Wax gourd
Benincasa hispida, the wax gourd,[2][3] also called ash gourd,[4] white gourd, winter gourd, tallow gourd, ash pumpkin, winter melon,[4] Chinese preserving melon[4] and (Alu) Puhul, is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable when mature.
It is the only member of the genus Benincasa. The fruit is covered in a fuzzy coating of fine hairs when young. The immature melon has thick white flesh that tastes sweet. By maturity, the fruit loses its hairs and develops a waxy coating, giving rise to the name wax gourd. The wax coating helps to give the fruit a long shelf life of up to a year.[5] The melon may grow as large as 80 cm in length. It has yellow flowers and broad leaves.[6]
It is native to South and Southeast Asia. The wax gourd is widely grown throughout Asia,[7] including Java and Japan,[8] the places where it is thought to have originated.[6]
One variety of the plant, called chi qua (Benincasa hispida var. chieh-qua), is commonly used in Asian cuisine.[9]
The name "winter melon" that is sometimes given to this plant is based on the Chinese name dōngguā (冬瓜); however, the character 瓜 (guā) can also mean “gourd” or “squash.”[10] It is likely that the name “melon” is given because this gourd is sometimes candied or made into a sweet tea.
It is grown in well-drained loam and sandy soils in warm, mild climates, and will not tolerate frosts. It is grown in riverbeds or furrows, and needs constant irrigation during the growing season.[6]
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