Kalebas
Crescentia cujete
Also known as Huingo
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
How to identify Kalebas
Identify Kalebas by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Flowers and fruit grow directly on the trunk.
- Confirm leaf arrangement: Alternate.
- Confirm leaf type: Simple.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- Confirm fruit type: Woody round gourd.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Crescentia cujete
- Genus
- Crescentia
- Family
- Bignoniaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Native to
- South America
- Found in India
- Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi, Telangana, West Bengal, Assam, Gujarat, Manipur, Odisha, Rajasthan
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- AlternaterecordedOne leaf per node, arranged in a spiral or zigzag up the stem.“It is a dicotyledonous plant with simple leaves, which are alternate or in fascicles (clusters) on short shoots.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf type
- SimplerecordedA single, undivided leaf blade.
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kalebas itself; the rest are typical of the Bignoniaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
- Fruit type
- Woody round gourdrecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Panicle
- Fruit
- Capsule
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kalebas itself; the rest are typical of the Bignoniaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Bengali
- ডুগডুগি বা বৈষ্ণব বেল, ডুগডুগি গাছ
- Tamil
- திருவோட்டுக்காய்
- Malayalam
- കമണ്ഡലു മരം
About Kalebas
Kalebas (Crescentia cujete) is a tree in the Bignoniaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and 9 other states. It flowers and fruits through much of the year.
In culture
It is used as an official or regional emblem.
Bignoniaceae
Trumpet vine family
Kalebas belongs to the Bignoniaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Bignoniaceae familySnap it. Know it.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides