Bottle gourd

Where does Bottle gourd grow?

Found in: Africa, Angola, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Chad, Chile, China, Congo DR, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Easter Island, East Timor, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, FSM, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guam, Guatemala, Guiana, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Marquesas, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pohnpei, Puerto Rico, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sikkim, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uruguay, United States, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Notes: There are 6 Lagenaria species. They are tropical vines.

Status: It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. In Papua New Guinea, it occurs occasionally in many areas for containers. As a vegetable it is only important in some areas eg Mendi. It is a common and popular vegetable in Bangladesh. The seeds are eaten as a famine food.

Growing Bottle gourd

Cultivation: To achieve fast and uniform emergence, seed should be soaked overnight. Seeds are best sown in raised beds. Seedlings emerge in 5-7 days. Seedlings can be transplanted is required. Because plants cross pollinate, plant and fruit types vary. Removing the young fruit to use as a vegetable will prolong the life of the plant. Large fruit can be obtained by removing some of the small fruit. A spacing of 1- 2 m is suitable. It prefers a trellis to climb. Because it is shallow rooted weeding needs to be done carefully.

Edible Uses: The young fruit are boiled as a vegetable. The skin and seeds are removed. They can also be steamed, fried or pickled. Young tips and leaves are edible. They are often cooked with milk or coconut milk to improve the flavour. They are also mixed with other edible leaves. (Old fruit are used as containers, and seeds are not normally edible.) The seeds are sometimes eaten. They yield an edible oil.

Production: It is fast growing and flowers 2 months after seeding.

Nutrition Info

Bottle gourd Photos

References

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