What's This Weed?

[Neeranam]

It is a weed but I let it grow as it could cover all my fence. There are little cucumber like things on it, are they edible?

[loong]

I don't know what it is called, but I have been told by the local Thais that you can't eat the small cucumber type fruit.

[Cow San Load]

there is a thread about it in main farming forum. "issus" or something like that

if it the one i am thinking it is , you can eat the leaves and sometimes see it in the wet market

the leaves seem to be different shapes on different stems

Edited April 28, 2014 by Cow San Load

[Cow San Load]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/628511-interested-in-getting-a-contact-who-has-a-veld-grape-plantationcissus/

a bit further info

[troysantos]

My understanding is that this is a kind of ตำลึง tamleung. The Latin name is Coccinia grandis. I don't think I'll ever meet anyone who knows it as Ivy Gourd, but that's one English name for it. Look at the wikipedia page for these names and see if the fruits are not the same.

I've eaten the ripe fruits plenty of times and they're sweet. I've been told that it's not a good idea, but haven't been told why. I've sometimes seen Thais pick the green fruits and make whatever dish from them.

The leaf in your picture and the leaf on the wikipedia page aren't the same, but again, my understanding is that they're both ตำลีง. I just had a Thai friend look at your picture and she confirmed this. I'm guessing they're different varieties. I don't know why they don't eat these leaves yet do eat the leaf in the wikipedia picture.

I've seen the vines grow up a pole 7 or 8 meters high, then run many more meters along the wires. The plant was cut down so who knows how much longer the vine would'a grown. Talk about hardy!

Sorry Mr. Moo Moo ) but that link shows an entirely different plant. I'm not sure what that is, but for sure, they're not the same thing.

Edited April 28, 2014 by troysantos

[Cow San Load]

re Coccinia grandis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coccinia_grandis

yes looks a better match, my interest was bone/joint healing and they both seem to do that.

[Cow San Load]

leaves for sale in wet maket

below different shaped leaves on same plant

[minikev]

Pak Tham Lung

My wife eats them with Naam prick

[marko kok prong]

Have one on my fence,grow very quickly.

[BanTamo]

Pak boon fai daeng is the Isaan dish prepared from the square, hollow stemmed veggie in the upper photo, unless I'm mistaken. It's pretty easily found in wet areas if one wants to save 5 baht at the market.

[HerbalEd]

As someone who has used and taught about medicinal herbs and wild edible plants for almost forty years, I advise you never to eat anything ... esp. wild plants ... unless you are 100% sure you know what it is and that it is absolutely safe to ingest. And be esp. wary of arm-chair plant "experts" who identify a plant from two blurry photographs and tell you that it's safe to eat. I know several poisonous plants that look very similar to other safe-to-eat plants. This is esp. true of mushrooms. Each year in USA several people are injured for life or are killed when they mistake poison hemlock for wild parsley or wild carrot; or eat poisonous foxglove (Digitalis spp) when they think it's comfrey.

Indeed there are very many wild plants and mushrooms that are perfectly safe to eat ... I do it all the time. But I have seen far too many people eat toxic plants that they thought were safe.

There are old wild weed eaters, and there are bold wild weed eaters, but there are no old bold wild weed eaters.

Edited April 29, 2014 by HerbalEd

[Cow San Load]

As someone who has used and taught about medicinal herbs and wild edible plants for almost forty years, I advise you never to eat anything ... esp. wild plants ... unless you are 100% sure you know what it is and that it is absolutely safe to ingest. And be esp. wary of arm-chair plant "experts" who identify a plant from two blurry photographs and tell you that it's safe to eat. I know several poisonous plants that look very similar to other safe-to-eat plants. This is esp. true of mushrooms. Each year in USA several people are injured for life or are killed when they mistake poison hemlock for wild parsley or wild carrot; or eat poisonous foxglove (Digitalis spp) when they think it's comfrey.

Indeed there are very many wild plants and mushrooms that are perfectly safe to eat ... I do it all the time. But I have seen far too many people eat toxic plants that they thought were safe.

There are old wild weed eaters, and there are bold wild weed eaters, but there are no old bold wild weed eaters.

hmm yes fair enough.

there is also this plant that looks the same and grows in the same way but is not the same as it has yellow flowers not white. ID would be difficult if there were no flowers to see.

PS . i didnt bo biology past junior high many years ago so make no claim at being correct.

.

Edited April 29, 2014 by Cow San Load

[DLP]

Whatever it is dont try smoking it.

[SunnyBkk]

It looks like Tum Lung. We do not usually eat its fruit, but we do eat leaf. Make it a light soup with mince pork. Some noodle shops put it in the noodle dishes. High is Vitamin A and may be iron. Very nutritious and cheap.

[Neeranam]

Thanks for the replies.

As far as I can see it grows for 10m in my garden but only has a single 'stem' going underground. I'm thinking of letting it cover my fence so better protect the 'trunk'.

[macjet]

I don't know what it is called, but I have been told by the local Thais that you can't eat the small cucumber type fruit.

Got my attention "cant eat the small cucumber type fruit" . I have a tree that yields what we call "cucumber fruit" which is actually BILIMBI which is very tart/sour and a favorite of my Thai friends accompanied by lots of salt, beer, whiskey and makes a great curry dish. Enjoy !

[teletiger]

Balak Kee Nok. A small bitter cucumber. Eat all parts. Good in soups, etc.

Regards.

[loong]

I don't know what it is called, but I have been told by the local Thais that you can't eat the small cucumber type fruit.

Got my attention "cant eat the small cucumber type fruit" . I have a tree that yields what we call "cucumber fruit" which is actually BILIMBI which is very tart/sour and a favorite of my Thai friends accompanied by lots of salt, beer, whiskey and makes a great curry dish. Enjoy !

What can I say? Only what I have been told and as you probably realise, with many Thais, what they don't know, they make up.