In the botanical garden of Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh grows a wild creeper called kakjhinga, also known in places as bunojhinga or batijhinga. Md Ashrafuzzaman, a professor of botany and nature writer, describes the plant in Samakal.
Its scientific name is Trichosanthes costata, in the family Cucurbitaceae. Pumpkin, ash gourd, pointed gourd and ridge gourd belong to the same family, but kakjhinga's fruit is not part of the ordinary diet. Despite the name, it is a separate species from ridge gourd (jhinga).
It is a soft-stemmed climber that clings to nearby trees and shrubs with tendrils from its nodes, which helps it reach the light. The leaves are oval to heart shaped, usually with three to five lobes, and slightly rough on top. Because the leaves resemble those of other wild gourds, the writer advises identifying it by its flowers and fruit as well.
Flowers grow from the leaf axils, and male and female flowers can occur on the same plant. After pollination the female flowers set oval fruit four to five centimetres long with raised lengthwise ribs. Ripe fruit can turn reddish and holds several seeds.
The species ranges from the Indian subcontinent to southern China and Southeast Asia, and Bangladesh lies within its natural range. It grows in humid tropical settings, climbing over thickets and other plants.
The writer notes that the leaves or young fruit are eaten in some areas, but sources disagree about whether the fruit is safe, so wild fruit should not be eaten without sure identification and reliable evidence. Folk medicine uses are recorded too, he adds, but there is not enough evidence to treat any medicinal effect as established.
Source: Samakal
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