Kantola , কাকরোল, commonly known as spiny gourd or spine gourd and also known as bristly balsam pear, is a species of flowering plant in the Cucurbitaceae/gourd family. It is used as a vegetable in all regions of India and some parts in South Asia. It has commercial importance and is exported and used locally. The fruits are cooked with spices, or fried and sometimes eaten with meat or fish. It is propagated by underground tubers. It has small leaves, small yellow flowers, it has small, dark green, round or oval fruits.

Sow the spine gourd seeds about 10mm deep and cover the seeds with soil. In a medium-sized pot, two seeds can be sown. Sprinkle some water over the soil in the pot. Please make sure they get above 22 degrees temperature AT ALL time otherwise they won't germinate. Water regularly but make sure the soil doesn't get wet but keep moist. The seeds germinates between 4 to 6 weeks depending on the heat and humid conditions.