so has anyone grown the dragon snake vine... I just got seeds on ebay and they are now being shipped from Hong Kong... just wondering if it is something anyone has had any experience with... it does have a nice frilly white flower...


oh they have some left also

Trichosanthese cucumerina! I grow it's cousin, Tricosanthes kirilowii. Awesome night bloomers.

The thread "WOW! Trichosanthes kirilowii" in Vines and Climbers forum

If you have a bunch of seeds perhaps we can trade .. some of my kirilowii for your cucumerina.

Amazing Ann... you're always amazing... such a great thread for yours... I wish I had seen it last summer... I like both types of flowers ... but I like my gourd better ... I'm ordering more seeds if one in five sprouted for you... I have only four in the order... can I get an order shipped over for you ...
it will be fun.. in reading it seems you have to have two plants to get a male and a female... they don't make both flowers on the same plant do they..how would one tell them apart...

So I was thinking of that super sweet taste of the nectar you enjoyed... your local moth pictured in your thread link is perhaps the first of it's species to enjoy that taste...
seeing the flowers open and fultter about in the wind... is no doubt attractive to the moths and would account for the flowers genetic success... and frilly development to enhance discovery.. compounded by the fact the flower is only open a short while... it's now or never...what else can I do...
I can't wait to taste it myself...
any idea as to it's herbal/ medicinal uses

Actually taste with caution and don't make it a habit - Trichosanthes is a big part of Chinese herbal medicine and some of the chemical constituents of Trichosanthes, the proteins, are looking promising as becoming part of the newest AIDS battery of drugs.

This link just touches the surface on the medicinal properties - pretty much the whole plant is used.

http://www.drugs.com/npp/chine...

I was so stunned by this flower I bought 5 more packs of seeds and am determined to get a male and female plant so I can share if you're interested. I got my seeds from Horizon Herbs and they said that germination was poor .. I'm thinking that pollination may be sketchy, maybe requiring a specific insect or something. Hopefully if I can get a male and female plant I can up the success rate with hand pollination. I'm almost positive that I had a female plant because the base of the flower certainly looked like an embyro gourd.

I like that flower, what an unusual one!

Yes... it is... it's quite inexpencive... go and give it a try there... they were still up on ebay quite recently... Expermintation loves company

::I will be assimilated...resistance is futile::
::I will be assimilated...resistance is futile::
::I will be assimilated...resistance is futile::
::I will be assimilated...resistance is futile::

Well I got my first order in from China.. and then the second... it was suposed to be a 3x order ...but was only sent one.. I contacted him and he'll send another two orders in... I'll surely get a male and female between all of them... I'm sprouting with a friend ...and they got a sprout out in a few days from the first batch of seeds.. some I pealed of the husk around the seed and some were planted after soaking them some... I'm so distressed by hearing the flower is open for such a small period of time... but the beauty should be worth it.. not to mention the twisted fruit...

they are great looking seeds and fresh... I'd not be suprised if we got close to 100% success with them

Wow, you're lucky you got the seeds in from a Chinese address. Good luck with the seedlings!

WTG! I'll be starting mine in a couple of weeks. Once they get going and potted up, feed the bajeebers out of them.

Joseph... well... lucky how... both orders came in an envelope with full disclosure of seeds and type name on the outside in what looks like an import/export disclosure label of some sort... or were you infering another type of lucky
Great Ann...I cross posted with you... Thanks for the tip... over attending to my plants is a particulat position I take... knowing my conditions have little to do with natural growing.. thanks for the Tip... I brought back a bag of the Black Kow from mothers I had left over from the summer planting there.. I'll use that to crank them up... did you get some of this type ordered or are you refering to starting more of last years type you had

I didn't order any of the cucumerina. I just noticed last year that the vine I had was kind of comatose and not growing in spite of warm weather and soil so I started feeding it every 4 days and it took off like a rocket. With most plant I only start feeding after the 3rd set of true leaves.

It was my impression APHIS/PPQ was not permitting shipments of seeds from China or other parts of Asia. Good to know! Looking forward to seeing the progress of your plants!

well it was one of the unpeeled seeds that sprouted...don't guess there's any need to peel them...Guess i'll learn some of the some new techniques with the new flower... it's great to have any and all clues when dealing with a new one.. Thanks for some pioneering for us all..

Gordon I grew this a couple of years ago & if memory serves I only had one vine & I got fruit because there were male & female flowers on the same vine. Trichosanthes can twist & turn or in some countries they actually tie rocks on them to keep them straight when hanging. Mine were from Baker Creek & were supposed to be an extra long variety, but my only fruit was less than a foot, however, that summer was exceptionally brutal, my gourds literally cooked on the fence, so I assume it would have gotten bigger & I would have gotten more than one fruit if conditions had been better.

Well.. lets try this post again... the first reply seems to have been lost ,,
Rick... from what I read you need two vines for fruit.. a male and female.. planted 9 females to one male in commercial growing..
https://www.google.com/#q=Tric...
so after a week from planting there's a vine with three sets of leaves... maybe a second sprout coming from five planted... so I guess it's feeding time for such a strong grower...

What has happened to this vine???? Inquiring minds want to know.

Well. When I put my three out in the late spring.. It was more than they could are.. With some heavy winds hat were about.. So they all died... One that stayed inside had about 100 little blooms... No fruit ..all alone...inside.. So we'll be digging it out of a Passion flower ..temptation x temptation .. With who is intertwined inside.. And we'll be putting it out.. Along with new seedlings from some kirlowii seeds like Anne grew.". Maybe I can get a fruit from the cross.. The guy stiffed me for the last batch of seeds he was to and me..

Anne. Yes the feeding really has an effect on this plant.. Per your recommendations we kicked up the food.. And it really took off.. Covering a room with a 500 watt HID light