Lagenaria siceraria var. siceraria (bottle gourd, "Hyotan")

Japanese name: ヒョウタン （瓢箪）
Scientific name: Lagenaria siceraria var. siceraria

[Overview]
A climbing annual.
The stems grow long.
Leaves are simple and alternate, heart-shaped, with margins shallowly lobed in a palmate fashion.
There are male and female flowers, both white; the corolla is 5-lobed at the tip, opens in the evening and wilts by the following morning.
The fruit is usually constricted in the middle with rounded upper and lower parts, the so-called gourd shape.
The size and shape of the fruit vary by cultivar, and some have long necks or are slender.

[History]
The name hisago appears in the Nihon Shoki.

[Uses]
The fruit contains a large amount of cucurbitacin, a bitter compound that can also cause food poisoning, so it is not eaten.
The flesh and the cottony inner part are removed and the fruit is dried, then used as a container.
It is also made into floats, fishing gear and musical instruments.
The fruit and leaves are used medicinally.
In Japan it is widely used as a design motif, and was also used for the banners and standards of warlords.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
It grows vigorously, is robust and is easy to grow.
It prefers a sunny, airy, well-drained, fertile soil.
It is best grown on a trellis, like the Hechima.
Take care not to overwater; water thoroughly when the soil surface dries.
Apply base fertilizer, and in addition apply liquid fertilizer once a week or slow-release fertilizer once a month.
After fruit set, apply additional fertilizer so that it does not run short.
Fruit sets mostly on grandchild vines and later, so when the main stem (parent vine) has grown to about 2 m, pinch it to encourage child vines.
When the child vines have grown about 6 nodes, pinch them to encourage grandchild vines.
When female flowers bloom, pollinate by hand.
Pests and diseases include powdery mildew, fusarium wilt, gummy stem blight, downy mildew, anthracnose, cucurbit leaf beetles and aphids.

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