Benincasa hispida is a member of the Cucurbitaceae (gourd) family.

The pumpkin-like vine has thick, furrowed stems with coarse hairs, tendrils, and somewhat triangular, irregularly lobed leaves up to 10 inches long. The flowers are golden yellow, 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 inches wide. The fruits, hairy when young, range from oblong to cylindrical and reach 16 inches in length. The mature fruit has a thick layer of white wax (ton kwa).

Other names. Tougan (Japanese); doongua, cham kwa, tung gwa, mo kwa, fa kwa (Chinese); tankoy, kundol (Filipino); petha, kaddu (Indian).

Current production and yield. Grown in Southeast Asia, China and India.

Use. The fruit is used as a vegetable when young (see Figure 1) and in making preserves and sweet pickels when ripe. It is considered a delicacy in soups.

Climatic requirements. Grown best at 75° to 80° F. Susceptible to cold but can tolerate drought.

Propagation and care. Grow the gourds as you would pumkins or winter squash. Seeds may be planted for spring and fall crops in the southern desert valleys, or as a summer crop in the rest of the state. At UC Davis, May plantings grew very slowly for 2 months, but after 4 months had spread to cover the ground. Very late fruiting and maturation could complicate harvest.

W. Atlee Burpee & Co., 300 Park Avenue, Warmister, PA 18974
Tsang and Ma, P.O. Box 5644, Redwood City, CA 94063

Sunrise Enterprises, P. O. Box 10058, Elmwood, CT 06110-0058

Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. Hortus Third. MacMillian Publishing Co,

Adapted from James Stephens bulletin Minor Vegetables by Claudia Myers, UC Small Farm Center.

Reviewed by Steve Temple, 12/12/89

Reviewed by Tim Hartz, Vegetable Specialist, U.C. Riverside, 12/20/89

Captions:

Figure 1. The young fruit of the wax gourd. (Photo by Hunter Johnson).

Figure 2. A close up of the wax gourd flower. (Photo by Hunter Johnson).

Figure 3. The mature wax gourd displays a white waxy bloom. It can reach 16 inches long. (Photo by Charlotte Glenn).

9/7/90