Kunru (Coccinea sp. L.);
a key species of the Kanchanpur home garden in Laxmipur-9, Padau, Kanchanpur
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| Kunaru plant with white flower |
Farmers Name: Kunaru
Common Name: Ivy gourd
Scientific Name: Coccinia sp.
Local Name: Kunaruk, Kunhari
General Characteristics:
Kunaru;
Climbing, perennial herb with generally underground caudexes; leaves ovate
5-angular, deeply cordate at the base; dioecious, flowers white, arranged in
leaf axils; fruit ellipsoid-oblong or cylindrical, immature fruit green with
paler green stripes, turning bright scarlet at maturity.
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| Harvested fruits |
Kunaru is
playing significant role as vegetable in the kitchen particularly in the lean
period of year. Its vegetable is palatable requires little area for
cultivation, multi-harvested perennial climber and is under exploited in use.
Wild/Domesticated/uncultivated: Domesticated
Varieties of kunaruk:
Picture
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Characteristics
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Green long kunaru
Fruit: green, large long and
round with tapering end, without white stripes
Leaves: 5
lobes
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Large striped kunaru
Fruit: green, large land round
with white stripes shorter than Green long kunaru
Leaves: 5 lobes
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Small stripped kunaru
Fruit: green, smaller than large
stripped and round with white stripes
Leaves: 5 lobes
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Small round kunaru
Fruit: very small slightly larger
than marble and round with abruptly tapering end, with few white stripes
Leaves: 5 lobes
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Photo: varieties of kunaru from laxmipur-9,
Padau, Kanchanpur
Mode of propagation: Vegetative propagation through vine cuttings.
Some times from seed.
Sources of Seeds: Farmer to farmer
Planting Seasons: - Planting season- Falgun/ Chaitra (February to
March)
Harvesting; Jestha, Asadh, shrawan, Bhadau, asoj, kartik, margsir
(May to November)
Availability status in village (Total number of households growing or
having this species): It is found domesticated almost house hold of Rana
and Tharu community of the Khirriya/Padau.
Resistant/susceptible to diseases: Draught resistant, no diseases
reported by the farmers.
Marketing scope: Some times appeared in the market in lower price
particularly in June/July lean period of vegetables in the plains of Nepal
General Use value: Most of the individual uses its fruit before
ripening as cooked vegetable.
Cultural/Religious/Economical/Nutritional/medicinal: Juice from
leaf used to treat earache.
Unique features: Flowers appear on each nodes from the axils of
leaves. Each and every flower produces fruit.
Food value: Fruit, seeds, and tender shoot eaten; used as cooked
vegetable or pickle.
Management practices: Kunruk is planted
in Falgun/Chaitra (February/March) as it goes under dormancy during winter
season. With the increasing temperature its sprouting occurs. People use to
propagate its vine 1-2 meters long with diameter of Palm length (1 bitta) to
hand length (1 hat) in shallow pit about an inch below the soil. After its
planting, it is mulched followed by watering. Structures are provided for
climbing on it. It is once planted multiple harvesting are taken.
Value addition activities:
Value addition in Kunaruk is not
found. Mostly it is used fresh tender stage for culinary purpose. Some time it
is eaten as raw-salad.
