Snake Gourd

Image: douneika
Trichosanthes cucumerina

Who knew you could look even prettier after getting torn to shreds?

Image: Hafiz Issadeen

These are the flowers of the Snake Gourd, a vine native to a large patch of south and southeast Asia, from India and Sri Lanka to China and all the way down to northern Australia.

Image: Richard Parker
Leaves, tendrils and an artist's rendition of an infant star surrounded by space-dust and astro-gas

Aren't they utterly enchanting? With those delicate, lacy tendrils on each petal they have a sort of extravagant fragility about them. This is a flower that needs to hold someone's hand before crossing the road.

Image: Aathavan jaffna

Perhaps it's just as well they're so tiny. They also open at night to attract moths.

Image: Sangfroid

The fruit of Snake Gourd are very different. They can reach almost 2 metres (6.5 ft) long! Now you can see how this plant belongs to the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, alongside cucumbers, watermelons and pumpkins.

These things are edible when they're young and green...

Image: .Bambo.

But, like a lot of us, they become increasingly tough and bitter as they age. They also curl up, hence the Snake part of their name.

Image: 杉山龍彦

Eventually, they become hard and red and not very appetising at all. They can be used to make didgeridoos, though!

Image: Arun delonix

Here's a fruit with a stone tied to it. Maybe that's what they have to do if they want it to remain straight enough to make a good didgeridoo out of it? I don't know. I just like the idea of someone tying a stone to a fruit.

Image: Dinesh Valke

No-one would tie a stone to one of the flowers, though. It's difficult to imagine them sharing the same plant as those fruit. The Snake Gourd must have a very complicated personality.