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CLASSIFICATION

ORDER	: Cucurbitales
FAMILY	: Cucurbitaceae
GENUS	: Coccinia Wight & Arn.
SPECIES	: grandis (L.) Voigt
BOTANICAL NAME	: Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt
SYNONYMS	: Bryonia grandis L.
COMMON NAME	: Ivy gourd.
TAMIL NAME	: Kovai.
HINDI NAME	: Kundru.

PLANT DESCRIPTION

HABIT :  A perennial, dioecious, tuberous rooted, climber with simple tendrils.

LEAVES :  Palmately 5-lobed, base cordate.

INFLORESCENCE :  Solitary axillary.

FLOWERS :  Ebracteate, pedicellate, incomplete, regular, unisexual, pentmerous. Calyx made up of 5 fused sepals, valvate aestivation. Corolla made up of 5 fused petals, campanulate with valvate aestivation. Male flowers - Stamens 5, arranged in three groups, monothecous and extrorse. Gynoecium is absent. Female flowers - Androecium is absent. Gynoecium is tricarpellary, syncarpous, ovary inferior, unilocular, parietal placentation, style short, stigma 3, forked and feathery.

FRUITS :  Pepo ovoid, elongate, scarlet when ripe.

FLOWERING AND FRUITING TIME :  July - September

MEDICINAL USES

Grandis is also known for its anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, antimicrobial, antifungal, antileishmanic, antioxidant, antihypertensive, antitussive, antiulcer, analgesic, antipyretic, antianaphylactic, and anti-cancer properties.

Coccinia is a medicinal plant that was used in ancient times for relieving insect bite itching and swelling. However, the role of Coccinia leaf extract as an antioxidant related to the process of wound healing has never been studied.

Ivy gourd is most often used for diabetes. People also use ivy gourd for gonorrhea, constipation, wounds, and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.

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