Bottle Gourd Speckled Swan - Cucurbita siceraria

The Gourd or 'Speckled Swan' Calabash is an astonishing variety of ornamental gourd, whose sowing is child's play. This cousin of our courgettes is a vigorous creeping or climbing plant with very fast growth, producing fruits with a swan neck, of beautiful dimensions, which sport a beautiful green robe speckled with white cream. It is undoubtedly an extraordinary cucurbit that can be used in floral compositions, table decorations, or to adorn the pergola. Its fruits are harvested from July to October-November, before the first frost.

'Speckled Swan' comes from a plant of the cucurbit family called Cucurbita or Lagenaria siceraria. This species of tropical annual plant has been domesticated and selected by humans for a long time, who use its fruits with a very hard and impermeable skin as containers. According to authors, its origins can be found in Africa, Thailand, or Peru. Creeping or climbing, this calabash develops ramified stems measuring up to 3 m (10ft) long in the space of one season, equipped with tendrils opposite the leaves, capable of clinging to any support within their reach. The green leaves, arranged alternately, are simple, rounded, hairy, and soft to the touch. Flowering takes place from July to September. It consists of distinct male and female flowers, white in color, funnel-shaped, which open at dusk. Only the female flowers produce fruits. The fruit is fleshy, with a spherical base, mini a thinner and curved protrusion ending in an elongated ball. The overall shape resembles that of a bird reaching a height of 60 cm (24in). The 'pulp' of the fruit dries out and lignifies at maturity, becoming as hard as wood. The shiny skin of this 'Speckled Swan' variety has an original and decorative pattern, randomly speckled with light on a dark green background.

Sow these gourds or calabashes in spring, in a heated shelter, as if they were vegetable plants. Then plant them in open ground or in flower pots. Their unusual fruits allow you to create all kinds of original decorations. They bring a touch of exoticism and fantasy to a large fruit bowl, mixed with grape clusters, apples, pears, grapevine leaves, mini pumpkins, and many more. Simply associate them with Chinese lanterns (Physalis franchetti) and small gourds in a bowl placed on the table. You can also let them climb on a pergola or arbor, surprising your visitors! The dried fruits can be stored for many years. Depending on personal preferences, it is perfectly possible to paint, wax, or varnish them. Offer the emptied fruit to birds: perhaps they will make their nest in it!