Snake Gourd

Trichosanthes cucumerina var. anguina

vegetable

Snake gourd (Trichosanthes cucumerina var. anguina) is a tropical climbing vine grown for its remarkable long, slender, often coiling fruit, which can reach a foot and a half or more, harvested young and tender as a mild cooked vegetable across South and Southeast Asia. The vine is fast and rampant, climbing to 16 ft, with delicate, lacy, fringed white flowers that open at night. It is very frost tender and needs heat, a long season, and a tall, strong support, on which the hanging fruit grows straighter. It is grown as a warm-weather annual.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Corn — Tall stalks add support and a windbreak for the rampant vine
• Bean — A nitrogen fixer that helps feed this heavy-feeding gourd
• Marigold — Helps deter nematodes and attracts beneficial insects

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Cucumber beetles →

  Chew leaves and spread disease; use row cover early and remove beetles

• Fruit flies →

  Sting developing fruit; bag young fruit, use traps, and remove any infested fruit promptly

• Aphids →

  Cluster on tender shoots; rinse off and conserve natural enemies

• Powdery mildew →

  White coating in humid weather; provide airflow on the trellis and avoid overhead watering

🌾 Harvest & storage

Pick snake gourd young, while the fruit is still slender, firm, and pale, usually about two to three months from sowing and within a week or so of flowering; at this stage it is tender and mild. Harvest often, as fruit left on the vine grows tough, fibrous, and bitter and turns orange-red. Cut the fruit from the vine with a knife rather than pulling it.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Snake gourd is very low in calories and high in water and fiber, with some vitamin C. The young fruit is cooked in curries, stir-fries, and soups, taking on the flavors it is cooked with.