''Crescentia'' (calabash tree, huingo, krabasi, or kalebas) is a genus of six species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the family

Bignoniaceae Bignoniaceae () is a Family (biology), family of flowering plants in the Order (biology), order Lamiales commonly known as the bignonias or trumpet vines.Vernon H. Heywood, Richard K. Brummitt, Ole Seberg, and Alastair Culham. ''Flowering Plant ...

, native to Mexico, the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, and northern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. The species are moderate-size

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

s growing to tall, and producing large spherical fruits, with a thin, hard shell and soft pulp, up to in diameter.

Uses

The fruit pulp is used traditionally for respiratory problems. The hard shell can be used for containers, scoops, cups etc. Crescentia is a plant with various medicinal uses. Different parts of the tree, including the fruit, leaves, and bark, are used in traditional medicine to treat a wide range of ailments. Common uses include treating respiratory problems, inflammation, digestive issues, and skin conditions.

Species

Six species are accepted. *'' Crescentia alata'' *'' Crescentia amazonica'' *'' Crescentia cujete'' *'' Crescentia linearifolia'' *'' Crescentia mirabilis'' *'' Crescentia portoricensis''

References

External links

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Crescentia, Bignoniaceae genera Tropical fruit Flora of the Neotropical realm Taxa described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Bignoniaceae-stub