Spine Gourd: The Teasle Gourd

Spine Gourd

The Teasle Gourd

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Cucurbits: An Introduction

Cucurbitaceous crops are also known as ‘gourds and melons.’ These are a large group of summer vegetables belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae or the cucurbit family. Approximately 850-900 recognised plant species across 100-110 genera are present in the cucurbit family. All of them are grown as tropical and subtropical vegetables. Prominent members of cucurbit family are pumpkins, squashes, water melons, musk melons and cantaloupes, bitter gourds, spine gourds or teasle gourds, sponge gourds, ridge gourds, snake gourds, ivy gourds or little gourds, pointed gourds, ash gourds (white gourds or wax gourds), calabash gourds or bottle gourds, cucumbers and gherkins, horned melons or kiwano, and courgettes. Among these cucurbits, water melons, musk melons and cantaloupes are considered as fruits from consumption point of view as these cucurbitaceous fruits are sweet in taste and are mostly suitable to be used as fruits rather than as vegetables.

Taxonomy: Detailed taxonomic classification of popular cucurbits is as follows:

Kingdom:-Plantae

Clade:-Tracheophytes

Clade:-Angiosperms

Clade:-Eudicots

Clade:-Rosids

Order:-Cucurbitales

Family:-Cucurbitaceae

Genus -Cucurbita/Lagenaria/Citrullus/Cucumis/Momordica/Luffa

Figure 1: A Cucurbit Plant

Spine Gourd: An Introduction

Scientific name of spine gourd or teasle gourd is Momordica dioica. Spine gourd is a cucurbitaceous vegetable which is closely related to bitter gourd. However, it is not bitter in taste as bitter gourd. As in case of other cucurbitaceous vegetables (cucurbits) which mainly include melons and gourds, spine gourd is also grown as a summer vegetable in tropical and subtropical countries. Spine gourd is called Kantola or kakrol in Hindi, mada hagalakai in Kannada, kadu peere in Tulu, and paagila in Konkani.

Figure 2: Spine gourd or Teasle gourd

Taxonomy: Detailed