Sicana odorifera
(Vell.) Naudin
Cucurbitaceae
Cucumis odoratissimus Sesse & Moc.
Cucurbita euodicarpa Hassk.
Cucurbita odorifera Vell.
Sicana atropurpurea André
Common Name: Curuba
Female flower with the immature fruit behind
Photograph by: Julio chila
Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication
Male flower
Photograph by: Julio chila
Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedication
Seedling plant - looking very like a squash!
Photograph by: Alfredovic
Public domain
A botanical drawing of the fruit and leaves
Photograph by: E. André; Revue Horticole 62: 515–517 1890
Public domain
General Information
Curuba is an herbaceous perennial, producing climbing stems up to 15 metres long that climb over other plants for support, attaching themselves by means of tendrils[
416- Title
- Brazilian Fruits and Cultivated Exotics
- Publication
-
- Author
- Lorenzi. H.; Bacher. L.; Lacerda. M.; Sartori. S.
- Publisher
- Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora LTDA; Brazil.
- Year
- 2000
- ISBN
- 85-867174-24-0
- Description
- A superb book, giving information on several hundred fruit species. Each entry has a brief description of the plant and its uses, accompanied by one to many excellent quality photographs of the fruits.
].
Rarely encountered in the wild, the plant is sometimes cultivated in the Caribbean and S. America for its edible fruit[
300- Title
- Vegetables in the Tropics
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tindall. H. D.
- Publisher
- MacMillan, Oxford.
- Year
- 1983
- ISBN
- 0-333-24268-8
- Description
- An excellent, in-depth look at the main vegetable crops that can be grown in the Tropics, plus many less well-known plants.
,
416- Title
- Brazilian Fruits and Cultivated Exotics
- Publication
-
- Author
- Lorenzi. H.; Bacher. L.; Lacerda. M.; Sartori. S.
- Publisher
- Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora LTDA; Brazil.
- Year
- 2000
- ISBN
- 85-867174-24-0
- Description
- A superb book, giving information on several hundred fruit species. Each entry has a brief description of the plant and its uses, accompanied by one to many excellent quality photographs of the fruits.
]. The fruits are often sold in local markets.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Range
S. America - possibly Brazil or Peru.
Habitat
Not known
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial Climber |
| Height | 15.00 m |
| Pollinators | Insects |
| Cultivation Status | Cultivated |
Cultivation Details
A plant of the lowland tropics, where it is found at elevations from sea level to around 500 metres[
284- Title
- Cucurbitaceae
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.cucurbit.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent site with a wide range of information and some excellent pictures of plants in this family.
].
Edible Uses
Fruit - raw or cooked[
300- Title
- Vegetables in the Tropics
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tindall. H. D.
- Publisher
- MacMillan, Oxford.
- Year
- 1983
- ISBN
- 0-333-24268-8
- Description
- An excellent, in-depth look at the main vegetable crops that can be grown in the Tropics, plus many less well-known plants.
,
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. The ripe fruits have a pleasant, aromatic flavour and are sliced thinly and eaten raw[
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. The raw flesh is difficult to chew and swallow[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Harvested both at the immature and mature stage, the fruit can be used as a boiled vegetable, added to soups and stews or used in preserves[
284- Title
- Cucurbitaceae
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.cucurbit.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent site with a wide range of information and some excellent pictures of plants in this family.
,
300- Title
- Vegetables in the Tropics
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tindall. H. D.
- Publisher
- MacMillan, Oxford.
- Year
- 1983
- ISBN
- 0-333-24268-8
- Description
- An excellent, in-depth look at the main vegetable crops that can be grown in the Tropics, plus many less well-known plants.
,
301- Title
- Cornucopia II
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications, California.
- Year
- 1998
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-2-5
- Description
- The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. A sweetened drink is made from the pulp[
284- Title
- Cucurbitaceae
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.cucurbit.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent site with a wide range of information and some excellent pictures of plants in this family.
]. The large orange-crimson fruit is up to 60cm long and looks somewhat like a cucumber[
300- Title
- Vegetables in the Tropics
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tindall. H. D.
- Publisher
- MacMillan, Oxford.
- Year
- 1983
- ISBN
- 0-333-24268-8
- Description
- An excellent, in-depth look at the main vegetable crops that can be grown in the Tropics, plus many less well-known plants.
].
Medicinal
A slightly fermented drink is made from the pulp with sugar added for throat ailments[
284- Title
- Cucurbitaceae
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.cucurbit.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent site with a wide range of information and some excellent pictures of plants in this family.
].
Other Uses
The fragrant fruits are used as an air freshener around the house, for scenting clothes in the linen cupboard, and are also said to ward off insects[
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.
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
284- Title
- Cucurbitaceae
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.cucurbit.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent site with a wide range of information and some excellent pictures of plants in this family.
].
A necklace of the seeds is worn for good luck[
284- Title
- Cucurbitaceae
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.cucurbit.org
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An excellent site with a wide range of information and some excellent pictures of plants in this family.
].
Propagation
Seed -
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.
