Calabash tree Crescentia cujete
People use this tree’s hard fruits to make bowls, spoons and musical instruments.
The calabash tree is a shrubby tree that can reach six to 10 metres in height. While the large, round fruits resemble watermelons, the raw fruit is poisonous except for the seeds.
The calabash tree in a nutshell
- inhabits
- the Caribbean and Central America
- flowers
- all year round
- excels at
- producing large, firm fruit
Huge fruit
The calabash tree is capable of producing fruit up to 40 centimetres in diameter. The hard skin of the fruit is often used for making pots, dishes, spoons and musical instruments. The raw flesh is poisonous to humans, but can be consumed after pickling in vinegar. The seeds of the fruit are eaten roasted.
Flowers for bats
The flowers of the calabash tree are bell-shaped and 5 to 6.5 inches in length, and they open at night. Because they grow directly on the trunk and low branches, bats and other nocturnal creatures can easily spread the pollen while drinking nectar. If the flowers grew on thin branches, the weight of the pollinators would cause them to break off.
Mythical tree
The calabash tree features in the myths of the Mayans. Nowadays, the fruit and the leaf of the tree are used in Suriname to treat a variety of ailments. The leaf is also used in ritual baths aimed at providing protection from the spirits of the deceased and supernatural powers, and to relieve spiritual fatigue.