Japanese Snake Gourd

• Plant Type: Perennial vine.
• Common Names: Japanese Snake Gourd, Serpent Gourd.
• Color: White
• Flower Dimensions: 1.97 inches in diameter.
• Flowering Season: Summer to early fall (July to September).
• Places in Japan with Japanese Snake Gourd: Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.

Trichosanthes is a perennial vine native to Japan. These thread-like flowers are aromatic and bloom from summer to early fall.

• The blooming of the single Japanese Snake Gourd flower is during the evening until early morning. The female flowers are pollinated by the hummingbird.
• The leaves of Trichosanthes cucumerina are similar to the Morning Glory. The plant’s leaves possess a sharp shape with surface hairs.
• The Trichosanthes cucumerina tangled with other plants or trees.
• The Japanese Snake Gourd’s fruits, shoots, and leaves are edible. These flowers signify good tidings.

Interesting Fact about Japanese Snake Gourd

• A study^[1] shows that the antioxidant from snake gourd strengthens the respiratory process and helps relieve asthma.
• The Japanese Snake Gourd^[2] is known to alleviate stomach, liver, skin, and many diseases. In addition, research^[3] indicates that it gives humans high nutritional and functional benefits.
• The name of the fruit is derived from snake gourd because it is coiled with light stripes. The fruits^[4] look like several snakes that hang from their vine.
• In Africa, the Japanese snake gourd is also called snake tomato. The locals consumed the mature fruit’s red pulp as a substitute for tomato.
• In China, the peptides in the plant showed an abortifacient^[5] property. The new abortifacient protein was β-Trichosanthin. A study^[6] showed that its induction of mid-term labor in mice is twice as potent as trichosanthin.

Cite This Page