common calabash tree
Crescentia cujete · Bignoniaceae
common calabash tree (Crescentia cujete) is a perennial tree in the Bignoniaceae family. It is native to North America. USDA records it as hardy in zone 11 and warmer, down to about 40°F.
At a glance
| Type | tree Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 33 ft USDA |
| Growth rate | slow USDA |
| Bloom | June–August USDA |
| Flower color | Green USDA |
| Hardiness zones | 11 and warmer USDA |
| Guild layer | understory Derived |
| Nursery availability | Routinely Available USDA |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
Its cold limit is zone 11.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 33 ft, making it a substantial woody plant. It grows slowly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of June through August. Flowers are green.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is green. Its flowers are conspicuous. Its fruit or seed heads are conspicuous, extending interest past flowering. Its active growth period is spring.
What the site needs to provide
It needs at least 365 frost-free days to finish its season. It roots to at least 36 inches. Fertility requirement: medium.
Propagating it
It takes readily from seed, cuttings, bare root, container stock and sprigs. USDA records no cold-stratification requirement, so seed should germinate without a chilling period.
Resilience and wildlife
Browsing animals rate it barely palatable — the sourced basis for calling it deer-resistant. Its growth form is recorded as single crown.
Role in a guild
Understory. In a layered planting this is the layer beneath the canopy, tall enough to hold structure but shaded from above. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Crescentia
- higuerito Crescentia linearifolia
- higuero de sierra Crescentia portoricensis
Similar role and hardiness
- custard apple Annona reticulata
- wild cinnamon Canella winterana
- Chamisso's manfern Cibotium chamissoi
- hapu'u Cibotium glaucum
- tietongue Coccoloba diversifolia
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol CRCU, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, browse palatability, cold stratification, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, frost free days min, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Hardiness zones, Lifecycle, Mature height, Minimum temperature, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, Nursery availability, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, Toxicity.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
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