Chinese Cucumber (Trichosanthes kirilowii)

Family: Cucurbitaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Trichosanthes kirilowii is a PERENNIAL CLIMBER growing to 6 m (19ft 8in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from September to October. The species is dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required).

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Leaves, Shoots, Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Fruit. The young fruits are pickled. The pulp of older fruits is eaten. Mature fruits are about 10cm long. Leaves and young shoots - cooked and used as a vegetable. An edible starch is obtained from the root. — The young fruits are pickled.; The pulp of older fruits is eaten.; Mature fruits are about 10cm long.; Leaves and young shoots - cooked and used as a vegetable.

Habitat & North American Range

Forest edges and a weed of thickets in China. Open forests, bushlands, grasslands and fields beside villages at elevations of 200 - 1800 metres. (Zone 8)