Serpent Gourds

You reach into the leaf cover to see what’s growing and jump back, startled to see what looks like a snake, coiled at your feet. That coil is no snake. It’s a serpent gourd.

​When serpent gourd fruits touch the ground, they begin to create a spiral. Also known as snake gourds and serpent cucumbers, serpent gourds (Trichosanthes cucumerina) taste like cucumber while young and are used as tomato replacements later in life. Sometimes they get tied to weights to straighten the curl.

​Serpent gourds are tropical vines whose flowers bloom at night. Fruits are ridged and can grow to more than six-and-a-half feet (200 cm) long.

Serpent gourd flower (Aathavan jaffna) CC BY-SA 3.0

Maturing serpent gourd (杉山龍彦) CC BY-SA 3.0

​Young fruits are dark to medium green with light green, longitudinal stripes. As the fruit matures, the blossom end and flesh begin to turn red and bitter. This is when serpent gourds are used as a tomato replacement. In some regions they are called snake tomatoes.

The leaves, shoots, and tendrils of serpent gourds are also edible and commonly eaten as greens.

Snake gourds (Aruna) CC BY-SA 3.0

Seeds should be planted one inch deep, and plants should be at least 12” apart. You can allow the vines to stay on the ground, but they perform best when trained up a trellis. The fruits are very impressive, hanging overhead. You may want to intercrop your serpent gourds with red noodle beans for an especially impressive display.
 
Your serpent gourds need full sun, but a little afternoon shade is fine.