What is "crescentia cujete"

Gourd tree \Gourd" tree"\ (Bot.) A tree (the Crescentia Cujete, or calabash tree) of the West Indies and Central America.

Calabash \Cal"a*bash\ (k[a^]l"[.a]*b[a^]sh), n. [Sp. calabaza, or Pg. calaba[,c]a, caba[,c]a (cf. F. Calebasse), lit., a dry gourd, fr. Ar. qar', fem., a kind of gourd + aibas dry.]

1. The common gourd (plant or fruit).

2. The fruit of the calabash tree.

3. A water dipper, bottle, bascket, or other utensil, made from the dry shell of a calabash or gourd.

   Calabash tree. (Bot.), a tree of tropical America ( Crescentia cujete), producing a large gourdlike fruit, containing a purgative pulp. Its hard shell, after the removal of the pulp, is used for cups, bottles, etc. The African calabash tree is the baobab.

Crescentia cujete, commonly known as the Calabash Tree, is species of flowering plant that is native to Central and South America. It is the national tree of St. Lucia. It is a dicotyledonous plant with simple leaves, which are alternate or in fascicles (clusters) on short shoots. It is naturalized in India.

It is also known as Calabacero (Spain), Cuité (Brazil) Totumo (Panama, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru), Tutumo (Bolivia), Taparo (Venezuela), Mate (Ecuador), Huinga (Peru), Pate (Peru), Cuyabra (Colombia), Jícaro (Mexico), Morro (Guatemala), Güira (Cuba), Cujete (Spain, Philippines), Miracle Fruit (Philippines), Kalbas (Dominica and St. Lucia), Higuera (Puerto Rico) and Rum tree (Sri Lanka).

The fruit, called Jícara, Bule, Tecomate, Guaje, Morro or Huacal in Mexico, is used to make small vessels for serving or drinking.

The tree shares its common name with that of the vine calabash, or bottle gourd, Lagenaria siceraria).