Calabash
a tree, the Crescentia Cujete, the typical one of the order Crescentiaceæ, or crescentiads. It is a tree about 30 feet high, found in some places wild, in others cultivated, in the West Indies and other tropical parts of America. Its flowers are variegated with green, purple, red, or yellow; its Its leaves leaves are narrowly elliptical. Its fruits are oval or globular, and are so hard externally that where they grow they are used as household utensils, such even kettles. They are not easily broken by rough usage or burnt by exposure to fire. The pulp is purgative, and considered useful in chest diseases; when roasted, it is employed as a poultice for bruises and inflammations. The fruit of the tree is inclosed in a shell used by the natives of the Caribbee Islands for drinking cups, pots, musical instruments, and other domestic utensils.