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Gourd. In England, a generic name for species of Cucurbita (which see). In America the term is used to designate those cucurbitous fruits that are hard shelled, and are used for ornament or for the making of domestic utensils. The gourd of history is probably Lagenaria. In the northern United States, the small hard-shelled forms of Cucurbila pepo (var. ovifera) are commonly understood when the word gourd is used. The gourds in the American trade are referable to their species as follows:
Anaconda, Lagenaria vulgaris.
Apple-shaped, Cucurbita pepo Var. ovifera.
Bicolor, Cucurbita Pepo Var. ovifera
Bonnet, Luffa. Ostrich Egg, Cucumis dip*
Bottle-shaped, Lagenaria vulgaris.
Pear-shaped, Cucurbita Pepo
Calabash. Crescentia cujete, yields the true calabash, but the calabash gourd is Lagenaria vulgaris.
Coloquinte, Cucurbita pepo Var. ovifera (Colocynth is cucumber, which is a
Citrullus colocynthis).
Dipper, Lagenaria vulgaris.
Dipsaceous, Cucumis dipsaceus.
Dish-cloth, Luffa.
Egg, Egg-shape, Cucurbila pepo Var. ovifera.
Gooseberry,Cucumis anguria.
Hedgehog, Cucumis dipsaceus.
Hercules' Club, Lagenaria vulgaris.
Mate Gourd, small form of Lagenaria vulgaris.
Mock Orange, Cucurbita pepo.
Onion - shaped, Cucurbita pepo.
Orange, Cucurbita pepo Var. ovifera.
Ostrich Egg, Cucumis dipsaceus.
Pear-shaped, Cucurbita pepo Var. ovifera. (Fig. 1134).
Powder Horn, Lagenaria vulgaris.
Rag, Luffa.
Serpent or Snake (not Snake cucumber, which is a Cucumis), Lagenaria vulgaris and Trichosanthes.
Sponge, Luffa.
Spoon, Lagenaria vulgaris.
Sugar Trough, Lagenaria vulgaris.
Tashkent, Cucurbita pepo Var. ovifera.
Turk’s Turban, Cucurbita pepo Var. ovifera.
Vegetable sponge, Luffa.
Wax Gourd, Benincasa hispida.
L. H. B.
[[Image:Calebasse.jpg|thumb|A [[calabash]] gourd, used for drinking ''[[yerba mate|mate]]'' tea.]]
[[Image:Calebasse.jpg|thumb|A [[calabash]] gourd, used for drinking ''[[yerba mate|mate]]'' tea.]]
A '''gourd''' is a hollow, dried [[shell (fruit)|shell]] of a [[fruit]] in the [[Cucurbitaceae]] family of [[plant]]s. Gourds can be used as a number of things, including bowls or bottles. Gourds are also used as [[resonating chamber]]s on certain [[musical instrument]]s including the [[berimbau]] and many other [[stringed instrument]]s and [[drum]]s. Instruments of this type are fairly common in [[Africa]], [[South Asia]], and the [[Caribbean]]. Gourds are also used as a tool for sipping [[yerba mate]] by means of a [[bombilla]], in [[Uruguay]], [[Argentina]], [[Paraguay]] and [[Brazil]], where it is called "cuia" (kOOya). Birdhouse gourds, (Lagenaria siceraria), are commonly used in southern USA for group housing for [[Purple Martin|purple martins]], which reputedly help control [[mosquito]]es. "Gourd" can also refer to the live fruit before it is dried, or to the entire plant that produces that fruit.
A '''gourd''' is a hollow, dried [[shell (fruit)|shell]] of a [[fruit]] in the [[Cucurbitaceae]] family of [[plant]]s. Gourds can be used as a number of things, including bowls or bottles. Gourds are also used as [[resonating chamber]]s on certain [[musical instrument]]s including the [[berimbau]] and many other [[stringed instrument]]s and [[drum]]s. Instruments of this type are fairly common in [[Africa]], [[South Asia]], and the [[Caribbean]]. Gourds are also used as a tool for sipping [[yerba mate]] by means of a [[bombilla]], in [[Uruguay]], [[Argentina]], [[Paraguay]] and [[Brazil]], where it is called "cuia" (kOOya). Birdhouse gourds, (Lagenaria siceraria), are commonly used in southern USA for group housing for [[Purple Martin|purple martins]], which reputedly help control [[mosquito]]es. "Gourd" can also refer to the live fruit before it is dried, or to the entire plant that produces that fruit.
