Hi Chaman, Thanks for the excellent post. I have been trying to get this plant for the past couple years but no luck. I live in Wisconsin, and growing Tindola from seeds is not going to work, as the summers are very short here. Would you be able to share or sell a root or stem, I would greatly appreciate. Sorry I don't have any exotic seeds to share other than lots of bottle gourd (doodi) and ridge gourd (turai) and I will be happy to send. I will be able to bring the pot into the sunroom in winter.

gtanaka : Wikipedia is not a reliable source when it came into precise science. When i studied in University, wikipedia is not allowed to used for paper research. Anyone can submit or edit a wikipedia's page, so while there are many useful information on that site, there are also some uninformed, inaccurate materials on that page. The page that you cited is one of them. Ivy gourd is indeed an invasise species in Hawaii, and perhaps in South Florida, but it's not listed in the Federal Noxious Weed List. It means you can obtain a permit to get the seeds imported into the US ( as long as any spices not on the list). http://plants.usda.gov/java/noxious?rptType=Federal The list is always a bit overdone regards the listed species. For example, in California and Arizona, the rules are strict, so any seeds that bought via Ebay or Amazon without a permit will get seized and confiscated. Sometimes it's a bit paranoid, but they always set high precaution. The thing is Ivy gourd should not be imported to Hawaii which has a tropical weather with humidity, fertiled soil, high rains, no period of coldness, yet they let it loosed and became a noxious weeds there. Meanwhile, the other states in the US don't have similar weather as Hawaii, so ivy gourd don;t have a chance to survive here, let alone taking over the land. Even in California, Texas, and florida, perhaps the only place Ivy gourd can survive naturally is Southern Florida which i heard already has this plant. A few years ago, I bought some seeds and tried to plant them, but they barely germinated and all died off afterward regardless how much you " baby" them or giving them optimum growing conditions. Ivy gourds can also be grown as a food source and used as medical herbals for many illnesses and diseases. It's very popular in Asian food, especially the Idians and lately also Caucasian and Hispanics. I live in southern California and I have encountered Ivy gourd only once over 10 years ago ( a few bunches were sold for one day in an Asian market in Long beach) in 20 years living here ( and never again after that). So the worriness about the invasion is exaggerated. Perhaps if people learn how to used them as a food source or medical uses, then the fear of an invasive weed would no longer be existed. This post was edited by TBQEgg11 on Thu, Dec 18, 14 at 23:03

Why would someone want this? Here is what I read @ wikipedia: "Regarded as very invasive and on the Hawaii State Noxious Weed List, ivy gourd can grow up to four inches per day. It grows in dense blankets, shading other plants from sunlight and high-jacking nutrients, effectively killing vegetation underneath.[3] Native to tropical Africa and Asia, it was introduced to Hawaii as a backyard food crop. It is sometimes tolerated along garden fences and other outdoor features because of its attractive white flowers. It has escaped to become a vigorous pest in Hawaii, Florida, Australia, and Texas. "

The white spots on the leaves are a genetic trait called silvering and it occurs in many squash species, including Coccinia grandis.The only other thing that would cause white markings would be powdery mildew,which squash are highly susseptable to,but your leaves look very healthy so. I don't think that is the case.As far as the seeds go,from the photos I looked at,ivy gourd seeds seem rather large in proportion to the fruit.It's hard to deduce any more about them without a photo of your seeds next to something to help gauge the size, perhaps honey dew melon seeds.You sound worried as if you bought them from a dealer you don't trust. I am by no means an expert on growing squash.There is an Asian Vegetable Forum here on garden web.Those people grow Asian veggies on a regular basis and can probably fill you in on a lot of information I am unaware of. I went there with questions about water spinach and they were very helpful.I'm sorry I couldn't be more help,but hopefully I've set your mind at ease a little.