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Wax gourd
Benincasa hispida, the wax gourd, also called ash gourd, white gourd, winter gourd, winter melon, tallow gourd, ash pumpkin, dongah or Chinese preserving melon, is a species of vine.
The wax gourd is native to South and Southeast Asia. It is grown, especially in Asia, for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable when mature. One variety of the plant, called chi qua (Benincasa hispida var. chieh-qua), is commonly used in Asian cuisine.
The plant grows thick vines with coarse and hairy stems. It has large, rough leaves with a width between 10–30 centimetres (4–12 in) long.
In early summer from June to September, golden yellow flowers form in the leaf axils.
After they are pollinated, they bear obloid fruit 50–60 cm (20–24 in) long and 10–25 cm wide. They typically weigh 5–10 kg, with weights of up to 34.5 kg recorded. The young fruit are covered with soft fuzzy hairs which eventually disappear and develop a waxy coating that gives the fruit a shelf life of up to a year. The fruit has thick flesh that is sweet, crisp and juicy; it has white or yellow seeds.
The name "winter melon" that is sometimes given to this plant is based on the Chinese name dōngguā (冬瓜); however, the character 瓜 (guā) can also mean "gourd" or "squash". It is likely that the name "melon" is given because this gourd is sometimes candied or made into a sweet tea.
The name "wax gourd" comes from the wax coating in the fruit's skin.
The wax gourd is native to South and Southeast Asia. It is widely grown throughout Asia, including Java and Japan, the places where it is thought to have originated.
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Wax gourd
Benincasa hispida, the wax gourd, also called ash gourd, white gourd, winter gourd, winter melon, tallow gourd, ash pumpkin, dongah or Chinese preserving melon, is a species of vine.
The wax gourd is native to South and Southeast Asia. It is grown, especially in Asia, for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable when mature. One variety of the plant, called chi qua (Benincasa hispida var. chieh-qua), is commonly used in Asian cuisine.
The plant grows thick vines with coarse and hairy stems. It has large, rough leaves with a width between 10–30 centimetres (4–12 in) long.
In early summer from June to September, golden yellow flowers form in the leaf axils.
After they are pollinated, they bear obloid fruit 50–60 cm (20–24 in) long and 10–25 cm wide. They typically weigh 5–10 kg, with weights of up to 34.5 kg recorded. The young fruit are covered with soft fuzzy hairs which eventually disappear and develop a waxy coating that gives the fruit a shelf life of up to a year. The fruit has thick flesh that is sweet, crisp and juicy; it has white or yellow seeds.
The name "winter melon" that is sometimes given to this plant is based on the Chinese name dōngguā (冬瓜); however, the character 瓜 (guā) can also mean "gourd" or "squash". It is likely that the name "melon" is given because this gourd is sometimes candied or made into a sweet tea.
The name "wax gourd" comes from the wax coating in the fruit's skin.
The wax gourd is native to South and Southeast Asia. It is widely grown throughout Asia, including Java and Japan, the places where it is thought to have originated.