in taxon gourd plant snake gourd plant PLANTS:TRCU3 snake gourd Trichosanthes cucumerina is a tropical or subtropical vine; its variety *T. cucumerina* var. *anguina* raised for its strikingly long fruit, in Asia eaten immature as a vegetable much like the summer squash, and in Africa, the reddish pulp of its mature fruit is used as an economical substitute of tomato. Common names of the cultivated variety include snake gourd, serpent gourd [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichosanthes_cucumerina] cucumis melo flexuosus serpent gourd serpent melon snake melon trichosanthes cucumerina Trichosanthes cucumerina requires discussion