ivy gourd Coccinia grandis, or scarlet-fruited gourd, a cucurbit vine which occurs from the Sudan through India to SE Asia and is occasionally cultivated. The leaves are cooked as a green vegetable, and the fruits, which look like small plump gherkins, are also edible. The green (unripe) fruits are used in curry dishes in India.
© the Estate of Alan Davidson 1999, 2006, 2014 © in the Editor’s contribution to the second and third editions, Oxford University Press 2006, 2014.