Lauki / Bottle Gourd
Lagenaria siceraria
Also known as Calbash Gourd
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan & more
- Flowering
- July-February
How to identify Lauki
Identify Lauki by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a climber habit.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: July-February.
- In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Cucurbitaceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Lauki.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Lagenaria siceraria
- Genus
- Lagenaria
- Family
- Cucurbitaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Distribution
- Tropical regions of the world
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Uttar Pradesh
- Flowering & fruiting
- July-February
Leaf characters
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Typical of the Cucurbitaceae family — a field-mark hint, not measured for this exact species.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Solitary
- Fruit
- Berry
Characters marked “recorded” are for Lauki itself; the rest are typical of the Cucurbitaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- लौकी Lauki, घिया Ghiya, dudhi
- Nepali
- लौका
- Bengali
- Ladu, লাউ
- Tamil
- சுரைக்காய் Surakkai, சுரைக்காய்
- Telugu
- Sorakkaya, సొర కాయ, అనపకాయ
- Kannada
- Sorekayi, ಸೋರೆ
- Malayalam
- Pechura, ചുരക്ക
- Marathi
- दूधी Dudhi, दुधी भोपळा
- Assamese
- জাতি লাউ
About Lauki
Bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria) belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family, where it grows as a climber. In India it has been recorded in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and 17 other states. Flowering and fruiting run from July to February.
Uses
Locally it is grown for parts that are eaten. Parts of this plant are reported as poisonous — treat it as unsafe to eat and wash your hands after handling.
Cucurbitaceae
Cucumber/Gourd family
Lauki belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Cucurbitaceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Lauki or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
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