Common Name(s): Calabash Tree

Synonym(s):

Family: Bignoniaceae

Native To: Mexico and Central America

Native Habitat: Open spaces with lots of light, often in areas that have an extended, hot dry season several months long.

Growth Habit: Single or multi-stemmed tree growing 20 to 25 feet tall.

Flowering: May to June

Distinguishing Characteristics: The lustrous, dark green leaves are 3 to 5 inches long with a winged petiole and the blade divided into 3 parts so that it forms the shape of a cross. The flowers are born directly on the trunk, and have 5 petals fused together that are brown and gold in color. Fruits are also formed right on the gray fissured trunk, and are 3 inch, round, lime-green balls that eventually dry to resemble gourds. A specific species of bat pollinates the flowers of Crescentia alata, and since this species is not found on the UA campus, the UA trees do not produce fruit.

Natural History and Cultivation Notes: Warren Jones, Professor Emeritus of Landscape Architecture at the University of Arizona, collected seeds from the western coast of Mexico in the 1970s. These seeds were then germinated in a shade house in Tucson; the plants were planted from one-gallon pots "as an experiment". Today these trees are 20 to 25 feet tall, and are thriving in protected microclimates. The best example of Crescentia alata can be found on the SE corner of the Main Library, just north of the football field.

Ethnobotany: In Mexico and Central America, the fruits are traditionally used as drinking cups or bowls, or as toys for children. The fruit pulp is said to be sweet.

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