snake gourd

...A perennial vine of the Cucurbitaceae family that grows in the shade of undergrowth on mountain foothills (illustration). The white flowers open in the evening, and the end of the corolla splits into thin, thread-like segments. The slender stems climb up onto other plants with tendrils. Dioecious. The leaves are alternate, with 3-5 lobes, and the stems are densely covered with fine hairs. The flowers open in August and September, and the male flowers form 2-10 cm inflorescences, while the female flowers are borne singly in the leaf axils and have a long, tubular base. The fruit is elliptical, 5-7 cm long, and ripens red in autumn. The seeds are brown, 7-8 mm long, protrude to the left and right, and have raised vertical stripes 4-5 mm wide. ...

*Some of the terminology that mentions "snake gourd" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…山ろくのやぶ陰に生えるウリ科の多年生つる草（イラスト）。花は白く夕方に開き，花冠の先は細長く糸状に裂ける。茎は細長く，巻きひげで他物によじのぼる。雌雄異株。葉は互生し，3～5裂して茎とともに細毛が密生している。花は8～9月ころに開き，雄花は2～10cmの花序をつくり，雌花は葉腋（ようえき）に1個ずつつき，基部は長い筒状。果実は楕円形で長さ5～7cm，秋に赤く熟す。種子は茶褐色で長さ7～8mm，左右に突出しており，幅4～5mmの隆起する縦帯がある。…

※「snake gourd」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報