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Coyote Gourd

Cucurbita palmata

Out of stock

1 gallon

Plant Care

Native region:

Local Native

Water needs:

Low

Exposure:

Mature size:

Growth rate:

Full Sun

1'x20'

Fast

Flower color:

Flower season:

Pruning:

Yellow orange

None

Wildlife

Monarchs:

Nectar pollinators:

Yes

Nighttime pollinators:

Rabbit resistant:

Yes

A member of the squash family commonly knw as coyote gourd or melon. The coyote gourd is a perennial vine that grows each spring from an underground tuber. Large green leaves and huge yellow-orange trumpet flowers followed by a round shiny green, striped melon the size of a baseball. The melon turns yellow when mature and then dries to a tan with the vine dying back in late winter.
Use as a ground cover or let grow on a trellis to provide shade during summer.
Prefers soil that is loose, gravelly and well drained.

Growing Plants in the Desert — Important Information

The information presented here is, to the best of my knowledge, accurate and based on my research from reliable sources, observations I have made of plants growing in my, and other gardens I have visited, and observations of the plants in their native habitats. I would appreciate your feedback and experience to help me educate others!

Cacti: In my experience, cacti are much happier in the filtered shade here in the low desert of the Coachella Valley. Colors are more vibrant and they bloom more profusely, especially the non-native varieties. If you pay attention to how our native barrel and beavertail opuntia grow in the wild, it is frequently tucked in the rocks under creosote or another shrub.

Light Requirements: I have found that in our desert (Sonoran/Colorado) “full sun” plants can take and appreciate the late afternoon filtered sun, especially in the hot summer months.