Native Plants

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Tuesday - January 12, 2016

From: McAllen, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: General Botany, Vines
Title: How many seeds in a Balsam Gourd fruit?
Answered by: Joe Marcus

QUESTION:

How many seeds should I expect to find inside the fruit of Ibervillea Londoners?

ANSWER:

We know of no plant called Ibervillea londoners, but we think you must be referring to Balsam Gourd, Ibervillea lindheimeri, a native of Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. The fruit of Balsam Gourd -- technically called a pepo, but a gourd nevertheless -- will typically contain something like 12 to 20 seeds. You should allow the fruit to become dead ripe, to the point of being somewhat soft to the touch before harvesting and collecting the seeds.

From the Image Gallery

Balsam gourd
Ibervillea lindheimeri