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[[File:Benincasa hispida compose.jpg|thumb|right|''Winter melon'']]
The '''winter melon''' is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable when mature. It is the only member of the genus Benincasa. Native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, the winter melon is widely grown throughout Asia.
==Uses==
{{Uses|Summer fevers}}, {{Uses|Painful wounds}}, {{Uses|Vaginal discharges}}, {{Uses|Cough}}, {{Uses|Intestinal abscesses}}, {{Uses|Excess thirst}}, {{Uses|Epilepsy}}, {{Uses|Gonorrhoea}}, {{Uses|Nervous diseases}}
==Chemical Composition==
It contains Vitamins - A: 0mg; Thiamine (B1): 4mg; Riboflavin (B2): 0.11mg; Niacin: 0.4mg; B6: 0mg; C: 13mg. The fruits contain lupeol, beta-sitosterol, their acetates and several amino acids. pressant effect in mice. The roots of mature plant contain a pentacyclic triterpene, which exhibits antiallergic activity against both homologous passive cutaneous anaphylaxis and delayed hypersensitivity in mice. The fruit beverage contains pyrazine compounds. <ref name="chemical composition"/>
==Common names==
==Identification==
===Leaf===
{{Leaf|Simple|roundishRoundish|White gourd is a vine grown for its very large fruit, eaten as a vegetable}}<ref name="Leaf"/>
===Flower===
{{Flower|Unisexual|5-15 cm long|Yellow|5-20|densely Densely hairy, lobes lanceolate, acute, 6-12 mm long. Petals spreading, blunt, but ending in a short point}}
===Fruit===
{{Fruit|fuzzyFuzzy|7–10 mm (0.28–0.4 in.) long pome|the The fruit loses its hairs and develops a waxy coating|its Its very large fruitWith fruit with hooked hairs|manyMany}}
===Other features===
==How to plant/cultivate==
Benincasa hispida is a plant of the tropics, and is also cultivated in the subtropics.<ref name="How to plant/cultivate"/>
==Season to grow==
May - June.<ref name="Season to grow"/>
==Required Ecosystem/Climate==
This annual vine can easily be grown from seed. It is best grown in fertile, organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained loams in full sun.<ref name="Required Ecosystem/Climate"/>
==Kind of soil needed==
Requires a warm sunny position in a rich well-drained soil.
==Commonly seen growing in areas==
83 - CIMG0864.jpg|Fruits
Benincasa hispida (kumbalam) flower.jpg|Flowers
Winter Melon Flower.jpg|Bud
Winter Melon.jpg|Stem
==References==
<references>
<ref name="chemical composition">[http://gbpihedenvis.nic.in/PDFs/Glossary_Medicinal_Plants_Springer.pdf Chemical composition]</ref>
<ref name="Leaf">[http://www.flowersofindia.net/catalog/slides/White%20Gourd.html Flowers description]</ref>
<ref name="Ayurvedic preparations">[https://easyayurveda.com/2013/01/31/winter-melon-health-benefits-medicinal-use-side-effects-ayurveda/ Ayurvedic preparations]</ref>
<ref name="How to plant/cultivate">[http://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Benincasa+hispida Cultivation Details]</ref>
<ref name="How Season to plantgrow">[https:/cultivate/pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Benincasa+hispida Season to grow]</ref> <ref name="Required Ecosystem/Climate">[http://tropicalwww.thefernsmissouribotanicalgarden.infoorg/viewtropicalPlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.phpaspx?idkempercode=Benincasa+hispida Cultivation Detailse457 Required Ecosystem/Climate]</ref>
</references>
