Dummela - Wild Gourd
SLF 0000Common Classification Common Names Wild Gourd, Sinhala Name Dummela, Kunu Mella Scientific Classification Family Cucurbitaceae Genus Gymnopetalum Scientific Name Gymnopetalum scabrum Synonym Trichosanthes integrifolia Ecology Category Herb-Wild Growth Habit Vine Duration Annual Origin Endemic-Indigenous Status Endangered Property Culinary / Edible No Use as Herb Yes Other Use n/a Poisoned / Toxin No
Gymnopetalum scabrum or Trichosanthes integrifolia is species of gourd family called in Sinhalese as Dummela". It is endemic plant to Sri Lanka. This is a important rare medicinal plant occasionally found on scrub jungle or wood land in wet zone in Sri Lanka. Also, it is extinct plant from wild and classified as a critically endangered plant by Sri Lanka Biodiversity Secretariat. The plant is a creeper that climb on another tree about 4 or 5 meters in height and some time may be terrestrial. It is rarely found on home gardens that cultivated as a medicinal plant.
