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Snake gourd, (Trichosanthes cucumerina), rapid-growing of the gourd family (), for its oddly shaped edible fruits. The snake is native to southeastern Asia and and is also grown in parts of tropical Africa. The whole is eaten as a when young and can be dried and used as a . The leaves and shoots are also edible, and the pulp of mature fruits is sometimes eaten as a substitute.
The snake gourd is an annual plant with forked tendrils and kidney- or heart-shaped leaves that are sometimes palmately lobed. The white unisexual flowers have long lacy fringes on the five petals and open at night. The narrow fruits often reach 1.5 metres (5 feet) in length; they are green with white stripes when young, becoming a red-orange colour when mature.
Gourd, any of the hard-shelled fruits of certain members of the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. Many gourds are cultivated as ornamentals, decorations, or food crops, and some can be dried and used to make decorative or useful objects.