1. Cucurbita foetidissima Kunth (buffalo gourd)

C. perennis A. Gray

Pepo foetidissimus (Kunth) Britton

Map 1626, Pl. 372 f, g

Plants perennial vines with deep, stout, branched, somewhat tuberous roots, the trailing stems also sometimes rooting at the nodes, usually producing a strong aroma similar to that of garlic, especially when crushed or bruised. Leaf blades 10–40 cm long, 6–30 cm wide, triangular to ovate-triangular in outline, distinctly longer than wide, not lobed or with a pair of very shallow lobes toward the base, these broadly triangular, mostly sharply pointed at the tip, the surfaces densely roughened with short, stiff, pustular-based hairs (usually scattered, longer, stouter hairs also present), appearing gray or strongly grayish-tinged. Flowers all solitary. Fruits 6–10 cm long, spherical or nearly so, green with usually fairly strong, light green to white, irregular longitudinal stripes, bleaching to yellow, tan, or ivory-colored with age. 2n=40, 42. June–August.

Possibly introduced, uncommon and sporadic (Nebraska to Texas west to California; Mexico; introduced sporadically east to Virginia and Florida). Banks of rivers; upland prairies; also edges of crop fields, railroads, roadsides, and open, disturbed areas.

Steyermark (1963) and Yatskievych and Turner (1990) treated this species as native in Missouri. Although native populations might plausibly occur in the northwestern portion of the state or in counties along the Missouri River, there is no strong evidence to support this hypothesis, in part because the older specimens have incomplete collection data on their labels. The oldest collections from Missouri were not made until the 1890s in the Springfield (Greene County), Sheffield (Jackson County), and Pacific (St. Louis County) areas, which is unusual for a species that is so robust and conspicuous where it occurs. Rare collections made along the Missouri River in later decades are more problematic, as the hard-shelled fruits are capable of long-distance dispersal by water. However, C. foetidissima has been encountered most commonly along railroads in the state. As of this writing, the species has not been collected in Missouri since 1956.

The fruits and seeds of buffalo gourd were used by Native Americans for food, as a soap substitute, and for ceremonial rattles, as well as medicinally for treatment of sores and various other pains (Moerman, 1998). The oil content of seeds is about 25–43 percent, and the protein content is 22–35 percent (Bemis et al., 1978). The roots of older individuals can be several meters long and weigh more than 80 kg (175 pounds), with up to 56 percent of the dry weight composed of starch. Because of its high protein, oil, and starch content and its very rapid potential growth rate, buffalo gourd has been identified as a potential new crop for arid regions of the Southwest and the tropics. Studies are ongoing to develop races suitable for livestock feeds, seed oils, and other food products, as well as to overcome potential problems, such as the somewhat unpleasant flavor of the flour made from the roots and the susceptibility of plants in cultivation to various diseases and insect pests (Gathman and Bemis, 1990).