Trichosanthes

Trichosanthes is a genus of tropical and subtropical vines.

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The shoots, tendrils, and leaves of some or possibly all species may be eaten as greens, and at least two species are raised for their fleshy fruits used as vegetables, most popular in South Asia and Southeast Asia:

• T. dioica (pointed gourd, potol, or parwal) with short, round fruit
• T. cucumerina (snake gourd, serpent gourd, chichinga, or padwal) with long, thin fruit. Trichosanthes anguina is a former synonym for T cucumerina var. anguina Haines.

At least two species are raised for use in traditional Chinese medicine, under the name gualou (Chinese: 栝楼; pinyin: guālóu):

• T. kirilowii Maxim
• T. rosthornii Harms

Other species include:

• T. anguina
• T. baviensis Gagnepain
• T. cucumeroides (Ser.) Maxim.
• T. dunniana Levl.
• T. fissibracteata C.Y. Wu ex C.Y. Cheng & Yueh
• T. homophylla Hayata
• T. kerrii Craib
• T. laceribractea Hayata
• T. lepiniana (Nuad.) Cogn.
• T. ovigera Blume
• T. pedata Merr. & Chun
• T. quinquangulata A. Gray
• T. rubiflos Thorel ex Cayla
• T. rugatisemina C.Y. Cheng et Yueh
• T. sericeifolia C.Y. Cheng et Yueh
• T. subrosea C.Y. Cheng et Yueh
• T. subvelutina F.Muell. ex Cogn.
• T. tricuspidata Lour.
• T. truncata C.B. Clarke
• T. villosa Blume
• T. wallichiana (Ser.) Wight