Gourd. In England, a generic name for species of Cucurbita (which see). In America the term is used to designate those cucurbitous fruits that are hard shelled, and are used for ornament or for the making of domestic utensils. The gourd of history is probably Lagenaria. In the northern United States, the small hard-shelled forms of Cucurbila pepo (var. ovifera) are commonly understood when the word gourd is used. The gourds in the American trade are referable to their species as followsCH:
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