Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Cucurbitales > Cucurbitaceae > Cucurbita > Cucurbita foetidissima

Cucurbita foetidissima (calabazilla; Missouri gourd; buffalogourd pumpkin; buffalo gourd; wild gourd; wild pumkin)

Synonyms:

Wikipedia Abstract

Cucurbita foetidissima is a tuberous xerophytic plant found in the central and southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It has numerous common names, including: buffalo gourd, calabazilla, chilicote, coyote gourd, fetid gourd, fetid wild pumpkin, Missouri gourd, prairie gourd, stinking gourd, wild gourd, and wild pumpkin. The type specimen was collected from Mexico by Humboldt and Bonpland sometime before 1817. Geographic location and genetics make it highly likely that Cucurbita scabridifolia originated as a naturally occurring hybrid of C. foetidissima and Cucurbita pedatifolia.
View Wikipedia Record: Cucurbita foetidissima

Attributes

Bloom Period [1]  Summer
Drought Tolerance [1]  High
Edible [2]  May be edible. See the Plants For A Future link below for details.
Fire Tolerance [1]  High
Flower Type [2]  Monoecious
Frost Free Days [1]  5 months 10 days
Fruit/Seed Abundance [1]  High
Fruit/Seed Begin [1]  Summer
Fruit/Seed End [1]  Fall
Growth Form [1]  Single Crown
Growth Period [1]  Spring, Summer
Growth Rate [1]  Rapid
Hazards [2]  The sprouting seed produces a toxic substance in its embryo; There is a report that the root is poisonous;
Leaf Type [1]  Deciduous
Lifespan [2]  Perennial
Pollinators [2]  Insects, Lepidoptera
Propagation [1]  Bare Root, Container, Seed
Regrowth Rate [1]  Rapid
Root Depth [1]  12 inches (30 cm)
Seed Spread Rate [1]  Rapid
Seed Vigor [1]  High
Seeds Per [1]  23000 / lb (50706 / kg)
Shape/Orientation [1]  Prostrate
Structure [2]  Vine
Usage [2]  The fruit is used as a soap substitute; The fruit is cut up and simmered in water to obtain the soap which can be used for removing stains; The fruit can also be dried and stored for later use; It is often used with the root which is also a soap substitute; The soap is said to be effective in removing stains from clothing; The dried fruits have a tough, thick skin. They can be used whole as rattles or can be carved to make ladles, spoons etc; The root is a rich source of starch; (Industrial uses?)
Vegetative Spread Rate [1]  None
Flower Color [1]  Yellow
Foliage Color [1]  Green
Fruit Color [1]  Yellow
Flower Conspicuous [1]  Yes
Fruit Conspicuous [1]  Yes
Height [2]  20 feet (6 m)
Hardiness Zone Minimum [1]  USDA Zone: 4 Low Temperature: -30 F° (-34.4 C°) → -20 F° (-28.9 C°)
Light Preference [1]  Full Sun
Soil Acidity [1]  Strong Base
Soil Fertility [1]  Infertile
Water Use [1]  Low
Screening - Summer [1]  Porous
Screening - Winter [1]  Porous
View Plants For A Future Record : Cucurbita foetidissima

Protected Areas

Predators

Melittia gloriosa (Glorious Squash Vine Borer)[3]
Xerospermophilus spilosoma (spotted ground squirrel)[4]

External References

USDA Plant Profile

NatureServe Explorer

Citations

Attributes / relations provided by
♦ 1USDA Plants Database, U. S. Department of Agriculture
♦ 2Plants For A Future licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
♦ 3HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants Gaden S. Robinson, Phillip R. Ackery, Ian J. Kitching, George W. Beccaloni AND Luis M. Hernández
♦ 4Spermophilus spilosoma, Donald P. Streubel and James P. Fitzgerald, MAMMALIAN SPECIES No. 101, pp. 1-4 (1978)
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0