Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt (Cucurbitaceae)

Scientific name
Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt
Family name
Cucurbitaceae
Common name
Scarlet-fruited gourd, ivy gourd (English); yasai karasuuri (Japanese)
Local name
Phak tamlueng, khae doh, phak khaep
Herbaceous climber. Leaves simple, alternate, broadly ovate-cordate, more or less deeply palmatilobe, serrate, 5–10 cm across; petiole 3–6 cm long. Tendrils slender. Flowers dioecious, solitary, bell-shaped, 1.5–2 × 1–1.2 cm, with 5 ovate, acuminate lobes, white. Fruit a berry, oblong-ovoid, 2.5–6 × 3 mm.
Traditional medicinal use
Functionality
Functional constituents
Common herb in wastelands, abandoned land, and open areas. Sometimes grown as a hedge for its edible young shoots. Propagated by seed sowing or stem cutting. Prefers full sun and moist soil with high organic-matter content.
Tender shoots are served blanched as a vegetable with nam phrik (dipping sauces), in kaeng liang (shrimp paste and vegetable soup) or tom tamleung (minced pork soup), with noodles, or fried. Young green fruits are also an ingredient of kaeng liang, whereas fermented young fruits are mixed in soup, eaten with boiled rice, or fried.
Leaves
Fruits