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Lagenaria siceraria
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Family:
CUCURBITACEAE
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Citation: Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standley, Publ. Field Columbian Mus. Bot. ser. Chicago 3: 435. 1930; Chakrav., Fasc. Fl. Ind. 11: 65. 1982; Manilal & Sivar., Fl. Calicut 120. 1982; Babu, Fl. Malappuram Dist. 292. 1990; Vajr., Fl. Palghat Dist. 217. 1990; Sivar. & Mathew, Fl. Nilambur 291. 1997; Sunil & Sivadasan, Fl. Alappuzha Dist. 328. 2009.
Cucurbita siceraria Molina, Sagg. Chile 133. 1782.
Cucurbita lagenaria L., Sp. Pl. 1010. 1753.
Lagenaria vulgaris Seringe, Mem. Soc. Phys. Hist. Nat. Gen. 3: 25, t. 2. 1825; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. India 3: 613. 1879.
Lagenaria leucantha (Duch.) Rusby, Mem. Torr. Bot. Club. 6: 43. 1896.
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Malayalam Name(s):
Bellashora, Chura, Churakka, Garadudi, Kaippachura, Peechura, Pechura
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Tamil name(s):
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English name(s):
Bottle gourd, Calabash gourd
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Description:
Annual, climber or trailer. Tendril 2-fid. Stem densely hairy. Leaves palmate, broadly ovate, reniform or sub-orbicular, cordate, obscurely 3-5-lobed, lobes rounded, 3.0-23 x 4-23 cm; petiole 2.7-13 cm long with a pair of small apical lateral conical glands. Both male and female flowers solitary; male peduncle as long as petiole, female somewhat shorter. Corolla white, petals of male flower obovate, apiculate, 2.7-4.5 cm long, 1.8-3.7 cm broad. Staminal filaments 3-4 mm long; anthers oblong, coherent, included; thecae triplicate. Petals of female flowers c. 30 x 24 mm. Ovary ovoid, villous, 11-17 mm long, 6-8 mm across. Fruit large, subglobose, ellipsoid, lageniform, sometimes biventricose, green or greenish-yellow, hairy, indehiscent. Seeds white, oblong, compressed, slightly tapered, slightly 2-horned on the shoulders, 7-20 mm long.
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Habit:
Climber
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Flowering & Fruiting:
June-February
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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:
Tropical Asia and Africa; cultivated in warmer regions of the world
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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):
White
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Weed:
No
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Monocot/Dicot:
Dicotyledonous Plants
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Exotic:
No
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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:
Saivila
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