Trichosanthes dioica

Trichosanthes dioica Roxb., also known as pointed gourd, is a tropical perennial cucurbit plant with its origin in the Indian subcontinent. It is also known as parwal, palwal, potol, or parmalin in different parts of India and Bangladesh. The plant propagated vegetatively and grows with training on a support system (e.g., trellis) as pencil-thick vines (creepers) with dark-green cordate (heart-shaped) simple leaves. It is a well-developed dioecious plants having distinct male and female flowers on staminate and pistillate plants, respectively. The fruits are green with white or no stripes' and have unpalatable seeds. Size can vary from small and round to thick and long — 2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 cm). It thrives well under a hot to moderately warm and humid climate. The plant remains dormant during the winter season and prefers fertile, well-drained sandy loam soil due to its susceptibility to water-logging.[2][3]

For some other vegetable crops that look similar and are used similarly, see Cyclanthera pedata, Coccinia grandis, and Melothria scabra.

Trichosanthes dioica
Gourd
Gourd plants Raihan
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Cucurbitales
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Genus: Trichosanthes
Species:
T. dioica
Binomial name
Trichosanthes dioica
Synonyms[1]
  • Anguina dioica (Roxb.) Kuntze
Longitudinal section of Pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica)
Pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica) matured seeds
Cooked stuffed fruit

India

Colloquially, in India, it is called parval or green potato. It is widely cultivated in the eastern and some northern parts of India, particularly in Northeastern Andhra, Odisha, Bengal, Assam, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. It is used as an ingredient for soup, stew, curry, sweet, or eaten fried and as potoler dorma or dolma with fish, roe or meat stuffing. Parval is also used to make kalonji, a deep fried cuisine filled with spices.

Bangladesh and West Bengal
Pointed gourds (known as "potol") for sale in a market of West Bengal with other vegetables
Pointed gourds at Chanditala bazaar, in Hooghly.

Pointed gourd is provincially known as potol in both of these Bengali-speaking regions. It is a vital summer vegetable in Bangladesh and in West Bengal. It is cultivated and consumed in every part of Bangladesh and West Bengal. It is a perennial crop and sold at the end of October when there is a shortage of other alternative vegetables.[4]

Nutrients

Most parts of T. dioica are used in local traditional medicine. The fruit constituents are minerals (Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Copper, and Sulphur), vitamins, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, glycosides, flavonoids, steroids, pentacyclic triterpenes, and other bioactive compounds have proven that the pointed gourd promising.[5][6]

Pointed gourd is a good source of vitamins and minerals. It is a good source of carbohydrates, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It also contains major nutrients and trace elements (magnesium, potassium, copper, sulfur, and chlorine) which are needed in small quantities, for playing essential roles in human physiology. 9.0 mg Mg, 2.6 mg Na, 83.0 mg K, 1.1 mg Cu and 17 mg S per 100 g edible part.[4]

In human culture

The fifteenth-century Hatha Yoga Pradipika 1.61-65 recommends Parwal as one of the foods suitable for yogins.[7]

See also

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trichosanthes dioica.
  1. "Trichosanthes dioica". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  2. Saurabh S, Prasad D, Masi A, Vidyarthi AS (April 2022). "Next generation sequencing and transcriptome analysis for identification of ARF and Aux/IAA in pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica Roxb.), a non-model plant". Scientia Horticulturae. 301: 111152. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2022.111152. S2CID 248372356.
  3. Saurabh S, Prasad D, Vidyarthi AS (June 2017). "In vitro propagation of Trichosanthus dioica Roxb. for nutritional security". Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology. 20 (2): 81–87. doi:10.1007/s12892-016-0059-0. S2CID 255839341.
  4. Khatun, M; Malek, M. A.; Bari Miah, M. A.; Al-Amin, M.; Khanam, D. "In Vitro Regeneration In Pointed Gourd" (PDF). Bangladesh Research. Bangladesh Agricultural University. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  5. Saurabh S, Prasad D, Masi A, Vidyarthi AS (April 2022). "Next generation sequencing and transcriptome analysis for identification of ARF and Aux/IAA in pointed gourd (Trichosanthes dioica Roxb.), a non-model plant". Scientia Horticulturae. 301: 111152. doi:10.1016/j.scienta.2022.111152. S2CID 248372356.
  6. Saurabh S, Prasad D, Vidyarthi AS (June 2017). "In vitro propagation of Trichosanthus dioica Roxb. for nutritional security". Journal of Crop Science and Biotechnology. 20 (2): 81–87. doi:10.1007/s12892-016-0059-0. S2CID 255839341.
  7. Bernard, Theos (2007) [1950]. Hatha yoga : the report of a personal experience. Edinburgh: Harmony. pp. 92–93. ISBN 978-0-9552412-2-2. OCLC 230987898.
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