WAX GOURD

also called Chinese Watermelon (Benincasa hispida) trailing fleshy vine, of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), native to tropical Asia but grown in many warm countries for its edible fruits. A wax gourd has solitary yellow flowers 8 to 10 centimetres (3 to 4 inches) wide, hairy oval leaves that are heart-shaped at the base, and a melon-shaped or cucumber-shaped fruit up to 40 cm long. Each hairy green fruit has a whitish, waxy covering and contains flat, white seeds about 1 cm long.