# Buffalo Gourd (*cucurbita foetidissima*) The Buffalo Gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima), also known as the calabazilla or stinking gourd, is a hardy perennial plant native to the arid and semi-arid regions of North America. Renowned for its remarkable survival strategies, this plant thrives in harsh desert environments where few other leafy plants can cope. It is easily recognized by its sprawling, carpet-like vines and a strong, unpleasant odor released when its foliage is crushed or bruised—a clever evolutionary defense against hungry herbivores. Beneath the surface, the Buffalo Gourd develops a colossal taproot that acts as an underground water reservoir, allowing it to withstand prolonged droughts. Historically, indigenous peoples valued this plant enormously, utilizing its saponin-rich roots as soap, its seeds for nutrition, and its dried gourds as rattles, storage vessels, or utensils. Today, it remains a vital ecological component of dry grasslands, providing nourishment for specialized native pollinators. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 8 - **Habitat:** Found in dry, open areas such as desert grasslands, sandy soils, roadsides, and disturbed fields throughout the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. ![Buffalo Gourd](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/8658137/medium.jpg) Photo: Adam J. Searcy, CC BY 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/8658137) ## Appearance This plant features sprawling, rough-textured vines that can spread across the ground up to 6 meters in length, covered in heart-shaped, triangular leaves that are a dusty, grayish-green color. During the summer, it produces large, bell-shaped yellow flowers that bloom in the morning and close by afternoon. The fruits are spherical, hard-shelled gourds measuring about 7 to 10 centimeters in diameter, which start with dark green and light green stripes before drying to a uniform, dull tan or yellow-brown color. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Cucurbitales - **Family:** Cucurbitaceae - **Genus:** Cucurbita ## Interesting facts - Despite being extremely bitter and foul-smelling to humans, the seeds are highly nutritious and were roasted and eaten by Native American tribes. - Indigenous peoples crushed the roots of this plant in water to create a soapy lather used for washing clothes and treating skin conditions. - The giant taproot of an established Buffalo Gourd can grow to be as heavy as an adult human, sometimes weighing up to 90 kilograms. ## Special abilities - **Water-Storing Giant Taproot:** The plant grows a massive, tuberous taproot that can weigh over 50 kilograms, storing immense amounts of water and starch to survive extreme desert droughts. - **Chemical Herbivore Deterrent:** Its leaves and stems produce bitter compounds called cucurbitacins and emit a foul, musky odor when damaged, discouraging herbivores from eating them. - **Rapid Post-Rain Growth:** Following brief desert rainstorms, the vine can grow at an astonishing rate, rapidly spreading its leaves to maximize photosynthesis while moisture is available. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 100-600 cm - **Weight:** 5-75 kg - **Lifespan:** 10-40 years ## Diet & Feeding As a photoautotroph, the Buffalo Gourd produces its own energy via photosynthesis, utilizing sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water drawn through its massive taproot. - **Primary Foods:** Sunlight, Water, Carbon dioxide, Soil nutrients ## Ecological connections - **Mutualism:** Squash Bee (*Peponapis pruinosa*) — Highly specialized squash bees act as the primary pollinators of the Buffalo Gourd's morning-blooming flowers. - **Eaten by:** [Striped Cucumber Beetle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/striped-cucumber-beetle) (*Acalymma vittatum*) — The larvae of this beetle feed on the roots, while the adults consume the leaves, stems, and blossoms of the plant. ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Buffalo Gourd? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Buffalo Gourd? 100-600 cm ### How much does Buffalo Gourd weigh? 5-75 kg ### How long does Buffalo Gourd live? 10-40 years ### What does Buffalo Gourd eat? As a photoautotroph, the Buffalo Gourd produces its own energy via photosynthesis, utilizing sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water drawn through its massive taproot. ### Where is Buffalo Gourd usually found? Found in dry, open areas such as desert grasslands, sandy soils, roadsides, and disturbed fields throughout the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. ## Where to spot - [Arroyo Conejo Open Space](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/arroyo-conejo-open-space) — California, US · Park - [Barrio De Analco Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/barrio-de-analco-historic-district) — New Mexico, US · Historic District - [Clayton Public Schools Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/clayton-public-schools-historic-district) — New Mexico, US · Historic District - [Conejo Valley Botanical Garden](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/conejo-valley-botanical-garden) — California, US · Botanical Garden - [Crystal Cove Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/crystal-cove-historic-district) — California, US · Historic District - [Darlington Agency](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/darlington-agency) — Oklahoma, US · Historic District [View all places to see Buffalo Gourd](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/buffalo-gourd) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Buffalo Gourd: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/buffalo-gourd)