Medicinal
Calabash Tree
Crescentia cujete L.
Mexico to Venezuela and the Caribbean
Fun factThe genus name honors Pietro Crescenzi (1231–1321), an Italian who wrote a medieval book on agriculture, and the species name cujete comes from a Brazilian vernacular name for the tree's gourds.
A small, crooked, much-branched tree with gray, fissured bark, grown mainly for its large, round, hard-shelled fruits, which hang directly from the trunk and branches. The tubular flowers are yellowish green streaked with purple and have a musty to pungent smell. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden notes that it is often grown as a curiosity, and its irregular branching gives it an unusual outline.
Sourced · see Record tab
1on the estate
0carrying a tag
0sponsored
FamilyBignoniaceae
Spanish nameJícaro
Also known asCalabash, Common calabash tree, Jícaro, Guacal, Calabazo
Native toNative from Mexico to Venezuela and the Caribbean, including Costa Rica, though the Área de Conservación Guanacaste treats it as introduced there and finds it mainly near houses.
| Tag | Garden area | Zone | Planted | Status | Sponsored | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | A | — | Planted | — |
1 of these has no tag yet; it will be numbered when the garden team re-tags the estate.