Lagenaria
(from lagena, a flask; in allusion to the usual form of the fruit). Bottle Gourd. ORD. Cucurbitaceae. A monotypic genus, the species being a hardy, musky, pubescent annual. For culture, see Gourds. L. vulgaris (common).* fl. white, large, monoecious, rarely dioecious, stellate, fascicled. August. fr. shaped like a bottle, when ripe of a pale yellow colour, sometimes growing 6ft. in length, with a roundish bottom and a neck; probably poisonous. l. cordate nearly entire, biglandular at the base, pilose. Asia and tropical Africa, 1597 (now cultivated in most tropical countries). There are numerous varieties, differing principally in the shape of the fruit.