Crescentia cujete
Calabash Tree
Qty
$ 3.51 /packet
10
seeds
Native to tropical America, Calabash is outstanding in the landscape for its peculiar form and year-round production of flowers and fruit, both of which are unusual. The 2" flowers are yellow and green with red or purple veins, cup-shaped, and appear to emerge directly from the branches. These are followed by large, round fruit, 5 to 12" in diameter, with a smooth, hard shell, which hang directly beneath the branches.
Dried Calabash goards are painted in bright colors and are fashioned into all sorts of decorative and useful objects, including maracas, bowls and containers. Carib Indians carve elaborate designs into the woody gourds during the softer green stage. When dry, the woody gourds are permanently etched with beautiful designs of native animals. Crescentia cujete is a small tree, growing to about 30' in height. Strictly tropical, it also makes an intriguing conservatory tree.
Zone 10+