Taxon: Crescentia cujete L.

Summary

Genus:

Crescentia

Family:

Bignoniaceae

Tribe:

Crescentieae

Nomen number:

12209

Place of publication:

Sp. pl. 2:626. 1753

Typification:

View in Linnean Typification Project

Verified:

04/08/1994 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

7 (2 active, 2 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Aguirre-Dugua, X. et al. 2012. Round and large: Morphological and genetic consequences of artificial selection on the gourd tree Crescentia cujete by the Maya of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Ann. Bot. (Oxford) 109:1297-1306. DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcs068.
Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage
Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
Gómez-Pompa, A. & V. Sosa, eds. 1978-. Flora de Veracruz.
Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Harling, G. & B. Sparre, eds. 1973-. Flora of Ecuador.
Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Kunkel, G. 1984. Plants for human consumption
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Lira, R. et al., eds. 2016. Ethnobotany of Mexico Springer, New York, US. 99.
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Moreira, P. A. et al. 2016. Chloroplast sequence of treegourd (Crescentia cujete, Bignoniaceae) to study phylogeography and domestication. Applic. Pl. Sci. 4:1600048. DOI: 10.3732/apps.1600048. Note: used SNP data to test hypotheses on the origin and relations of Crescentia cujete and C. amazonica
Moreira, P. A. et al. 2017. Diversity of treegourd (Crescentia cujete) suggests introduction and prehistoric dispersal routes into Amazonia. Front. Ecol. Evolut. 5:150. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00150.
Moreira, P. et al. 2017. Human management and hybridization shape treegourd fruits in the Brazilian Amazon Basin. Evol. Applications 10:577-589.
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	calabash	1	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
English	calabash-tree	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
French	calebassier	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	Kalebassenbaum	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Portuguese (Brazil)	coité	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)	cuieira	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)	cuité	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)	cujeté	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Spanish	calabacero	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	crescencia	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	guacal	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	morro	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish (Mexico)	cuatecomate	2	Lira, R. et al., eds. 2016. Ethnobotany of Mexico Springer, New York, US. 99.
Swedish	kalebassträd	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sinaloa		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Tamaulipas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Campeche		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guerrero		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Hidalgo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Morelos		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Nayarit		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Puebla		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Quintana Roo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tabasco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Yucatán		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Antigua and Barbuda			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Bahamas			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cayman Islands			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Dominica			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Dominican Republic			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Haiti			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Jamaica			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Lucia			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Vincent and Grenadines			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico		Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Virgin Islands, U.S.		Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama			Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Colombia			Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
2	Cultivated					widely cult.
2	Cultivated	Northern America		Mexico			Moreira, P. A. et al. 2017. Diversity of treegourd (Crescentia cujete) suggests introduction and prehistoric dispersal routes into Amazonia. Front. Ecol. Evolut. 5:150. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00150.
2	Cultivated	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil			Moreira, P. A. et al. 2017. Diversity of treegourd (Crescentia cujete) suggests introduction and prehistoric dispersal routes into Amazonia. Front. Ecol. Evolut. 5:150. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00150.
4	Naturalized					widely natzd. elsewhere
6	Other					exact native range in neotropics obscure

Native
Northern America

NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Sinaloa, Tamaulipas]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Campeche, Chiapas, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, United States [Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, U.S.], St. Vincent and Grenadines
CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Colombia

Cultivated

REGION:

Northern America

REGION: Mexico

Southern America

BRAZIL: Brazil

Naturalized (widely natzd. elsewhere)
Other (exact native range in neotropics obscure)

Reference(s)

Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
Moreira, P. A. et al. 2017. Diversity of treegourd (Crescentia cujete) suggests introduction and prehistoric dispersal routes into Amazonia. Front. Ecol. Evolut. 5:150. DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00150.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:669.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Environmental	ornamental		Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Environmental	ornamental		Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Human food	fruit		Kunkel, G. 1984. Plants for human consumption
Materials	carved material	shells of fruits for containers	Gentry, A. H. 1980. Bignoniaceae - Part I (Crescentieae and Tourrettieae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 25(1):90-93.
Medicines	folklore		Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicines	folklore		McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=12209. Accessed 15 April 2026.