Coyote Melon

10 Feb

If one of these things is intact and all dried out when you find it on the desert floor, it’ll make a damn fine maraca:

Cucurbita palmata is a species of flowering plant in the squash family known by the common names coyote melon and coyote gourd. This squash is native to the southwestern United States and far northern Mexico, where it is most common in desert regions. It is a sprawling vine with rough, stiff-haired stems and leaves. The dark green, light-veined leaves are sharply palmate with usually five long triangular points. The stiff, curling yellow flowers are 6 to 8 centimeters wide. The plant bears smooth spherical or oblate squash fruits 8 to 10 centimeters wide. The fruits may be bright yellow to dark green and may have white stripes. The fruit is distasteful and not edible.

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  1. Work Party Elyria Canyon Park: Sunday September 25, 2011 | What's That Bug? - August 29, 2011

    [...] Melon BlossomsFor more information on the Coyote Melon or Coyote Gourd, Cucurbita palmata, visit Cold Splinters.Two unripe Coyote Melons   0   I like ThisRelated Posts (01/01/2000)I [...]

  2. Next Work Party: Sunday September 25, 2011 | The Mount Washington Homeowners Alliance - August 29, 2011

    [...] more information on the Coyote Melon or Coyote Gourd, Cucurbita palmata, visit Cold Splinters.  There are some beautiful photos on Northern California [...]

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