Mexican Calabash (Crescentia alata)

25/11/2012

Crescentia alata Kunth 1818, commonly called Mexican Calabash, Gourd tree, Jicaro, Morrito or Winged Calabash, is a tropical tree, native to Central Amerika.


The Mexican calabash tree (Crescentia alata) belongs to the trumpet-flower family Bignoniaceae and reach a height of about 8-12 meters. The hard to open, cannonball-like fruits get a size of 7–10 cm in diameter and are used as containers for food and drinks and to produce music instruments. Seeds, with a licorice-like, sweet taste are edible and used to make a traditional beverage, called Semilla de Jicaro. It`s still an unsolved riddle how the Mexican calabash tree could survive, as the fruits, containing the seeds, are nearly unbreakable. It`s considerd that during the Miocene and Pliocene epochs, 12-1.6 million years ago, an elephant-like animal, the Gomphothere, could break the calabash fruits and released its seeds.


As the Gomphothere got extincted, it should need a very long period until horses, which like to eat the sweet pulp and seeds and are able to crack the fruits with their hooves, has been introduced to the environment of Crescentia alata. The trumpet-shaped flowers of the Mexican calabash tree, which sprout directly from the stems and branches (Cauliflory) and open at nighttime, get a length of about 6 cm and are often described as having a carrion smell. We couldn`t nose any smell. Parts of the plant are also used in natural medicine. The Mexican Calabash (Crescentia alata) requires a warm to hot climate and isn`t hardy. The tree is best cultivated in partial- shade to full sun and is considered as supporting the growth of Epiphytes, like Orchids, Hoyas and Bromeliads, which are attached to the tree.

Mexican Calabash (Crescentia alata)
Flower Photography © Orchids Flowers.com
Image: Mexican Calabash (Crescentia alata)


Flower Photography © Orchids Flowers.com
Image: Mexican Calabash (Crescentia alata)

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