Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Cucurbitales > Cucurbitaceae > Benincasa pruriens > Benincasa pruriens f. hispidaBenincasa pruriens f. hispida (waxgourd)Synonyms: Benincasa cerifera; Benincasa cylindrica; Benincasa hispida; Benincasa hispida var. hispida; Cucurbita alba (homotypic); Cucurbita cerifera; Cucurbita farinosa; Cucurbita hispida (homotypic); Cucurbita littoralis; Cucurbita pruriens (homotypic); Cucurbita villosa; Gymnopetalum septemlobum; Lagenaria dasystemon; Pepo farinosus; Pepo villosus The winter melon, also called ash gourd, white gourd, winter gourd, tallow gourd Chinese preserving melon is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable when mature. It is the only member of the genus Benincasa. The fruit is fuzzy when young. The immature melon has thick white flesh that is sweet when eaten. By maturity, the fruit loses its hairs and develops a waxy coating, giving rise to the name wax gourd, and providing a long shelf life. The melon may grow as large as 80 cm in length. Although the fruit is referred to as a "melon," the fully grown crop is not sweet. Native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, the winter melon is widely grown throughout Asia. |
Edible [1] | May be edible. See the Plants For A Future link below for details. | Flower Type [1] | Monoecious | Lifespan [1] | Annual | Pollinators [1] | Bees | Structure [2] | Vine | Usage [1] | A wax that coats the fruit is used to make candles;
The roots have considerable resistance to soil-borne diseases and they are sometimes used as a rootstock for melons and other cucurbits; | | Height [1] | 20 feet (6 m) | View Plants For A Future Record : Benincasa pruriens f. hispida |
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0
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