Gourd, Buffalo (Cucurbita foetidissima), packet of 10 seeds, organic

Family:  Cucurbit (Cucurbitaceae)

Hardy to Zones 7 to 12

(Calabazilla) Perennially rooted, multi-stemmed, creeping vine with characteristic trowel-shaped leaves and bright yellow flowers that give way to the small, globe-shaped fruits.  Another roadside attraction from the deserts of the American SW.  The leaves are leathery and rough, almost immutable to traffic, and they stink.  Traditional usage (SW tribes): soap for washing hair, clothing, etc made by swishing gourds in water.  Green gourd cut in half for scrubbing floor.  Source of saponins.   Internal use may prove purgative.  The gourds are small, light, and very round.  If carefully dried they can be made into excellent rattles.  Plant prefers full sun and a dry, well-drained exposure.  Sow seed in spring, several per hill, in hills 3 feet or more apart.  Thin to best seedling and allow to grow and sprawl.

10 seeds/pkt, Certified Organically Grown