Another gourd? What is it?

[Spoof]

I'd kind of given up on getting anything off of these and have been running over the now 30 foot long double vines. The yellow hand looking one only got four hand things on it and died.

This one has grown in the last week, I mowed/weedwhacked 6 days ago so it's a fast'un.

What is it...

Is it mature...?

Can I make anything with it?

How many do these plants usually put out? Most of the time I find the ends with the flower wilted like in pic #2. Is there a reason they're dying like that?

Thanks!

 

[Spoof]

I also have a near 30 foot long watermelon plant with only one head-sized melon. It gets a lot of flowers and the ends die like that too. Was wondering what caused it...

Could it be the doubling back? When they get to about 10 feet I change the direction of the vine so it goes back the way it came.

 

[Spoof]

Seriously, nobody has ever seen one of these things?

Going to take it to my neighbor's chickens if nobody knows what it is...

 

[AZChins]

We get gourd plants everywhere here when we get good rains in the summer.

You can put it out in a dry, warm place and let it dry. I collect the gourds around here and dry them. In November they're totally dry and the seeds inside make an interesting noise when I shake them.

I don't know if you should try to make anything that you would eat from it. Who even knows what it is!

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

Is it a watermelon or pumpkin maybe?

 

[Brittney]

It looks like an ornamental gourd. My grandfather grows these back home. You can cut them and dry them out like Susan said. My grandfather dries them and gives them to my grandmother. She makes sculptures out of them and has a burning kit and burns designs onto them. It's really fun to do.

Here's how to dry them

http://www.ehow.com/how_4443104_dry-ornamental-gourds.html

 

[addictedtochins]

I am reminded of Jack and the Beanstock. Boy, you don't hear of that story anymore. I don't even really remember it beyond the basics.

 

[eroomlorac]

Are you sure it's not a watermelon? It kind of looks like one.

 

[Becky]

It looks like a bird house gourd to me. You let it dry, then cut a hole in the side, shake out the seeds and hand it for the birds to use.

 

[eroomlorac]

I just noticed it had a 'handle' sort of neck on it. I agree that it is a decorative or bird house sort of squash. At first I only saw the green speckled round part, hence my watermelon suggestion.

 

[Lmbswimmer]

To answer your flower question the plants make both male and female flowers. The ones with the longer stalks and the flowers that eventually die are the males, the ones with a fruit body and then a flower are the female ones and if they are pollenated they will make a gourd. If it is too wet, too anything, or if the female flowers do not get pollinated then the fruit body will usually turn yellow and die.

 

[Spoof]

Cool, thanks! Was wondering about the sheer quantity of flowers vs. fruit.

Yea, I thought it was a watermelon too until I saw the foot long neck on it.