Explore Plants
Native Plant Database
Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.
Kline, Kimberly
Cucurbita foetidissima Kunth
Stinking gourd, Buffalo gourd, Missouri gourd, Stink gourd, Wild gourd
Cucurbitaceae (Cucumber Family)
USDA Symbol: CUFO
USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.
A malodorous plant with large, gray-green, triangular leaves growing along long, prostrate stems. The plants are often 20–30 feet across, with rough, hairy leaves as much as 12 inches long. The large, bell-like flowers, 2–4 inches long, are yellow to orange, 5-lobed at the opening, with stamens that have large anthers deep inside the throat. The globular fruits, about 4 inches across, are green-striped when young, maturing to tennis-ball size and turning yellow. The plant supposedly gets the name stink gourd from its foul odor.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: YellowBloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug
Distribution
USA: AR , AZ , CA , CO , FL , IA , IL , IN , KS , KY , MI , MO , NE , NM , NV , OH , OK , TX , UT , WI , WYNative Distribution: Southern California to eastern Colorado; east to Missouri; south into Mexico.
Native Habitat: Open areas on plains and deserts.
USDA Native Status: L48(N)
Growing Conditions
Water Use: LowLight Requirement: Sun
CaCO3 Tolerance: High
Benefit
Use Medicinal: Pulverized root in tea to speed protracted labor in childbirth. Tea made from boiled peeled roots used to induce vomiting. Powdered seeds and flowers mixed with saliva to reduce swellings. Dried root ground to a powder, mixed with cold water and drunk for laxative.Use Other: The inedible fruits are easily dried and often brightly painted for decorative use.
Warning: The foul-tasting mature fruit is poisonous to humans if eaten. Sensitivity to a toxin varies with a person’s age, weight, physical condition, and individual susceptibility. Children are most vulnerable because of their curiosity and small size. Toxicity can vary in a plant according to season, the plant’s different parts, and its stage of growth; and plants can absorb toxic substances, such as herbicides, pesticides, and pollutants from the water, air, and soil.
Conspicuous Flowers: yes
Interesting Foliage: yes
Find Seed or Plants
Find seed sources for this species at the Native Seed Network.
Mr. Smarty Plants says
Identification of vine with gourd-like fruit
June 30, 2010
We live on a farm, and I have noticed a vine that has leaves like grapes, but produces this flower, and a fruit that is rather large, shaped like a gourd, right now green in color. It is growing over ...
view the full question and answer
Are gourds poisonous, edible?
August 27, 2008
Are all the Gourds edible? How can I know which one is which? If it is not edible, is it poisonous? If not, what is stopping us from eating them?
view the full question and answer
From the National Organizations Directory
According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:Fredericksburg Nature Center - Fredericksburg, TX
Sibley Nature Center - Midland, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
Native Seed Network - Corvallis, OR
Herbarium Specimen(s)
NPSOT 0941 Collected Aug 5, 1994 in Bexar County by Harry CliffeNPSOT 0324 Collected May 22, 1987 in Bexar County by Harry Cliffe
Bibliography
Bibref 610 - Edible wild plants of the prairie : an ethnobotanical guide (1987) Kindscher, K.Bibref 248 - Texas Wildflowers: A Field Guide (1984) Loughmiller, C. & L. Loughmiller
Bibref 328 - Wildflowers of Texas (2003) Ajilvsgi, Geyata.
Bibref 286 - Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country (1989) Enquist, M.
Search More Titles in Bibliography
Recommended Species Lists
Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.
View Recommended Species pageAdditional resources
USDA: Find Cucurbita foetidissima in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Cucurbita foetidissima in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Cucurbita foetidissima
Metadata
Record Modified: 2009-10-16Research By: TWC Staff
