Common Name: Malabar Gourd

General Information

Cucurbita ficifolia is a short-lived, perennial, climbing plant producing vigorous annual stems from a perennial rootstock. The stems often sprawl across the ground, but can support themselves by means of tendrils. A very vigorous plant, it can produce shoots 25 metres long in 1 year from seed[].
The plant is sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit in warmer areas of the world[, ].

Known Hazards

The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo[].

Botanical References

Range

Northern South America -from Chile northwards through C. America to Mexico.

Habitat

Not known in the wild.

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial Climber
Height	2.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental

Cultivation Details

Cucurbita ficifolia can be cultivated from the tropics to warmer areas of the temperate zone, so long as there is a long enough growing season. In the tropics it can be grown at elevations from 1,000 - 2,800 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 21°c, but can tolerate 6 - 35°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 800 - 1,200mm, but tolerates 300 - 1,700mm[].
Requires a rich, well-drained moisture retentive soil and a very warm, sunny and sheltered position[]. Tolerates poor, wet and badly drained soils according to another report[]. Prefers a pH in the range 6.4 - 7.5, tolerating 5.3 - 8.3[].
In N. America the plant takes 3 months from seed to first harvest of the fruit and 6 months to obtain mature fruit[]. The average fruit size is 9 kilos and this contains about 2 cups of seed[].
A yield of up to 50 tonnes/ha of mature fruit can be realized under optimal conditions[].
Plants are day-length sensitive, flowering only when there are 13 hours or less daylight[, ].
This species does not hybridize naturally with other members of the genus though crosses have been made under controlled conditions[, ].

Edible Uses

Fruit - cooked[, , , ]. Best used when young, at that stage it can be used like a cucumber. The mature fruits are sometimes boiled and eaten[, ]. A confection is made from the flesh by boiling it with crude sugar[]. So long as it is kept dry, the mature fruit can be stored for 2 years or more and becomes sweeter with storage[, ]. The globular to cylindrical fruit can be 15 - 50cm long[].

Seed - raw[, , ]. Rich in oil with a nutty flavour but very fiddly to use because the seed is small and covered with a fibrous coat[]. The seed is delicious when roasted and eaten like peanuts[, ].

An edible oil is obtained from the seed. It is rich in oleic acid[].

Young leaves and vine tips - cooked and eaten as a green vegetable[].

Medicinal

The seeds are vermifuge[, ]. The complete seed, together with the husk, is used. This is ground into a fine flour, then made into an emulsion with water and eaten. It is then necessary to take a purgative afterwards in order to expel the tapeworms or other parasites from the body[]. As a remedy for internal parasites, the seeds are less potent than the root of Dryopteris felix-mas, but they are safer for pregnant women, debilitated patients and children[].

Like several other members of this plant family, the consumption of fig-leaf gourd by diabetic patients has a hypoglycaemic effect, making it an appropriate medicine against diabetes mellitus[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is sometimes used as a rootstock for other Cucurbita species[].

Other Uses

The shell of the mature fruit is very hard and it can be used as a container[].

Propagation

Seed - can be sown in situ or in containers[]. Germination should take place within 2 weeks. When starting in containers, sow 2 or 3 seeds per pot and thin out to the best plant. Grow them on fast and plant out when they are about 10cm tall[].

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