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A gourd is a hollow, dried shell of a fruit in the Cucurbitaceae family of plants. Gourds can be used as a number of things, including bowls or bottles. Gourds are also used as resonating chamber s on certain musical instruments including some stringed instruments and drums. Instruments of this type are common in Africa, South Asia, and the Caribbean. Gourds are also used as a tool for sipping yerba mate by means of a bombilla, in Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, where it is called "cuia" (kOOya). Birdhouse gourds, (Lagenaria siceraria), are commonly used in southern USA for group housing for purple martins, which reputedly help control mosquitoes.Day-blooming gourds are pollinated the same as Squash, and commercial plantings should have bee hives supplied. Night blooming gourds are pollinated by moths, which are normally present in adequate supply unless they are drawn off by night lights in the area.
See also
- bitter melonGarden cucumber Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Violales Family: Cucurbitaceae Genus Momordica Species charantia Binomial nomenclature Momordica charantia The bitter melon (or bitter gourd) is
- guiro
- maracaMaracas are simple percussion instruments ( idiophones), usually played in pairs, consisting of a dried gourd shell (cuia 'kOO-ya') filled with seeds or dried beans. They may also be made of leather, wood, or plastic. Often one maraca is pitched high and
- sitarThe sitar is a Hindustani classical music instrument. It typically has a gourd acting as the resonating chamber. A distinctive feature is the frets, which are moveable (allowing fine variation in tuning) and raised (so that resonant, or sympathetic, strin
Melons
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