Buffalo gourd

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Buffalo gourd

Buffalo gourd flowers

Buffalo gourd leaf and flower

Buffalo gourd fruit

Buffalo gourd

Buffalo gourd

Buffalo gourd leaves

Buffalo gourd leaf

Buffalo gourd fruit

Buffalo gourd

Buffalo gourd

Buffalo gourd fruit

Buffalo gourd fruit

Morphology

Stem

Trailing, radiating 5-25 feet from large taproot, stout, rough, forming large leafy mats.

Leaves

Foul-smelling when crushed, alternate, simple, long-stalked, triangular-ovate, 4-12 inches long, 2-8 inches wide, slightly 3-5 lobed, thick, rough, grayish green; margins irregularly toothed; tips pointed.

Inflorescence

Solitary flowers in leaf axils.

Flower

Large, showy; male and female flowers produced separately on same plant, staminate flowers on stalks 1-2 inches long, pistillate flowers sessile; calyces 5-parted; corollas bell-shaped, 5-lobed to about middle, 2-5 inches long, to 4 inches wide, yellow to orange; stamens 5, anthers united.

Fruit

Gourds, spherical, 2-4 inches in diameter, green with lighter stripes, glabrous; seeds flattened, smooth, straw-colored.

Ecology

Habitat

Dry, disturbed areas, waste places, roadsides, and fence lines, commonly in sandy or gravelly soils.

Distribution

Throughout Kansas.

Practical Information

Uses

Native Americans attributed mystical and medicinal powers to the root. Special care was taken when unearthing the root, for it was believed that an injury to the root would lead to injury of oneself or one's family members. The gourds were sometimes made into ceremonial and children's rattles.

Additional Notes