Kovakkai

Kovakkai, kundru or tindora in Hindi, is ivy gourd, a perennial climber whose small, oblong, green-striped fruits are a common Indian vegetable. Kovakkai fry, tindora sabzi and pickles are everyday dishes. Male and female flowers grow on separate plants. It has become an invasive vine in Hawaii and some Pacific islands.

Botanical name

Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt

Family

Cucurbitaceae

Tamil

Kovakkai

Hindi

Kundru

Sanskrit

Bimbi

Parts used

Unripe fruits, Sometimes leaves in lists

Habit

Climbing gourd with small oblong green fruit

Last updated

2026-10-27

How to recognise Kovakkai

It is a perennial climbing vine with simple tendrils and a tuberous root.

The leaves are smooth, ivy-like and three- to five-lobed.

The flowers are white, bell-shaped and five-lobed.

The fruits are oblong, three to six centimetres long, green with white stripes, ripening bright red.

Pulivanji, Solena amplexicaulis, has stalkless leaves that clasp the stem.

Its fleshy, tuberous root lets the vine regrow after it is cut back.

Traditional use of Kovakkai

Kitchen

Sliced kovakkai is stir-fried as poriyal or fry in Tamil Nadu and as tindora sabzi in Gujarat.

Indian food practice

Kitchen

Young fruits are pickled with mustard and chilli.

Indian food practice

Folk use

The leaves and fruit are used in folk practice for diabetes.

Indian folk practice

Modern notes on Kovakkai

Small trials of ivy gourd extract for blood sugar show modest effects, but evidence is not strong.

The fruit is low in calories and supplies fibre.

It is spread by birds that eat the red fruits and by cuttings.

In Thailand the young shoots and leaves are cooked as a green called tam lueng.

Kovakkai safety

Ivy gourd is a safe vegetable. People with diabetes should not replace medicines with it.

Ecology and sourcing

It is native to Africa and tropical Asia.

Bees pollinate its flowers.

It smothers native trees in Hawaii and Guam.

Related plants

Also in Cucurbitaceae

Questions about Kovakkai

What is tindora?

The Gujarati name for ivy gourd.

Are red fruits edible?

They are sweet but usually eaten green.

Why does my plant not fruit?

It may be a male plant.

Is Kovakkai invasive?

In some Pacific islands.

Does Kovakkai help diabetes?

Evidence is weak.

How is Kovakkai grown?

From cuttings of female plants, so every vine bears fruit.

Sources

• Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
• Wikidata item Q727330 (Coccinia grandis)

Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.