Lagenaria siceraria is a member of the Cucurbitaceae (gourd) family.

The bottle gourd probably originated in south-central Africa. It has been used by people for thousands of years in the topics and subtropics. The bottle gourd is an annual climbing vine with large leaves (6 to 12 inches in diameter) and a lush appearance. The foliage is covered with soft hairs. The branched vines and tendrils spread or climb 10 to 50 feet in length. The large, white flowers are characteristic of the plant and open in the evening and remain open until the following midday. Pollination is by insects. The background color of the gourds is either light green or dark green. The size of the fruit varies from 2-12 inches in diameter and from 4-36 inches in length. The fruit can have a sterile (seedless) neck that varies from a few to 15 inches in length and from 1-2 inches in width. Wider necks usually contain seeds. Gourds may be round, bottle-shaped, dumbbell- shaped, crook- necked, coiled or spoon shaped.

Other names. Yugao (Japanese); po gua (Cantonese Chinese); kwa kwa (Chinese); upo (Filipino); bau (Vietnamese); dudhi, lauki (Indian).

Marketing. The young fruit tastes just like zucchini. Most people don't know what to do with it but it has had a steady market over the years.

Use. Young bottle gourd fruits are eaten as a boiled vegetable. When bottle gourds are to be used as containers they may be constricted by bands to make a particular shape. Gourds may be preserved with a coat of wax, lacquer or shellac. Well-treated gourds become durable containers, churns, ladles, spoons, pipes, carved objects and musical instruments.

Nutrition. The bottle gourd is not an important source of any nutrient. The composition of 100 grams of young bottle gourd includes 20 mg calcium and 6 mg of Vitamin C.

Climatic requirements. The bottle gourd can be grown anywhere in California during the frost-free periods of the year. For best growth gourds need hot days and warm nights. Under good conditions it will grow vigorously and rapidly.

Propagation and care. Space plants 9 feet apart. Plant seeds 1-1/2 inches deep in raised beds or mounds in full sun. In short-season areas, start seed indoors in pots 3-4 weeks before average last frost. A trellis is advised but vines may be allowed to run on the ground. Soil, water and fertilizer needs are similar to squashes, melons and cucumbers.

Fruit size is related to plant vigor, the number of fruits set, and the time of year. Larger fruits are obtained by reducing competition, in other words, by pruning off other newly set young fruits.

With ground culture, the use of mulch helps to prevent fruit-rotting, but fruits often form away from the mulch. Harvest gourds when vines are dry. Cut some stem with each gourd and hang to dry in cool, airy place.

W. Atlee Burpee & Co., 300 Park Avenue, Warmister, PA 18974
Sunrise Enterprises, P.O. Box 10058, Elmwood, Conn. 06110-0058

Native Seeds, 2509 N. Campbell Avenue #325, Tuscon, AZ 85719

Tsang and Ma, P. O. Box 5644, Redwood City, CA 94063

Compiled by Claudia Myers, Small Farm Center, and Ed Perry, Farm Advisor, Modesto.

Captions:

Figure 1. Bottle gourd growing on a trellis in Taiwan. (Photo by I-Mo Fu).

Figure 2. Bottle gourd growing on the ground in California. Note the varying sizes and shapes. (Photo by Hunter Johnson).

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