Annuals Dictionary: Benincasa
Cucumber family
Cucurbitaceae
Ben-in-kay’sa. A pumpkinlike and tendril-bearing Asiatic vine. Known here for its ornamental fruit; in China it is the source of the Chinese preserving melon.
Description
Fleshy and creeping vine. Leaves alternate, large, and angled. Flowers solitary, yellow, large, the stamens and pistils never in the same flower. Fruit large, melonlike, but without a hard rind.
How to Grow
Start seeds early indoors in individual peat pots. Transplant to a sunny site after frost. Provide a tall strong trellis or arbor to support heavy vines and fruit. Prefers warm weather.
Benincasa hispida
Wax Gourd ; White Gourd . A trailing vine, to 10 ft. (3 m) long or more, the stem brown-hairy. Flowers 3-4 in. (7.5-10.0 cm) wide, yellow, corolla veiny. Fruit round-oblong, hairy, to 16 in. (40.5 cm) long. Tropical Asia. Fruit matures late summer to fall. Tender annual.