Squash
Bottle gourd
Bottle gourd: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
Bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria, is an annual climber whose fruit develops a hard shell at maturity. It belongs to the cucurbit family. Its most distinctive feature is that durable covering, used for containers and objects. Fruit may be bottle shaped, round, club shaped or very elongated. The name bottle gourd therefore covers a range of shapes within this species, even when an individual selection has no narrow neck.Young fruit has green skin, sometimes paler or marked according to variety. Inside is white flesh, then the structure changes as maturity advances. The shell becomes firm and seeds develop within it. These are flattened, and their shape also varies between selections. Fruit size ranges from small decorative forms to large gourds. A precise cultivar name indicates expected proportions more usefully than the species name alone. Shape and final size are important selection features.The plant has long stems and tendrils that contribute to…
