Telfairia occidentalis is a tropical vine grown in West Africa as a leaf vegetable and for its edible seeds. Common names for the plant include Fluted gourd, Fluted pumpkin, and Ugu. The plant is a drought-tolerant, dioecious perennial that is usually grown trellised. The young shoots and leaves of the female plant are the main ingredients of a Nigerian soup, edikang ikong. The large (up to 5 cm), dark-red seed is rich in fat and protein, and can be eaten whole, ground into powder for another kind of soup, or made into a fermented porridge.