Another very useful tree to the natives is the calabash, or gourd tree.
It provides him with many household utensils. In height and size it
resembles an apple tree. Its leaves are wedge-shaped and its flowers are
large, whitish and fleshy.
The fruit is something like a gourd and often a foot in diameter. The
shell of the fruit is so hard that it is not easily broken by rough
usage or burnt by exposure to fire. It is used instead of bottles, cups,
basins, dishes, pots and kettles, and to make musical instruments.
Sometimes the calabashes are polished, carved, dyed or otherwise
ornamented. The pulp of the fruit is used as a medicine.