Edible climber. The fresh leaves are ideal for salads and the dried leaves make delicious herbal teas. The fruit is also eaten young. Before consuming the fruit, it is necessary to put it to soak a few hours so that it loses its bitter taste and its sap can be enjoyed since it is not edible fresh. Very tasty in pickles, soups and stews.
Tall 2 to 5 m. Large, green lobed leaves. Fragrant, yellow flowers and cucumber-like fruits. The ripe fruit is bitter and split open to display its seeds wrapped in a red pulp.
Indoor sowing takes place from March to May, extending until June for outdoor sowing. Before sowing, seeds should be soaked in warm water 24 hours then sow 0,5cm deep maintaining a temperature of 23-26ºC.
I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII | |
Sow indoors | ||||||||||||
Sow outdoors | ||||||||||||
Harvest |
Average germination (%) | 70 |
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Climate Zone | Tropical |
Flower colour | Yellow |
Fragrant | Flower |
Germination (in days) | 8-15 |
Hardiness | Non hardy |
Life cycle | Annual |
Plant use | Climber, Edible, Walls, fences |
Seeds per gram | 5 |
Soil - Moisture | Moist but well-drained |
Soil - Ph | No preference |
Soil - Type | No preference, Rich |
Sunlight - Exposure | No preference, Sun |
Watering | Regular |