Świątniki, near Łódź

Pumpkin flower; polyphyllic, insects pollinated. Native to subtropical areas of South America (Argentina-Bolivia-Uruguay) where it was first domesticated. Bees feeding plant. Edible plant - giant fruits and seeds processed different ways; oil from seeds. Edible plant - fruits cooked, a delicious flavour when baked, rather like a sweet potato, the flesh can be dried, ground into a powder and used with cereals in making bread, cakes etc; seeds raw or cooked, an oil is obtained from the seed; young flowers raw or cooked, they are often dipped in batter and fried; young leaves and stems cooked, the leaves contain up to 5% protein. Herbal plant - the seeds are mildly diuretic and vermifuge, as a remedy for internal parasites, the seeds are less potent than the root of Dryopteris felix-mas, but they are safer for pregnant women, debilitated patients and children; the leaves are applied externally to burns, the sap of the plant and the pulp of the fruit can also be used; the fruits pulp is used as a decoction to relieve intestinal inflammation.