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Buffalo gourd

Cucurbita foetidissima

Summary 7

Cucurbita foetidissima is a perennial herbacious vine found in the central and southwestern United States as well as northern Mexico. The plant is well adapted to desert environments and contains high amounts of protein and carbohydrates.

Botanical Information 8

Cucurbita foetidissima commonly known as Missouri gourd or buffalo gourd is a member of the cucumber family, Cucurbitaceae. Other common names include calabazilla, chilicote, coyote gourd, fetid gourd, fetid wild pumpkin, prairie gourd, stinking gourd, wild gourd, and wild pumpkin. The plants are often 20-30 feet across with leaves as much as 12 inches long. Its leaves are triangle-shaped with stiff and rough hairs. They are generally simple, meaning one leaf per petiole, and grow from the vine stem in an alternate pattern. The flowers are either male of female growing on the same plant. They are deeply cup-shaped from 4 to 12 cm long and yellow to orange in color. The fruits are round gourds around 10cm in diameter with a rind that is firm, smooth to rough or grooved. The fruit produces many seeds shorter than 20 mm, that are ovate, flat and have margins that are thick or raised.

Ecological Information 8

The foliage has a strong odor that many consider unpleasant. It grows in sandy, gravelly soils in full sun. It is well adapted to grow in conditions with little water. It has a deep taproot that forms during the first year and contains lots of carbohydrates that may be a good source of biofuel. The starch content in the dried root is between 47.5% and 56%. Buffalo gourd generally flowers from June to August. The young fruit is edible for both humans and animals. Whole buffalo gourd seeds contain approximately 31% crude protein, which is usable for human consumption and for feed. Fresh leaves or whole plants can be used as animal food.

Ethnobotanical Information 8

The fresh young gourd can be eaten like squash, however the mature fruit is no longer edible, due to bitter compounds. The seeds can be eaten after being prepared by roasting or boiling. The extractable oil content in whole seeds ranges from 24.3% to 50%. Linoleic acid, an essential polyunsaturated fatty acid, comprises 38% to 65% of the oil. The composition of this oil is similar to other common edible oils. In many Native American cultures, the fruit and other parts of the plant, buffalo gourd oil, were used for soap. They would also use the mature gourd for making musical instruments such as rattles. The Zuni people use a poultice of powdered seeds and flowers to reduce swellings. The dried root was powdered and combined with water to drink as a laxative or to induce labor during childbirth. (Note: Ethnographic reports often lack important contextual information and relevant traditional ecological knowledge.)

References 9

https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/core/profile?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita_foetidissima
https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=21361
https://calscape.org/Cucurbita-foetidissima-(Missouri-Gourd)
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CUFO

Bosque Field Guide
Cartron, Lightfoot, Mygatt, Brantley, Lowrey. (2008). A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque. (p. 80). New Mexico, University of New Mexico Press.

About the Author 10

Student author(s)*: Kevin (age 16) from Menaul School

*The entries in this field guide have been edited by Yerba Mansa Project staff to ensure that they contain quality, fact-checked content and standardized formatting. https://yerbamansaproject.org/

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Crop Wild Relatives, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/cropwildrelatives/6857949299/
  2. (c) stonebird, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonebird/22532376/
  3. (c) Arthur Chapman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/arthur_chapman/29916451636/
  4. (c) Arthur Chapman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/arthur_chapman/29916467106/
  5. (c) Over The Arroyo Gang, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/otaghiking/9656542123/
  6. (c) Juniperus_scopulorum, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/82244653@N08/14836202137/
  7. Adapted by Hannah from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita_foetidissima
  8. Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
  9. Adapted by Hannah from a work by (c) caseynm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
  10. Adapted by albuquerqueherbalism from a work by (c) caseynm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

iNat Map

Type herb, vine
Flower yellow
Fruit gourd
Uses edible
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