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trivedi_south

Tindora or Ivy Gourd ( coccinnea grandis)

trivedi_south
12 years ago

I have heard that Tindora or Ivy Gourd ( coccinnea grandis) grow very easily in Hawaii. Unfortunately, in our part these die very easily in winter.

The only way to grow these is thro' root system. Would anyone in Hawaii gardener know of this plant and be willign to ship to Georgia if S&H is provided?

:-)

Thanks,

Cheers!

Comments (5)

  • gtanaka
    12 years ago

    Here in Hawaii the ivy gourd is an invasive species and a noxious pest. I also read that it has also become a noxious pest in Florida and Texas. I don't think it would be a good idea to grow it where you are at. If you want some then you can take a short drive to Florida and find some. In Hawaii the birds eat the fruits and spread the seeds all over. Whenever I see them growing in my yard I immediately pull them out, they grow everywhere.

  • trivedi_south
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thank you Gtanaka. I had already checked the hawaii invasive plant list before posting this thread and this plant was not listed in it.

    It is NOT an invasive plant in GA (or texas or most of florida). The roots of this plant won't survive our winters here in GA.

    Since it grows so freely in Hawaii, I thought I could ask someone to mail it to me.

    BTW, if this plant grows this freely in Hawaii, you can have a VERY successful business of shipping Tindora to grocery stores all over USA, since tindora veggie is loved by people of Asia (most of asia).

    Thanks,

  • gtanaka
    12 years ago

    Trivedi South, ivy gourd is very invasive in Hawaii and other States, please take a look at the following site, especially under the topic Geographic Spread, third paragraph, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivy_gourd
    It states that ivy gourd is listed on the Hawaii State Noxious Weed list.

  • evelynntcgn_yahoo_com
    12 years ago

    Where can I buy the ivy gourd plants, vegetables, and seeds. I really need it for my diabetis. I live here in Las Vegas. Thanks!

  • tbqegg11
    9 years ago

    gtanaka :
    Wikipedia is not a reliable source when it came into precise science. When i studied in University, wikipedia is not allowed to used for paper research. Anyone can submit or edit a wikipedia's page, so while there are many useful information on that site, there are also some uninformed, inaccurate materials on that page. The page that you cited is one of them.
    Ivy gourd is indeed an invasise species in Hawaii, and perhaps in South Florida, but it's not listed in the Federal Noxious Weed List. It means you can obtain a permit to get the seeds imported into the US ( as long as any spices not on the list).

    http://plants.usda.gov/java/noxious?rptType=Federal


    The list is always a bit overdone regards the listed species. For example, in California and Arizona, the rules are strict, so any seeds that bought via Ebay or Amazon without a permit will get seized and confiscated. Sometimes it's a bit paranoid, but they always set high precaution.

    The thing is Ivy gourd should not be imported to Hawaii which has a tropical weather with humidity, fertiled soil, high rains, no period of coldness, yet they let it loosed and became a noxious weeds there. Meanwhile, the other states in the US don't have similar weather as Hawaii, so ivy gourd don;t have a chance to survive here, let alone taking over the land. Even in California, Texas, and florida, perhaps the only place Ivy gourd can survive naturally is Southern Florida which i heard already has this plant.

    A few years ago, I bought some seeds and tried to plant them, but they barely germinated and all died off afterward regardless how much you " baby" them or giving them optimum growing conditions.

    Ivy gourds can also be grown as a food source and used as medical herbals for many illnesses and diseases. It's very popular in Asian food, especially the Idians and lately also Caucasian and Hispanics. I live in southern California and I have encountered Ivy gourd only once over 10 years ago ( a few bunches were sold for one day in an Asian market in Long beach) in 20 years living here ( and never again after that). So the worriness about the invasion is exaggerated.

    Perhaps if people learn how to used them as a food source or medical uses, then the fear of an invasive weed would no longer be existed.

    This post was edited by TBQEgg11 on Thu, Dec 18, 14 at 23:03

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