Calabash Tree (Crescentia cujete)

Family: Bignoniaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Native to Central and South America, Crescentia cujete or commonly known as Calabash Tree is a small or medium-sized flowering tree about 10 meters in height. It is the national tree of St. Lucia. Its leaves are simple and alternate, its bole is thick, and its crown is dense and round. The flowers are round and bell-shaped. The fruit is used to make containers, cups, etc. Young fruit is occasionally pickled but the pulp is poisonous.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Nuts/Seeds, Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

aromatic and flavourful coffee substitute. — The young fruit is occasionally pickled.; Considered the equal of pickled walnuts.; The seed can be eaten when cooked.; It is also used to make a beverage.

Habitat & North American Range

Coastal scrub, dry lowlands in clearings. Roadsides, old pastures, thickets and woodland margins at elevations from sea level to 420 metres in Jamaica. (Zone 10)