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Benincasa hispida
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Family:
CUCURBITACEAE
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Citation: Benincasa hispida (Thunb.) Cogn. in A. & C. DC., Monogr. Phan 3: 513. 1881; Manilal & Sivar., Fl. Calicut 121. 1982; Chakrav., Fasc. Fl. Ind. 11: 9. 1982; Antony, Syst. Stud. Fl. Kottayam Dist. 181. 1989; Babu, Fl. Malappuram Dist. 284. 1990; Sunil & Sivadasan, Fl. Alappuzha Dist. 317. 2009.
Cucurbita hispida Thunb., Fl. Jap. 322. 1784.
Benincasa cerifera Savi., Bibl. Ital. 9: 158. 1818; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 2: 616. 1879; Gamble, Fl. Pres. Madras 543(383). 1919.
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Malayalam Name(s):
Elavan, Kumbalam, Neyakumbalam,
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Tamil name(s):
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English name(s):
Ash gourd, Wax gourd, White gourd melon
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Description:
Monoecious, hispid climbers; tendrils 2-3-fid. Leaves large, to 25 x 25cm, orbicular-cordate, 5-7-lobed, margin irregularly dentate, scabrous; petiole to 15 cm long. Flowers axillary, solitary. Calyx tube 10-13 mm across, broadly campanulate; lobes 8-12 x 3-5 mm, lanceolate. Corolla yellow; petals 5, 3-5 cm long obovate. Stamens in male flowers 3, inserted at the calyx tube; anthers sigmoid-flexuous; connectives 3-lobed; pistillode short. Ovary in female flowers ovoid, densely pubescent; ovules many; style thick 2-3 mm long. Fruits large, succulent, densely hairy when young, with a thick waxy deposit when mature. Seeds 8-12 x 5-7 mm, avoid, compressed, yellowish white, marginate.
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Habit:
Climber
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Flowering & Fruiting:
June-October
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District(s):
All Districts
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Medicinal:
Yes
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Habitat:
Cultivated
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Distribution:
Wild in Java; now widely naturalised in Tropical Asia
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Aquatic:
No
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Epiphyte(s):
No
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Saprophyte:
No
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Stem parasite:
No
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Root parasite:
No
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Flower colour(s):
Yellow
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Weed:
No
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Monocot/Dicot:
Dicotyledonous Plants
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Exotic:
Yes
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Garden:
No
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Edible:
No
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Vegetable:
Yes
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Endemic to:
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IUCN status:
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Altitude:
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Localities:
Palmel
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