Ivy Gourd

Coccinia grandis

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Family: Cucurbitaceae.

Form: Vine

Origin: Native of tropical areas in Africa, Asia, Malesia and possibly the Northern Territory. The native range is now obscure due to its cultivation.

Flowers/Seedhead: In leaf axils. Flowers summer and autumn.

Description: Perennial vine with mostly hairless stems. Leaves 3–10 cm long, 4–10 cm wide, ovalshaped or round in outline, 5-angled or 3–5 lobed, hairless with age above and with bristly hairs below, heart-shaped at base, margins minutely toothed, on stalks 1–3 cm long. Fruit hairless.

Distinguishing features: Distinguished by tuberous root system; plants male or female; leaves with 3–8 glands on the blade near the leaf stalk, tendrils simple; joined petals (corolla) white, stamens 3; fruit scarlet, 2.5–6 cm long, 1.5–3.5 cm wide; seeds 6–7 mm long.

Dispersal: Spread by seed and movement of roots, pieces and cuttings. Plants have also been spread by humans as a source of food.