Praecitrullus fistulosus
(Stocks) Pangalo
Round-melon, Squash-melon
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Description
A pumpkin family plant. It is an annual herb that lies along the ground of climbs. It has hairy stems and tendrils. The leaves are alternate and simple. The leaves are oval and 15 cm long. They have leaf lobes along it and teeth along the edge. The flowers occur singly in the axils of leaves. They are small and yellow. The fruit is a flattened round berry. It is 6-12 cm across. It has rough bristles when young. The fruit are green outside and pale green inside. There are many seeds. Possibly now Benincasa fistulosa
Edible Uses
The young fruit is cooked as a vegetable and can be pickled, candied, or made into preserves and soups. The seeds are roasted and eaten.
Traditional Uses
The young fruit is cooked as a vegetable. They can be pickled, candied or made into preserves. They are used in soups. The seeds are roasted and eaten.
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It suits a warm and dry climate. A temperature of 26-30°C is best. A warm temperature is needed for seed germination. A pH of 6-7 is suitable.
Where It Grows
Afghanistan, Africa, Asia, East Africa, Ghana, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uganda, USA, West Africa,
Cultivation
Plants are grown from seed. Seed are soaked in water to hasten germination. They germinate in 5-7 days.
Propagation
Seed - can be sown in situ or into containers for planting out later. Germination takes place within 7 days. If using containers, either put 2 - 3 seeds in each pot and thin to the best plant, or prick out the seedlings into individual pots of rich soil as soon as they are large enough to handle. Grow them on fast and plant them out when about 10 - 14cm tall.
Production
Fruit are ready 60-90 days after sowing. The fruit are edible 6-8 days after fruit set. Fruit are harvested young and immature.
Other Information
It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. It is mostly grown and used in India.
Notes
There is only one Praecitrullus species.
Nutrition
| Part | Moisture | kJ | kcal | Protein | Vit A | Vit C | Iron | Zinc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fruit | 93.5 | 96 | 23 | 1.4 | 0 | 31 | 0.9 | — |
Synonyms
Also Known As
Dilpasand, Indian squash, Round gourd, Round watermelon, Squash melon, Tendu, Tendus, Tinda
References (15)
- Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 127 (As Citrullus vulgaris var. fistulosus)
- Arora, R. K., 2014, Diversity in Underutilized Plant Species - An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Bioversity International. p 50 (As Praecitrullus fistulosus)
- Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Leningrad) 29:203. 1944 (As Praecitrullus fistulosus)
- Esquinas-Alcazar, et al, 1983, Genetic Resources of Cucurbitaceae. International Board of Plant Genetic Resources. (As Praecitrullus fistulosus)
- Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 84 (As Praecitrullus fistulosus)
Show all 15 references Hide references
- Flora of Pakistan. www.eFloras.org (As Praecitrullus fistulosus)
- Grubben, G. J. H. and Denton, O. A. (eds), 2004, Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA, Wageningen, Netherlands. p 430 (As Praecitrullus fistulosus)
- Heywood, V.H., Brummitt, R.K., Culham, A., and Seberg, O. 2007, Flowering Plant Families of the World. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew. p 117 (As Praecitrullus fistulosus)
- Kays, S. J., and Dias, J. C. S., 1995, Common Names of Commercially Cultivated Vegetables of the World in 15 languages. Economic Botany, Vol. 49, No. 2, pp. 115-152 (As Praecitrullus fistulosus)
- Kiple, K.F. & Ornelas, K.C., (eds), 2000, The Cambridge World History of Food. CUP p 1845 (As Praecitrullus fistulosus)
- Schippers, R.R., 2004. Praecitrullus fistulosus (Stocks) Pangalo. [Internet] Record from Protabase. Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa), Wageningen, Netherlands. < http://database.prota.org/search.htm>. Accessed 22 October 200919 October 2009. (As Praecitrullus fistulosus)
- Sharma, B.B., 2005, Growing fruits and vegetables. Publications Division. Ministry of Information and broadcasting. India. p 182 (As Citrullus vulgaris var. fistulosus)
- Tindall, H.D., 1983, Vegetables in the tropics. Macmillan p. 152 (As Citrullus lanatus var. fistulosus)
- USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN). [Online Database] National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Available: www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/econ.pl (10 April 2000) (As Praecitrullus fistulosus)
- Wiersema, J. H. & Leon, B., 2013, World Economic Plants. A Standard Reference CRC Press. 2nd Ed. p 97 (As Benincasa fistulosa)
