Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
A wax layer develops on the rind of winter melon as the fruit ripens, hence the alternative common name.
CALABASH, BOTTLE GOURD
Lagenaria siceraria
The calabash is one of the oldest crop plants in the world. The unripe fruits, leaves, and shoots of vari-
eties with minimal bitter cucurbitacin content are prepared as vegetables. In Pakistan, leaves are re-
moved of their veins and eaten like spinach. Its dried shells are valued decoratively, in arts and crafts,
and for many utilitarian items: bowls, ladles, spoons, drinking vessels, pipes, musical instruments, and
much more. Different varieties produce wildly varying fruit shapes whose hardened rind can serve a
multitude of purposes; for example, one cultivar ('Weinheberkürbis') was used in the wine-growing
regions of Austria and Hungary to siphon wine out of casks.
POLLINATION NOTES
Flowers are white, smaller than those of
Cucurbita
species, and as thin as tissue
paper. Calabash plants are monoecious, producing long-stemmed male flowers and short-stemmed fe-
male flowers. Male and female flowers open in the evening. Over night, various night-active insects
carry pollen to female flowers; during the day, hoverflies take over. Bumblebees and honeybees can
also pollinate calabash. Flowers wilt the day after blossoming and lose their petals a few days later.
When growing indoors or when it is too windy for insects to pollinate effectively, hand pollination is
necessary.
GROWING FOR SEED
Plants need to climb. Certain varieties with long fruits need their fruits to hang
so they can grow straight. In this way it is also easier to select for long, true-to-type fruits. Calabash
fruits should stay on the plant until the first frost. As long as the growing season is not very short in
your area, even large-fruited varieties should be able to produce ripe seed.
