E10

Gourds

What are gourds? What do gourd plants look like? Loofah Bottle gourds Snake gourd Other types of gourd Can gourds be grown in Britain? Where can gourds be seen at Kew? Further information
	Bottle gourds (Lagenaria spp.) growing in the Waterlily House

Gourds are the fruits of various plants in the Cucurbitaceae (cucumber family). Other, more familiar, plants in the same family are melons (Cucumis melo), squashes, pumpkins and marrows (Cucurbita species). Most gourds originated in the tropics and they were probably among the earliest cultivated plants, as they are of considerable value as sources of food, utensils and ornaments.

The plants are generally vines which climb by means of tendrils. Their leaves are lobed or divided, and are arranged alternately along the stem. The flowers have five sepals, five petals and up to five stamens. Many of the fruits have a coloured rind that hardens as it matures.

The fruit of the loofah (Luffa cylindrica), also known as the sponge or dishcloth gourd, is familiar as a coarse mesh sponge used in the bath. As the long cylindrical fruit matures, its skin changes from green to yellow and then brown. After soaking in water, the skin can be peeled off to reveal the cylindrical network of cream or golden fibres. The seeds and pulp are washed away and then the loofah is dried in the sun. Loofahs are grown commercially in most tropical regions but the best come from Japan.

The fibrous network provides a very efficient shock absorber, and as such is used to make sandals and insoles for shoes as well as stuffing for mattresses and saddles. Its good insulation properties are valuable for pot-holders, table mats, doormats and linings for army helmets. Until recently, loofahs were also used as filters in ships engines.

Loofah fruits can be eaten, but L. cylindrica tastes rather bitter and may be toxic. The other commonly grown species, L. acutangula, makes better eating and is harvested at 10 cm long for this purpose. Both species are valued in folk medicine. Their leaves were used in the treatment of skin diseases, and the juice from the stem for respiratory complaints and as a skin lotion. The seeds have an emetic and purgative action.

The bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) is particularly interesting because it is one of the few plants that was cultivated in both the Old and New Worlds in prehistoric times. Several early civilisations used its dried fruits as storage containers; the ancient Hawaiians alone had over 40 different uses for it. The plant may have originated in Africa. Its dry fruits, capable of floating for considerable periods, were probably distributed to South America by sea.

Bottle gourds are also sometimes known as calabashes, not to be confused with the fruits of the calabash tree (Crescentia cujete). They come in an amazing variety of shapes, sizes and colours. Some may reach 3 m in length whilst others may be up to 2 m round. Colours vary from dark green to almost white and they may be mottled or striped, warted, ridged or smooth.

Probably the first, and still the most important, use of the bottle gourd was as a water carrier. The natural hourglass shape of some varieties allowed a rope to be attached. They were also used as containers for making butter, cheese and beer, and for storing dry materials such as grains.

In Japan, the bottle gourd itself was eaten - the flesh was cut into strips and dried in the sun before consumption. Amongst the medicinal uses of the bottle gourd were as a purgative, an antidote for certain poisons and a cure for coughs. An infusion of the seeds was drunk to cure chills and for headaches, and juice from the leaves was taken against jaundice and to cure baldness! In early Peruvian civilisations, bottle gourds were even used in head surgery. A broken piece of skull was replaced by a piece of gourd shell, and the skin stitched back over it.

Bottle gourds are also used as floats for fishing nets and in raft-making. An unusual method of catching ducks involved floating bottle gourds on lakes for several days so that the ducks became used to them. Hunters, with their heads concealed by other gourds, would then swim towards the ducks and catch hold of them from under water.

Dried gourds can be carved into spoons, pipes, snuff boxes and bird houses, decorated as ornaments and made into articles of clothing such as hats, masks and penis sheaths. They are also widely used in musical instruments including rattles, xylophones and drums as well as wind and stringed instruments.

The snake gourd (Trichosanthes cucumerina var. anguina) is something of a curiosity. Its fruits, which can be up to 2 m long, often curl up into strange shapes, turning brilliant orange and then red as they mature. In some places, it is customary to suspend a small stone from the end of the fruit to weight it down and induce it to grow straighter than it would otherwise. During its early growth, the gourd can be tied in knots or constricted by string to produce some very interesting shapes. The young gourds can be eaten sliced, like french beans, or used in curries.

There are many other types of gourd, some of which are grown purely as ornaments. Fruits of Cucurbita pepo are shaped like eggs, apples, pears, bells, fingers or stars; the "crown of thorns" or holy gourd has five prongs. Some gourds are bicoloured with a striped or banded appearance. Long soft spines form a dense surface covering on the teasel gourd (Cucumis dipsaceus) whilst the hedgehog gourd (Cucumis metuliferus; also known as the horned cucumber or kiwano) has stiff stout prickles. Hedgehog gourds, which are just beginning to appear in supermarkets in this country, have a bright orange skin and green flesh when ripe. Their flavour has been described as being half-way between that of a banana and a lemon, with an aftertaste of passion fruit.

Wax gourds (Benincasa hispida) can be stored for up to a year without refrigeration, due to their coating of white wax. Although in the past this wax was used in candle manufacture, the gourd is generally grown as a source of food, particularly in India and China, where it is eaten raw, as a cooked vegetable or as a sweetmeat. Bitter gourds or balsam pears (Mormordica charantia) have fruits which are orange or reddish when mature. The warted skin then splits into three sections, exposing the seeds which are covered with a sticky red pulp. Although the young fruit is used as a green vegetable, the major use of this gourd is in folk medicine. Its alternative name of leprosy gourd arose from its use in the treatment of this complaint.

There is increasing interest in the buffalo gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima) as a crop plant for dry areas. It has a huge starchy root which can be used as a source of food and its seeds contain appreciable quantities of oil and protein.

Many ornamental gourds (Cucumis pepo) are hardy enough to be grown outside once the danger of frost is past. These gourds are best sown in a glasshouse in April, and then planted out into a rich soil in May. They are vigorous trailing plants which require some support, particularly when the fruits begin to appear. In autumn the fruits should be removed from the vine and ripened indoors.

Bottle gourds, loofahs and snake gourds can be cultivated successfully in a glasshouse. The plants need a rich well-drained soil and plenty of water throughout the growing season. They can be grown in full sun or partial shade but require temperatures greater than 18C. Loofahs are annual plants which, in this country, often die before they produce fruit. Their seeds should be sown early in the season to ensure that they have a long enough growing period.

Various members of the Cucurbitaceae are grown in the Order Beds at Kew and in the Waterlily House.

Bailey, L. H., 1937. The Garden of Gourds, Macmillan
Heiser, C. B., 1979. The Gourd Book, University of Oklahoma Press
Herklots, G. A. C., 1972. Vegetables in South-East Asia, George Allen and Unwin
Jenuwein, H., 1988. Avocado, Banana, Coffee: How to grow useful exotic plants for fun, British Museum (Natural History)
Organ, J., 1963. Gourds: Decorative and Edible, for Garden, Craftwork and Table, Faber and Faber
Purseglove, J. W., 1968. Tropical Crops: Dicotyledons, vol. 1, Longman
Wayne's Word. The Wild and Wonderful World of Gourds.