Gourd | Definition, Types, Examples, Uses, & Facts - Britannica

Home » What Are Gourds Used For » Gourd | Definition, Types, Examples, Uses, & Facts - Britannica

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Major species and uses

bottle gourd
bottle gourdBottle gourd, or calabash (Lagenaria siceraria).(more)

Common gourd species include the yellow-flowered gourd (Cucurbita pepo, subspecies ovifera) and the bottle gourd, or calabash (Lagenaria siceraria), which is frequently used for containers and other items. Other gourds are the wax gourd (Benincasa hispida), teasel gourd (Cucumis dipsaceus), snake gourd (Trichosanthes cucumerina), and loofah, or sponge gourd (species of the genus Luffa).

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kora
koraA Gambian kora.(more)

Dried gourds can be made into a wide variety of useful objects, including utensils, cups, bottles, scoops, ladles, fishnet floats, and birdhouses. Numerous musical instruments made from gourds are found on nearly every continent. They include many types of rattles, such as the maracas of Latin America and the West African shekere, and various other percussion instruments, such as the Latin American guiro and the Indian kanjira (khanjiri). The stringed sitar and tanpura, both from India, and the Gambian kora are also made of gourd components, as are the various forms of gourd mouth organs found across East and Southeast Asia.

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