Calabash tree
Crescentia cujete
Jicaro
Ornamental & Shade Trees
Unusual ornamental tree . Often seen in the fields in Guanacaste. The flowers and gourds grow directly off the trunks and branches. The tree is resilent. When the fields are burned these trees seem to survive fine.
| Mature height | 20 – 30 ft |
| Mature spread | 25 – 35 ft |
Leaves
simple leaves, which are alternate or in fascicles (clusters) on short shoots
Flowers
The twoi nch-wide flowers are yellow/green with red or purple veins, cup-shaped, and appear to emerge directlly from the branches
Fruit
the large, round fruit, 5 to 12 inches in diameter, with a smooth, hard shell, which hang directly beneath thebranches.
