Lagenaria siceraria
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- lag-en-AR-ee-uh sy-ker-AR-ee-uh
- Description
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Bottle gourd (also known as calabash) is an annual vegetable, climbing vine and a member of the cucumber family that is widely cultivated for its interestingly shaped fruits. The large white flowers open at night and fruit set is enhanced by hand pollination. Seeds, leaves, flowers, and young stems are all edible. The genus name derives from the Greek word, lagenos, for vase or flask.
Bottle gourd does best in sandy or loamy, well-drained, soil in full sun and will tolerate hot, humid summers. Direct seed outdoors after the danger of frost has passed and the ground temperature reaches 70 degrees F. Plant several seeds in mounds 3 feet apart if growing on supports or 4 to 6 feet apart is the vine will trail on the ground. Provide consistent moisture. The plants grow from seed quickly, but require a long hot summer to mature. Harvest the fruit when the skin has hardened.
If the gourds are intended for ornamental purposes, provide support structures for the vines to keep the fruit from touching the ground. The hard shells of mature fruits are waterproof and they can be dried and used for containers, musical instruments or ornamental decoration. The vines, with their showy flowers and dense foliage, can also be used as a screen.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:
Potential insect problems include aphids, cucumber beetles, squash bugs, stink bugs, cutworms, pickleworm and squash vine borers. Potential disease problems include anthracnose, fusarium wilt, bacterial wilt, downy mildew, powdery mildew and blights.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Lagenaria
- Species:
- siceraria
- Family:
- Cucurbitaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The fruit is edible and the outer shell is ornamental or can be used as a container.
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Western Tropical Africa to Ethiopia and Tanzania
- Distribution:
- Distributed to eastern and central United States, Britain, South America, France, India, and parts of Asia.
- Wildlife Value:
- Attracts hummingbirds.
- Climbing Method:
- Twining
- Edibility:
- Seeds, leaves, flowers, and young stems are all edible when the fruit is young. As it ages off the vine, the fruit hardens leaving the seeds inside.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 0 ft. 9 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.
- Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 16 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Vegetable
- Vine
- Habit/Form:
- Creeping
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Rapid
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Medium
- Appendage:
- Tendrils
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Available Space To Plant:
- 3 feet-6 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Summer
- Fruit Length:
- > 3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- > 3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- Fruit (a pepo to 3 feet long) has a smooth, light green skin when young, but matures to yellow or light brown. Mature fruits take a variety of shapes, including rounded, dumbbell-shaped, bottle-shaped or crookneck-shaped. The fruit is fleshy and dry but not split open.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- White
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Trumpet
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Description:
- Night-blooming, trumpet-shaped, flowers are generally white or yellow, blooming in July and August, and there are five petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Rough
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Lobed
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Width:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- Each vine is covered with large, hairy, broad-ovate, dark green 12 inch leaves with two-branched tendrils. The alternate leaves are simple, lobed but not separated into leaflets, there is one leaf per node along the stem. The leaf edge is serrated and lobed.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Theme:
- Edible Garden
- Design Feature:
- Screen/Privacy
- Attracts:
- Hummingbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Heat
- Humidity
- Problems:
- Frequent Disease Problems
- Frequent Insect Problems
