Edible Portion: Leaves, Vegetable, Fruit, Spice
A pumpkin family plant. It is a coarse vine up to 15 m long. It keeps growing from year to year. It has tuberous roots. It climbs by means of tendrils. It is slightly hairy. The leaves are 8 to 18 cm long, and 8-20 cm across and deeply 3 lobed and the base is heart shaped. Leaves are bright green. The leaf stalks are 2-10 cm long. Male and female flowers are separate on the same plant. Male flowers are 3.5 cm across on stalks 5-30 cm long. The petals are pale yellow. The female flowers are smaller. The fruit are egg shaped, yellow and roughened with small bumps scattered over it. They are edible. The flesh is orange-red. The seeds are blackish-brown.