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Bignoniaceae
Calabash
Crescentia cujete
Utility and creativity.
- Family
- Bignoniaceae
- Genus
- Crescentia
- Native to
- Central America, Caribbean, Northern South America
- Bloom season
- Spring, Summer
- Type
- evergreen tree
- Height
- 20-30 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- Fertile, moist, well-drained soil
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 10-12
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Calabash flowers grow directly from the trunk and branches in a phenomenon called cauliflory, pollinated by bats at night.
- The hard-shelled gourd fruits have been used as bowls, cups, musical instruments, and containers for thousands of years.
- In many Caribbean and African cultures, calabash gourds are decorated and used as ceremonial and spiritual objects.
- The flowers open at night and emit a musty odor to attract their bat pollinators.
- Calabash pulp is used in traditional medicine throughout the tropics to treat respiratory problems and headaches.
Color meanings
0
resourcefulness
1
creativity
2
provision