Sechium tacaco
(Pittier) C.Jeffrey
Cucurbitaceae
Frantzia tacaco (Pittier) Wunderlin
Polakowskia tacaco Pittier
Common Name: Tacaco
General Information
Tacaco is a perennial climbing plant, producing stems 2 - 6 metres long from a fleshy rootstock and attaching itself to other plants for support by means of tendrils. The stems spread on the ground or on low bushes or supports[
487- Title
- Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported Vol. 21
- Publication
- USDA Bureau of Plant Industry - Bulletin No. 205
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- USDA Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
- Year
- 1911
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Details of seeds imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the last quarter of 1909, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
The plant is cultivated and semi-cultivated in Costa Rica for use as a vegetable, often being sold in local markets[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
Central America - Costa Rica.
Habitat
Fresh, shady places and cultivated fields[
487- Title
- Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported Vol. 21
- Publication
- USDA Bureau of Plant Industry - Bulletin No. 205
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- USDA Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
- Year
- 1911
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Details of seeds imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the last quarter of 1909, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial Climber |
| Height | 5.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Cultivated, Semi-cultivated, Wild |
Cultivation Details
Not known
Edible Uses
Immature green fruit - boiled and used as a vegetable[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
,
487- Title
- Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported Vol. 21
- Publication
- USDA Bureau of Plant Industry - Bulletin No. 205
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- USDA Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
- Year
- 1911
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Details of seeds imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the last quarter of 1909, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. After taking away the basal spines the fruits are boiled in water, either whole or cut into small pieces[
487- Title
- Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported Vol. 21
- Publication
- USDA Bureau of Plant Industry - Bulletin No. 205
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- USDA Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
- Year
- 1911
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Details of seeds imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the last quarter of 1909, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. They are also pickled, or made into preserves[
487- Title
- Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported Vol. 21
- Publication
- USDA Bureau of Plant Industry - Bulletin No. 205
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- USDA Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
- Year
- 1911
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Details of seeds imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the last quarter of 1909, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. They are also a favourite addition to the native vegetable soups[
487- Title
- Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported Vol. 21
- Publication
- USDA Bureau of Plant Industry - Bulletin No. 205
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- USDA Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
- Year
- 1911
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Details of seeds imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the last quarter of 1909, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. The green fruits are 4 - 6cm long and 1.5 - 2.5cm wide.
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - traditionally, the seed is sown by setting a whole mature fruit in a rich, loose leaf mould with the spiny end up and almost showing at the surface[
487- Title
- Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported Vol. 21
- Publication
- USDA Bureau of Plant Industry - Bulletin No. 205
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- USDA Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
- Year
- 1911
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Details of seeds imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the last quarter of 1909, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
