora of Coorg district, Karnataka state
    • Rao & Razi, 1981 – A Synoptic Flora of Mysore District
    • H J, Chowdhery, et al. Flora of Himachal Pradesh. Volume 1, Botanical Survey of India, 1984. Pg.: 306
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Trichosanthes cucumerina. Downloaded on 19 March 2025.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Line Drawings

Field Image(s)

Habitat

India Distribution

World Distribution

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