bottle gourd

bottle gourd
also called  white-flowered gourd , or  calabash gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) 

      running or climbing vine, of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), native to the Old World tropics but cultivated in warm climates for centuries for its ornamental and useful hard-shelled fruits.

      Many forms of the bottle gourd have been cultivated for specific purposes, and the sizes of the vines, leaves, and flowers, as well as the sizes and shapes of the fruits, vary greatly. The forms are named for the shape of the fruit—e.g., club, dipper, dolphin, kettle, and trough.

      A bottle gourd vine is quick-growing, with a hairy stem, long forked tendrils, and a musky odour. The large, showy white flowers and dense foliage make it a popular screen and ornamental plant. The hard-shelled fruits, edible when young, are made into water bottles, dippers, spoons, pipes, and many other utensils and containers. They also are fashioned into birdhouses, fancy ornaments, lamps, and musical instruments. The fruits of some cultivated varieties may be more than 1 m (about 3 feet) long. Bottle gourds may be grown easily from seed but require a long, hot growing season to mature.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bottle gourd — Bottle Bot tle, n. [OE. bote, botelle, OF. botel, bouteille, F. bouteille, fr. LL. buticula, dim. of butis, buttis, butta, flask. Cf. {Butt} a cask.] 1. A hollow vessel, usually of glass or earthenware (but formerly of leather), with a narrow… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • bottle gourd — noun Old World climbing plant with hard shelled bottle shaped gourds as fruits • Syn: ↑calabash, ↑Lagenaria siceraria • Hypernyms: ↑gourd, ↑gourd vine • Member Holonyms: ↑Lagenaria, ↑gen …   Useful english dictionary

  • bottle gourd — paprastasis ilgmoliūgis statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Moliūginių šeimos daržovinis, vaistinis nuodingas augalas (Lagenaria siceraria), paplitęs atogrąžose. Naudojamas dirbiniams. atitikmenys: lot. Cucurbita lagenaria; Cucurbita leucantha; …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • bottle-gourd — bottˈle gourd noun A climbing, musky scented Indian cucurbitaceous annual, with bottle shaped fruit (also false calabash) • • • Main Entry: ↑bottle …   Useful english dictionary

  • bottle gourd — bot′tle gourd n. pln a hard shelled gourd, Lagenaria siceraria, whose dried shell is used for bowls and other utensils • Etymology: 1860–65 …   From formal English to slang

  • bottle gourd — noun Date: 1652 a common cultivated gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) having a variably shaped fruit with a hard shell that is sometimes used as a container …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • bottle gourd. — See under gourd (def. 1). [1860 65] * * * …   Universalium

  • bottle gourd. — See under gourd (def. 1). [1860 65] …   Useful english dictionary

  • gourd´like´ — gourd «grd, gohrd, gurd», noun. 1. the fruit of certain vines, with hard rinds and many flat seeds. It belongs to the gourd family. One kind, the bottle gourd, is dried and hollowed out and used for cups, bowls, bottles, and other utensils. 2.… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Bottle — Bot tle, n. [OE. bote, botelle, OF. botel, bouteille, F. bouteille, fr. LL. buticula, dim. of butis, buttis, butta, flask. Cf. {Butt} a cask.] 1. A hollow vessel, usually of glass or earthenware (but formerly of leather), with a narrow neck or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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