Common Name: Madras pea pumpkin. Tamil Name: Musumussukkai)
Madras pea pumpkin is a slender-stemmed climber and is commonly seen Taminadu; often seen growing on fences and hedges. The entire plant is covered with dense white long hairs. The leaves are simple and arranged alternatively in spiral manner. The leafing nodes are wide apart from each other: 5.5 cm. The leaf stalk measure around 2.5 cm, the leaf shape is triangular-sagittate and measure around 4 cm in length and 5.1 cm in breadth. The leaf base is cordate and leaf tip is acuminate. The leaf margin in dentate the leaves are generally 3-5 shallow lobed. The inflorescence is axillary, male and female flowers are separate. Each inflorescence has about 2-5 flowers grouped together. The flowers are small and yellow in color. The fruit is in the form of a round red colored berry containing many seeds. This plant may be mistaken for Diplocyclos palmatus. D. palmatus has palmately 5 lobed leaf and the fruit berry is red in color with whitish lines. Madras pea pumpkin is a highly valued medicinal plant in traditional Indian systems of medicine.
