Buffalo Gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima)

   
 
 
 

Buffalo Gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima). Figs. 1-3, Hudspeth County, Texas, photographs by A. H. Harris. Fig. 4, Organ Mountains, New Mexico, photograph by Gertrud Konings.

• Common English Names: Buffalo Gourd, Missouri Gourd, Wild gourd, Wild Pumpkin, Fetid Gourd, Coyote Gourd
• Common Spanish Names: Calabaza búfalo, Calabacilla Loca
• Scientific Name: Cucurbita foetidissima (koo-KUR-bih-tuh fee-tih-DIS-sih-muh)
• Family: Cucurbitaceae (Gourd Family)
• Geographic Range: California to Wyoming and Michigan, south into Mexico.
• Plant Form: Perennial vine or forb.
• Remarks: The U.S.D.A. seems to prefer Missouri Gourd as the common name, but Buffalo Gourd seems to be more commonly used in the Southwest.

Last Update: 9 Sep 2006