Ash Gourd

The ash gourd is a vine grown for its very large fruit,eaten as a vegetable when mature. It is the only member of the genus Benincasa.The fruit is fuzzy when young. The immature melon has thick white flesh that issweet when eaten. By maturity, the fruit loses its hairs and develops a waxycoating, giving rise to the name wax gourd, and providing a long shelf life.